Lebanese forward Karim Rtail commits to Arkansas

BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ

On the eve of the NCAA Tournament, John Calipari reeled in an international player when Lebanese forward Karim Rtail committed to Arkansas.

Joe Tipton first reported the news.

NEWS: Lebanese forward Karim Rtail has committed to Arkansas, his agents @DanielPoneman and @awadallah_weave tell On3.

The 6-9, 20-year-old has been playing professionally in Lithuania. https://t.co/j28ZojFpBY pic.twitter.com/M6LGYq8CD4

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 19, 2025

The 6-foot-9 forward had gotten interest from Penn State, Butler and SMU but chose Calipari and his program instead. He had previously played pro basketball in Lithuania and in the Australian NBL where he averaged 8 points per game.

Per 247Sports.com, Arkansas has the No. 5 recruiting class in 2025, led by 5-star guards Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas.

Arkansas had a 19-12 overall record in the regular season and is set to play against Kansas on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Providence.

Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter

Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram

And Like ZAGS on Facebook

Follow Alejandro Lopez on Twitter