John Calipari claims Isaiah Sealy has 'a long way to go' after Arkansas debut

The Arkansas Razorbacks enter the 2025-26 season with a young team, as head coach John Calipari brought in seven new freshmen to the team. Among those is small forward Isaiah Sealy, who has a lot of fans excited following his debut on Monday night.

Sealy ended up being a key contributor off the bench for Arkansas in its 109-77 opening night win over Southern. Despite that, Calipari feels he has a long way to go before he’s playing his best basketball.

“He’s got a long way to go,” John Calipari said. “You know, I love the kid, but defensively, coming up with balls, knowing where he’s supposed to be. He’s just behind the other guys that way, but he is talented.”

Isaiah Sealy is a Springdale, Arkansas native. He had been a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025 and had been the 80th-ranked player and the 20th-ranked small forward in that recruiting cycle. Importantly, he was also the top-ranked player in the state of Arkansas.

Against Southern, Sealy would play 17 minutes. He had 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists in that performance.

The reality for Sealy is that there could be fewer opportunities in the near future. That’s because Karter Knox is working his way back. However, there is still some question if he will be back by this weekend at all. Calipari admitted, after all, that it depends on how Knox progresses in the next few days.

“He’s going to have opportunities. Hopefully, Karter plays this weekend, which means it’ll limit his opportunities,” Calipari said. “But if Karter doesn’t play, then you’re going to play some.”

John Calipari is looking ahead to this weekend’s game against Michigan State. That’s a game that he expects to be physical, which is something that Isaiah Sealy is possibly well-suited for. After all, it was a strength he showed in his debut.

“The one thing I like. The game got a little physical. We had some guys that didn’t play well in a physical game. Let me explain. This game we’re playing this weekend, this football game we’re going to play Saturday,” Calipari said. “You better be physical and know foul out. In the first half, foul out, but you cannot just get pushed around. You’re not gonna be able to play in the game.”

Tip-off for that game against Michigan State is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on November 8th. A road game, they’ll meet in East Lansing for that marquee matchup.