Tommy Lloyd set an incredibly high bar for college basketball freshman coaches last season. Arizona Up to the Pac-12 regular season championship, Pac-12 tournament title, and #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If under a long time before the second year Gonzaga Assistants will be equally rewarding, so the Wildcats need to replace three of the top 33 picks in June’s NBA Draft.
Benedict Maturin (Pac-12 Player of the Year), Christian Koroko (Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player), and selected #1 using the late surge updraft board Super utility man Darren Terry is gone. 18th overall for the Bulls. It’s a daunting trio to lose, but the Wildcats could be preseason favorites to win the Pac-12 again thanks to the rest of the deepest rotation in the country.
With a trio of international stars returning after key roles last season in Kerr Kryisa, Pele Larson and Azuoras Tuberis, Arizona has a solid foundation to build on. From there, with players like Adama Balu and Umar Balo seeking productivity leaps, the upper limit for the Wildcats is likely to be determined by the player development chops of Lloyd and his staff. Last season, he was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year. If he can bring the Wildcats back to his lucrative NCAA Tournament seeding, his ability proves against skeptics who believe his quick start to his head coaching career was just a by-product. should be. An excellent roster he inherited from Sean Miller.
Get a glimpse of how Arizona’s starting lineup and rotation will shape up as the 2022-23 college basketball season approaches.
Expected starting lineup
1. Kar Kryisa
6-3 | 180 | Jr.
The raucous headband-wearing point guard had 4.7 assists per game last season, second in the Pac-12, and Arizona’s second-most returning scorer behind Azuorus Tuberis. Kriisa was just out of his 3-point range. He closed the season with 33.6% shooting, but he shot 17-for-2 when he played through an ankle injury in two of his NCAA Tournament games. His performance pushed his percentage down at the end. Kryisa is an emotional battery pack and an important leader for the Wildcats who can take a step forward this season.
2. Courtney Ramey
6-3 | 185 | Red Shirt Senior
After making 128 appearances, including 106 starts, over four seasons, texasLast season, Arizona ranked third in the nation with 84 points per game, while Texas had just 68.8 points per game. Ranked 231st in points. Even if Rummy surpasses his career average of 10 points per game, he’s in a fun and fast system that generates far more possessions and his points per game than Texas has in recent years. It’s not surprising to see.
3. Pere Larson
6-5 | 215 | Jr.
Larson went on to win the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year award. Utah Likely to retain the starting role for the junior season. He played for Sweden this summer, gaining some unique experience up front while defending Luka Doncic against Slovakia in his FIBA World Cup qualifier.
4. Azuorus tuberis
6-11 | 245 | Jr.
Tuberis averaged 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his sophomore season, earning First Team All-Pack 12 honors. Now, he could be in contention for the Pac-12 Player of the Year, as he should be the Wildcats’ best offensive his option in the junior season. He doesn’t have a lot of rim protectors, but he’s a good passer for his size. His continued growth on defense is crucial as the Wildcats replace his two defenses his studs in Terry and Coloco.
5. Umar Baro
7-0 | 260 | Redshirt Jr.
Barro emerged last season as Arizona’s regular reserve big man, following Lloyd in Gonzaga. After blocking his 1.2 shots per game in just 15.2 minutes per game last season, he is now poised to take his starting position and become the team’s internal enforcer. While he’s not looking to stretch the floor or do anything particularly flashy offensively, Barro is set to turn around at the rim and become a good traditional big man for the Wildcats this season.
bench
Kiran Boswell
6-1 | 180 | Fr.
Boswell’s decision to reclassify and join Arizona for the 2022-23 season gives the Wildcats the depth they need. Boswell was compared to menacing NBA defender Patrick Beverly by Brandon Jenkins, a recruiting analyst for 247 Sports. He’s only 17 years old for the entire freshman season and won’t be draft eligible until 2024, so anything the Wildcats get from him as a true freshman is a bonus.
Cedric Henderson Jr.
6-6 | 190 | Senior
JUCO season and three years of double-digit production, campbell, Henderson brings veteran knowledge through a transfer portal. He was a shooter in his 36.7% of his 3-pointers and was an efficient scorer in the arc in his three seasons at Campbell, bringing plenty of size to the wing.
Adama Bal
6-6 | 190 | Sof.
According to 247Sports, Balu didn’t turn 18 until a month before his true freshman season and played sparingly after being ranked 131st overall in his 2021 class. However, the French prospect gave a glimpse of his potential. For example, he scored 7 points and 3 assists on 3 of 4 shots in 18 minutes in a win over Cal in the second half of the season.
Henri Wieser
6-10 | 200 | Fr.
Veesar signed a deal in May, so the Estonian native should have a chance to play early in his college career. He was ranked 36th overall in his class for 2022 by 247Sports and he could be his option to top front his court off the bench in Arizona.
depth
Philip Bolovikanin | 6-8 | 180 | Fr.
Dylan Anderson | 7-0 | 215 | Fr.
As Arizona’s 4-Star contender and No. 90 player in the 2022 class, Anderson has the qualities of a long-term Arizona contributor. In the short term, he should be able to compete with Veesar for roles off the bench during his true freshman season. Borovikanin is also his four-star prospect, and like many of Lloyd’s prospects, he hails from international ranks. The skinny Serb should have a chance to earn playing time, but it wouldn’t surprise him if it took him a year to get used to the college game.
No. 1 seed Arizona lost three players to the NBA Draft after Tommy Lloyd’s Dynamite debut. What will happen in his second year with the Wildcats?Listen below, Subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball Podcast Part of our Summer Shootaround series discusses Arizona.
