Arizona 2022 Roster Preview - No Transfers, No Rings

CHANGES

Arizona gets Cedric Henderson Jr as grad transfer from Campbell

Arizona gets Courtney Ramey from Texas.

Shane Nowell picks UNLV

Mathew Lang transfers from Gonzaga.

Kylan Boswell reclassifies to Class of 2022.  Will join the team for this season.
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Finally, we get to the 1st-place Arizona Wildcats.  Nobody predicted they would do this well last season.  I predicted they would finish 7th.  I was only off by 6 places.

Everyone expects that Arizona will add some quality transfers to their roster, but they haven't so far.  This preview will be based on the roster they have, not the roster they might end up with.

Tommy Lloyd is the second-luckiest first-year coach in America after Hubert Davis.  He inherited a roster with a bunch of NBA talent.  Mathurin was expected to be great.  Koloko came out of nowhere.  

Plus Lloyd benefitted from having 6 players who never missed a game.  This included his 3 best players.  I believe this is the most in the Pac-12.   

Then his biggest competition in the Pac-12 was beset by injuries.  UCLA had only two players play every game, Myles Johnson and Jules Bernard.

I am not saying he isn't a good coach.  However, I don't think we know how good he is, yet.

GRADUATING


Kier was an important sub for them, playing every game and averaging 20 minutes.

IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO


Mathurin led Arizona in scoring.  He is a likely lottery pick.  

Koloko averaged 2.8 blocks per game.   He led the Wildcats in rebounds and blocks while shooting 64% from the floor.

Dalen Terry led Arizona in  A/TO ratio at 2.8 and steals.  He was #11 in the country in A/TO ratio.  In the Pac-12, only Tyger Campbell (#6) was better.  He was one of those guys who made everyone better.  Mathurin and Koloko are the big names, but Terry is also a big loss.

The Wildcats are losing 3 guys who are likely going to be drafted.   Overall they are losing 3 of their top 5 scorers, 3 of their 4 top rebounders, 3 of their top 5 in assists, 4 of their top 5 in steals, and their leading shot blocker.

They have a TON of production to replace.  Maybe 16 tons.

BTW, all these guys were brought to Arizona by Sean Miller.

TRANSFERRING OUT

Player	Games	Starts	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Destination
Kim Aiken Jr.	7	0	14	5	3	2
Shane Nowell	19	0	4	1	1	0	UNLV

Nowell was the highest-rated recruit in last year's class, and he is leaving.

RETURNING

Note about classes:  With the extra year of eligibility, there is no clear way to label players.  If a player is in his 4th season, but will have another year of eligibility after this year, I am calling him "Jr 4".  

Player	Games	Starts	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	FG%	3Pt%	A/TO	Class	Recruiting  Stars	Recruiting Rank
Azuolas Tubelis	36	35	25	14	6	2	45%	37%	1.1	So 3	4	57
Kerr Kriisa	33	31	30	10	3	5	35%	34%	2.2	So 3	4	85
Pelle Larsson	37	2	21	7	3	2	48%	36%	1.2	So 3	3	203
Oumar Ballo	37	0	15	7	4	1	62%		0.6	So 3	4	78
Adama Bal	23	0	5	2	0	0	48%	47%	1.4	So	4	131
Tautvilas Tubelis	14	0	2	0	0	0	29%			Fr 1	2	513

At the moment, the first five look like their starting lineup for next season.  They are returning two starters from last season.  

This is a nice core of returning players, but hardly elite talent.   Of the four best teams in the league, the Wildcats are the only team without a 5-star player.  

They are also the only team without any 5th-year and 4th-year players.  This is a relatively young team. 

But where's the bench?  At this point it is all true freshmen, making them even younger. 

Tubelis will play pro ball somewhere, whether in the NBA or overseas.  He is a terrific player who would likely start for any team in the Pac-12.  However, he can't carry this team alone.

Krissa could be another future pro.  However, he needs to be a lot more consistent.  He is consistently annoying.

Ballo and Bal could be good players.  

There is one more player on scholarship.  I think it is Tautvilas Tubelis.

RECRUITS

With Henderson, Arizona now has 10 players.  He chose Arizona over Texas Tech and NC State.  He is a good shooter, but has an 0.9 A/TO ratio.  In spite of what an article says, he is not going to replace Dalen Terry.

You might be tempted to dismiss numbers generated at Campbell.  The Fighting Camels didn't have a Quad 1, 2, or 3 win all year.  Their best win was over Marshall, #242 in the NET.  However,  Campbell played 2 Quad 1 games.  At Duke Henderson scored 18 and at VCU he scored 20, so he has the ability to score against higher-level competition.   He won't be starting, but he will provide some scoring punch off the bench.

Arizona still has only nine players on its tentative 2022-23 roster and, among others, remains in pursuit of transfers such as Texas guard Courtney Ramey, Illinois forward Jacob Grandison and WSU forward Efe Abogidi.
...........
Ramey makes 11 players.  In 4 years at Texas, he never shot higher than 40% from the field.  His 1.3 A/TO ratio is not very good for a PG.  His 1.5 career number is a bit better.  Most of his number dropped off in his one year playing for Chris Beard.


CONCLUSION