Finnish forward Miikka Muurinen announced his commitment to John Calipari’s Arkansas on Monday. The five-star prospect’s commitment sent the Razorbacks’ 2026 recruiting class to No. 1 nationally, per ESPN.
The 19-year-old plays for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia after spending time in multiple high schools in the US. His announcement triggered reactions from fans, many of whom took to X to post their comments.
“Pure bag chase kid, doesn’t care if team wins or loses,” wrote Jtacosh.
“One of the worst players I’ve ever seen,” wrote The Kentucky Network.
Snoddy commented:
“All that yapping Cal did about Euro players just to go and get one
Justdiehappy wrote:
“Cal won’t know how to use him. His offense is the simple form of the dribble drive motion offense. May get to the sweet 16 tho.”
“How could anyone get excited about Calipari’s roster? He could literally pick 5 of WHOEVER HE WANTS… and find a way to make them underachievers,” John Coy commented.
Double A Ron wrote:
“It’s another final four or bust year for Coach Cal with this roster. If he doesn’t make it I’m sure the fan base will still be excited.”
Tracing Miikka Muurinen’s recruitment by Arkansas
Miikka Muurinen had taken an official visit to Arkansas in the fall of 2024 before leaving for Europe. He noted the Razorbacks have consistently maintained interest in him since the visit over a year ago.
“Since my visit a year and a half ago, they’ve been consistent and committed to recruiting me,” he said. “They’ve always shown interest. They’ve been very consistent, and they’ve gotten to know me as a person. That’s been very important to me.
“When I left my Arkansas visit, I was not only excited about the program but also about the people, and I said to myself, those are the type of people I want to be around on a daily basis.”
Although his absence from the US means he’s unranked, an ESPN report estimated his scouting grade of 95 would have put him in the top-five.
Miikka Muurinen has earned appearances for Partizan this season, including six in EuroLeague. He has played for the Finland senior team in 15 games, including eight in the FIBA EuroBasket last summer where he averaged 6.6 points.
Muurinen played this month’s Nike Hoop Summit on the World Team, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
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Edited by Kayode Akinwumi
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