Arkansas lands commitment from Russian big man
By Andrew Olson
Published:
John Calipari has added a Russian big man to his 2026-27 roster.
Ilia Frolov has committed to play for Arkansas. He shared the news with Paul Biancardi of ESPN, raving about his visit with the program.
“It was an amazing visit. Coach Calipari and the staff made me feel welcomed and comfortable. Coach Cal can teach me a lot about the game, and I will do whatever it takes to help him win,” Frolov told Biancardi.
News: Ilia Frolov, a 6'11", 225‑pound center, tells ESPN he has committed to John Calipari and Arkansas.
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) June 18, 2026
“It was an amazing visit. Coach Calipari and the staff made me feel welcomed and comfortable. Coach Cal can teach me a lot about the game, and I will do whatever it takes to… pic.twitter.com/GXAKNCPyIX
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Frolov, who turned 18 on Thursday, has experience playing with the Russian national team. The 6-11, 225-pound center recently stepped away from the national team to pursue a college basketball career in the United States. In addition to Arkansas, he had reported contact with Penn State, NC State and BYU, among others.
In addition to the Russian National Team, Frolov also played for the Real Madrid Liga U team. In the 2025-26 season, per realgm.com, Frolov played in 25 games, averaging 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds over 20.9 minutes per game while shooting 53.6% from the field.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
