Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd told longtime college basketball writer Seth Davis of Hoops HQ why Arizona has seven freshmen on its 2025-26 roster. As part of a long interview, Lloyd also discussed recruiting players internationally and coaching the U.S.A. Basketball Under 19 team this summer.
Arizona signed the third-best 2025 class according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Five-forward Koa Peat is among the 2025 Arizona signees. Peat averaged 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game this summer as the USA won the U19 World Cup.
Peat and fellow five-star freshman guard Brayden Burries are projected to be a major part of the 2025-26 rotation if not start this season. Four-star freshman forward Dwayne Aristode is also expected to contrubute for Arizona in 2025-26.
Guard Bryce James and forwards Sidi Gueye, Mabil Mawut and Ivan Karchenkov complete the 2025 Arizona class. All but James are foreign players. Arizona also has guard Anthony Dell'Orso and center Motiejus Krivas returning in 2025-26 as players on the roster from overseas.
"I just figured, there are going to be 20 percent less players in the transfer portal next year...And I assume that transfers are going to be really, really expensive. So I was like, how can we invest more wisely? And then I felt great about the high school kids that we got. I think we could have the most impactful freshman group in the country."Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd
Lloyd was one of the early coaches to begin recruiting players from overseas frequently. Gonzaga became a national power in part because of Lloyd being an elite recruiter internationally. Arizona graduate assistant coach Przemek Karnowski was among the many international players Lloyd recruited to Gonzaga.
Lloyd discussed the experience Arizona had losing to Duke twice last season against a team dominated by freshmen. Duke advanced to the national semifinals to Houston in a game the Blue Devils blew a double-digit lead in the second half.
Lloyd stated about Duke, "the second time we played them, they had gotten so much better, I didn’t feel like we were playing against young players. I felt like we were playing against great players." Lloyd has proven the ability to develop players with five Arizona NBA draftees. exceeding their recruiting ranking under Lloyd.
Lloyd has frequently utilized an eight-man rotation. The return of Tobe Awaka, Jaden Bradley, Dell'Orso and Krivas with Harvard transfer Evan Nelson, plus Aristode, Burries and Peat project as the Arizona rotation entering the 2025-26 season. Development of the freshmen will be critical for Arizona's success.