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Out with some old, in with some new. This is the recurring challenge that many, dare I say most, programs face in todays college basketball landscape. Case in point: this years Arizona Wildcats, a team that, despite its consensus top-10 preseason ranking, has still managed to fly under the radar.
As is the case with every program of blue blood-esque caliber, Arizona entered this season with a single goal in mind: cutting down the nets at the Alamodome in San Antonio next April. But thats a long way away from this November afternoon; the season just started and theres a lot of basketball to be played between now and then. In order for Arizona to get where they havent been as a program since 01the Final Fourand damn sure in order to accomplish what they havent since 97a national championshipthey know they have to stay rooted in the moment, committed to the work and focused on the journey, not the destination.
In the transfer portal/social media/NIL era, staying focused on the task at hand is much easier said than done. But the culture theyve been building under Coach Tommy Lloyd leaves little room for outside noise to infiltrate their solidarity. We have a great group of guys who dont worry about any of the off-the-court stuff, says KJ Lewis, a sophomore guard who returned to Tuscon after testing the NBA Draft waters. Were such a tight team; all we wanna do is win.
Its one thing to express this team-first, win-by-any-means mentality; its another to actually embody it. But if you have any intentions of getting on Coach Lloyds court, you have no choice.
Its easy to forget this is only Coach Lloyds fourth season as a head coach. Hes accomplished more in his first three years than a lot of coaches will in an entire career: hes amassed two Pac-12 Regular Season Championships, two Pac-12 Tournament Championships, two Sweet Sixteen appearances and has never earned lower than a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Talk about excellence.
Arizona has always been one of the premier brands in college basketball, and Coach Lloyd is only raising the standards. He wants us to be the best version of ourselves and he pushes us to be that each and every day, says Caleb Love, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year. And hes never really satisfied, so I think thats what helps us keep going and keep getting better.
With the former National Coach of the Year at the helm, the Arizona faithful can rest assured that theyll always, at least, have the recipe for successand while merely having the recipe means nothing if you dont have the right ingredients at your disposal, recruiting is another aspect of Coach Lloyds brilliance. If there was a book titled How to Recruit in the Transfer Portal Era for Dummies, Coach Lloyd would be the author and a photo of this years team would grace the cover. The coaching staff pieced together a well-balanced group of highly-touted freshmen, high-level transfers and core veteran returnees. On paper, their roster can compete with any in the nation. And though a talented roster is hardly enough in todays age of college hoops, its surely a great starting point. In that regard, this Arizona squad is ahead of the curve. And with roster churn as high as it is across the sport due to transfer rules, a teams ability to develop chemistry can prove to be as vital to a teams success as their ability to knock down a jumper. These guys seem to be ahead of the curve in that regard, too.
I think the biggest thing is just playing for your brother, says former McDonalds All-American, freshman Carter Bryant. We come in every day and work our tails off to reach the mountain top this year. Its always a good sign when your star freshman is looking to the pinnacle of the game.
When a player puts on that Arizona jersey, suddenly the name on the back of the jersey falls by the wayside in favor of the name across their chest. Were playing for something bigger than ourselves, says Caleb. The national championship is always the goal here; thats the standard at Arizona. And we hold each other to that each and every day, whether its practice, workouts, games, etcetera.
The fifth-year senior combo guard is the engine that makes this team go. Caleb entered college as a heralded five-star recruit with one-and-done expectations and has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows throughout his career, from the game-winner in the Final Four that ended Coach Ks career at Duke to navigating being the first preseason No. 1 ranked team in history to miss the NCAA Tournament. You name it, and hes seen it. And through it all, one constant remains: We have to keep the main thing, the main thingwhich is putting wins in our win column says Caleb. Winning solves everything.
Arizona knows a thing or two about winning. Its a program with a rich history and storied tradition that spans decades. And the players are well aware. The coaching staff does a good job of preaching who came before us and [talking] about the legacy, says starting junior point guard Jaden Bradley.
Jaden is a former five-star recruit who began his career at Alabama, where he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team before opting for a fresh start with Coach Lloyd in Tuscon for his sophomore campaign. After a steady and productive regular season last year, Jaden turned it up a notch when it mattered most. In their three NCAA Tournament games, he averaged nearly 13 points and four rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from three, adding two steals and two blocks per contest. Now, if your point guard is producing like this on both ends of the floor, your chances of success exponentially increase. As Jaden steps into a full-time starting role and prepares to take on a new leadership role with a year of experience in Coach Lloyds system under his belt, he plans to carry that momentum from the Tournament throughout this season. For Jaden, that doesnt necessarily mean filling up the stat sheet.
I just want to do whatever it takes to help my team get wins, he says.
Wins in college basketball dont come easy, let alone in the Big Dance. A lot has to go right to be the last team standing. Last years Wildcats came within an arms reach of a national championship, suffering a 5-point loss at the hands of Clemson in the Sweet Sixteen; this years team is (rightfully) confident they have what it takes to get over the hump. But whats behind their confidence? It all goes back to an old team concept that theyve seemed to embrace and buy into.
I think we have a lot of talented guys who understand that were playing for something bigger than ourselves, says Trey Townsend, a fifth-year senior transfer from Oakland and the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year. And on top of that, we have an elite coaching staff to guide us in that direction.
Cover portrait by Arizona Athletics. Action photos via Getty Images.
