The off-season is a crucial time for college basketball players to develop their skills and chemistry with their teammates.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman is one of the best developers of talent and skills in the nation. Since his arrival in Fayetteville, recruitment of high-caliber players has boosted significantly. Musselman has taken strides to make the University of Arkansas a place for elite high school prospects and college transfers a premiere destination in the sport of college basketball.
On Friday, the team announced their plans to travel to Spain and Italy from August 6 to 16. The Razorbacks will play four games and practice in the 10-day span, playing against other teams.
Musselman described the trip as a chance for the Hogs to develop on- and off-the-court chemistry with each other. These games and practices will also be crucial to the team's improvement. This trip will also be a great opportunity for the players, coaching staff and personnel to learn about other cultures. The last time the University of Arkansas had a similar practice and game session in Europe was in the summer of 2016.
This trip to the Spain and Italy is a recruiting tool as well, as it shows the program is willing to take their players to unique locations to practice and train. The Razorbacks' basketball program has full trust in Musselman's development and coaching. High school prospects will be able to see the Razorbacks are a team that has as much resources and potential as other teams like Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke.
The Razorbacks are also going to be a part of the 2022 Maui Invitational Tournament on Nov. 21-23. The event is an exhibition style tournament where some of the top programs in college basketball compete in a tournament in Maui, Hawaii. This season will be the fourth time in program history the Razorbacks will play in the Maui Invitational. They will be in the tournament with Arizona, Cincinnati, Creighton, Louisville, Ohio State, San Diego State and Texas Tech.
Arkansas is also scheduled to participate in the Hall of Fame Classic Championships, the Big 12/SEC Challenge and other tournaments during the college basketball season that attract bigger ratings. The ratings could help draw in serious looks from NBA scouts.
The Razorbacks' recruiting has improved significantly within the past couple seasons due to the development of the program. They finished with the second-best recruiting class this year, which includes the addition of three five-star athletes. They also finished with the fifth-best transfer class, according to 247Sports.
Musselman is proving that the Razorbacks' men's basketball program continues to be on the rise. The Razorbacks look to use this trip to Spain and Italy to become one of the most physically developed teams in college basketball. They are also looking to become a team that can fully trust each other from the start of the 2022-2023 season.