As usual, John Calipari is stacking up five-star talent at Arkansas.
The latest to commit to the Razorbacks is five-star power forward Miikka Muurinen of KK Partizan in Serbia, who announced on Monday that he’ll be playing his college basketball for Calipari ahead of the 2025-26 season.
The path to Fayetteville for talented and athletic 6-foot-10 power forward has certainly been a winding one.
A native of Finland, Muurinen first made his way to the United States as a sophomore, where he played just outside of Wichita (Kans.) at Sunrise Christian. After showing glimpses of potential while getting acclimated to ball in the States, Muurinen really took off in the summer of 2024 when he played with St. Louis-based Brad Beal Elite in the 16U Division of Nike’s EYBL. His blend of size, athleticism and skill allowed him to move into five-star status.
For his junior season, Muurinen made the move to Chandler (Ariz.) AZ Compass Prep, where he solidified his status as a five-star prospect in the class of 2026. Last summer and fall, Muurinen spent time with the Finnish national team before electing to turn pro.
During 18 appearances with KK Partizan, Muurrinen averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 assists per game. While he didn’t accumulate a ton of minutes, he managed to go viral multiple times because of his highlight slams and athleticism.
Most recently, Muurinen was back in the United States to play for the World team in the Nike Hoop Summit. During that appearance, he was active on the glass, attacked the rim and looked like a guy primed to play college ball.
Muurinen will need to add more strength this summer, but don’t let his stats playing pro ball in Europe fool you. He’s got the tools to start immediately for Calipari, and if he can adjust to the physicality of the college game, he’s got the talent to emerge as a first-round NBA Draft pick after one year at Arkansas.
Muurinen’s addition bolsters Arkansas’ 2026 recruiting class, which was already a strong and athletic haul for Calipari for this cycle. Muurinen joins fellow five-stars Jordan Smith and JJ Andrews — both physical athletes who earned McDonald’s All American honors as seniors — and ultra-athletic four-star wing Abdou Toure, who signed from high school. From the transfer portal, Arkansas already has commitments from high-scoring Georgia guard Jeremiah Wilkinson and Furman big man Cooper Bowser, who will provide interior depth.
Muurinen is a 247Sports five-star but is not ranked in the high school top-150 for the 2026 class because he’s been playing overseas. 247Sports gives ratings to international professionals who come to the States to play college ball but does not rank them nationally with the current graduating class of high schoolers.
