FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For Nick Pringle, the road to this moment has been winding from junior college to the NCAA Final Four, then a new home in Fayetteville with Arkansas.
But as the sixth-year senior gears up for his last collegiate season, his focus isn’t on individual stats. It’s on elevating the group around him.
Rather than start with lofty goals, Pringle is zeroing in on the process and perspective.
“I just can’t wait to see us at our full potential,” he said. “We’re high on the scale, but we’re just scratching the surface. And I don’t think we understand how good we really can be.”
Pringle’s journey has been far from conventional. At Wofford, he experienced a winning freshman season, then helped Dodge City Community College reach the national tournament.
At Alabama, he played for a Final Four-bound team before transferring to South Carolina, where his lone season ended without a winning record. Through it all, Pringle has learned what winning basketball requires.
“Being the elder statesman has made me something of a teacher for the Razorbacks,” he said.
That showed in a 45-minute Zoom press conference that may be one of the longest in memory if not the record.
Pringle arrived in Fayetteville during the offseason and has already been part of exhibition wins over Cincinnati and Memphis. Though his minutes and role will matter less than the culture he brings, Pringle believes the group is poised.
“We know it,” he said of the team’s potential. “But it’s all part of not being complacent and continuing day by day to compete with each other and make the most out of it.”
As a vocal and energetic presence, he has embraced the role of mentor to younger players.
The shift from being the one coached to being the one coaching younger teammates is one he welcomes. His leadership complements a roster blending transfers, veterans and underclassmen under second-year Arkansas head coach John Calipari.
Arkansas opens the season at home Monday against Southern University, winners of last year’s Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena.
“We want to focus 100% on them,” Pringle said of Southern. “We want to showcase to our fans what we want to do for this first game and throughout the season. Little do people know, that’s the type of team that would shock you.”
Southern coach Kevin Johnson has shown in past seasons that his team can win in SEC venues, including an upset over Mississippi State in 2023.
The Jaguars return three of their top four contributors from last year — Cam Amboree, Michael Jacobs and AJ Barnes — and were picked second in this year’s SWAC preseason poll.
More than anything, Pringle views this season as personal redemption. After a year at South Carolina in which he felt he didn’t fulfill his goals, he transferred to Arkansas to pursue one last run.
“I didn’t think I did enough at South Carolina. Yes, my stats got better, but I didn’t feel like a winner,” he said. “I want my story to be better. I want other people to be involved with my success.
“Choosing to come here, I did not know it would be as good as it is now, but putting the pieces together and seeing how things [have] been going and us challenging each other day by day, it’s really a dream come true.”
Given what he’s experienced across college stops, Pringle is approaching this season with a clear role to not just to produce numbers but elevate the team.
With the Razorbacks entering the season ranked 14th in some preseason polls, the program is aiming higher.
Calipari is hoping the experience pays off.
