Projecting Arizona Basketball's starting five for the 2024-25 season

5: Center

Starter: Motiejus Krivas (Sophomore)

Krivas was Oumar Ballo's backup last year and flashed at times. The 7-foot-2 big man from Lithuania admittedly looked a bit awkward at times and missed some shots you would expect to be "gimmes". However, Ballo's departure for Indiana signals how Lloyd and the coaching staff feel about Krivas' development.

Krivas is entering his sophomore year and has many excited for him to follow in Ballo and Christian Koloko's footsteps as the next great Arizona big man of the 2020s. He posted 20 points and nine rebounds against Belmont and torched Cal to the tune of 18 points and five rebounds. He blew Colorado up for 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Krivas is a weapon on the glass and he leverages his height well. Combined with shooting 55.4% from the floor that still has room to improve, he's poised to take the next step and be an anchor for Arizona down low in the post. Lloyd's task this offseason is to instill confidence in the rising sophomore that he can dominate the key.

Backup: Emmanuel Stephen (Freshman)

This spot originally would've been held by junior Dylan Anderson, but spending the entirety of last season on the bench without logging a single minute seems to have left a sour taste in his mouth. Anderson transferred to Boise State to presumably take up the bench rotation mantle vacated by the outgoing Mohamed Sylla.

This leaves Arizona with incoming freshman Emmanuel Stephen as the only other center set to be on the roster for the 2024-25 season. Stephen, a four-star recruit coming out of Dream City Christian, chose to join his teammate Jamari Phillips at Arizona over offers from Kansas, Baylor, Seton Hall, and ASU.

Stephen, who stands at just under 7 feet tall, clocks in at a relatively lean 215 pounds and could be a more athletic player who sees play time in small ball situations. Either way, if Krivas doesn't come out of the gate hot, it could take a month or so for Arizona's center situation to fall into place.

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