OPINION: Arizona Basketball backcourt will be stronger in 2022-23

Transforming a bit of its roster, the backcourt appears to be a position of strength for Arizona Basketball heading into the 2022-23 season. 

The 2021-22 season was a heck of a year for then first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd and Arizona Basketball.

The Wildcats entered the season with not a lot of expectations; however, as we all saw, Arizona surpassed many of those expectations, en route to a 33-4 finish, a Pac-12 Championship, and a Sweet 16 appearance.

And at the forefront of their success was their play at a few, several key positions, in particular at wing and in the post.

However, what seemed to be missing last year was elite guard play. Now, that isn’t to say the Wildcats didn’t have strong guard play last year at all, it just wasn’t one of their strengths.

Well, heading into 2022-23, that appears to be changing, as the backcourt will be a stronger group next season for Arizona Basketball.

After a busy off-season overhauling this group, here is what the backcourt should look like for Arizona…

For starters, they return Kerr Kriisa at point guard, who was a pleasant surprise to many. In his second season with the Wildcats, he brought a swagger and confidence to a group that often embodied the “bad boy mentality”.

He may have had his inconsistencies at times; however, overall, he was more than serviceable, averaging 9.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 34.8 percent from the field, including 33.6 percent from three.

They also return former Utah transfer, Pelle Larsson. Despite coming in to play a bit at forward last season, Pelle should see a bit more action at the two-guard, which is more of a natural fit for him.

Beyond that, Adama Bal returns with a bit more experience. Granted, the French guard saw limited action last year; however, Bal showed glimpses at times, and with continued development, he could become something special.

Lastly, the Wildcats added Texas transfer Courtney Ramey who will be a day one starter at the two-guard and then added a last-minute surprise with the early addition of Kylan Boswell. Together, their presence will help bolster and solidify the Wildcats’ backcourt.

With Arizona Basketball likely done adding pieces to its roster at this point, here is a look at Arizona’s possible starters/rotation for next season in the backcourt.

Starters:

Point Guard – Kerr Kriisa

Shooting Guard – Courtney Ramey

Bench: 

Guard – Adama Bal

Guard – Kylan Boswell

Guard/Forward – Pelle Larsson

Overall, it should be a strong group and one that can put Arizona in a position to win and succeed come March!