International additions officially on Arkansas basketball roster
The two international players who had been connected to Arkansas for months were officially added to Arkansas basketball’s roster over the weekend.
Both Paolo Semedo and Elmir Dzafic were subtly announced be head coach John Calipari in a post on X on Friday.
Calipari didn’t specifically mention Semedo and Dzafic in the post, but they’re there pictured with the rest of the team. Both are on Arkansas online roster, as well.
Semedo comes to Arkansas from Angola and is rated the No. 51 player in the class of 2025 according to On3/Rivals. He played his high school basketball for West Oaks Academy in Florida and has a 7-foot-5 wingspan.
He’s not the heaviest player on the team, and at 7-foot-1, 225 pounds, is 20 pounds lighter than the last seven-footer to play at Arkansas, Zvonimir Ivisic. He’ll wear No. 99 at Arkansas according to the online roster.
Dzafic will wear No. 15 and while he’s two inches shorter than Semedo at 6-foot-11, is also 40 pounds heavier at 265 pounds. He comes to Arkansas straight from Bosnia where he played for KK Bosna Meredianbet Saravejo.
He had a small role and only averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game there, but also played FIBA U18 competition and averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds in eight games.
With these two additions, Arkansas’ roster is entirely full and all are present and accounted for. The Hoop Hogs will start practice soon ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season.
