Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd will continue to work on different combinations during the nonconference season, including when Northern Arizona visits the No. 5 Wildcats on Tuesday night in Tucson, Ariz.
Lloyd has developed an eight-player rotation and has stuck with the same starting lineup in Arizona’s victories over Florida and Utah Tech to start the season.
The starters for Arizona have been freshmen Koa Peat, Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov, senior point guard Jaden Bradley and junior center Motiejus Krivas. The top three off the bench are seniors Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso and freshman Dwayne Aristode.
Those rotation players have played 388 of the 400 minutes (97%) through the first two games.
Former Harvard point guard Evan Nelson, a Tucson native, projects to have more opportunities after the younger players develop more, according to Lloyd.
“I’m figuring it out,” Lloyd said of his rotation. “Obviously I’m pretty comfortable with those eight (rotation) guys that have been playing. I don’t think Evan’s far off. I had a good talk with him, like maybe when and where some of his opportunities will come.
“Part of this deal is I feel like I have an obligation to develop some of these younger guys that are going to be in the rotation a little bit more and give them some experience.”
Burries, a highly-touted guard recruit from San Bernardino, Calif., went from scoring three points in 17 minutes in the 93-87 victory over Florida last week to 18 points in 32 minutes in the 93-67 win over Utah Tech on Friday.
“He’s obviously a special player,” Lloyd said of Burries. “He’s a great person, and it’s a joy to coach him, because he wants to do right by his coach and he wants to do right by his teammates.
“He’s just got to find that fine line between listening to what we’re saying as coaches and trying to figure out what the team needs, and playing off his instincts, because he’s got great instincts as well.”
Peat has immediately emerged as a force in the lane, averaging 24 points and five rebounds a game. Lloyd compares Peat’s dominance to former UNLV All-American Larry Johnson.
Bradley is averaging 17.5 points and 5.5 assists per game.
Northern Arizona (1-1) is coming off an 87-55 home win over NCCAA school Justice University after losing to Drake 77-71 last week in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Zack Davidson, a transfer forward from Montana, posted 29 points against Drake and 21 against Justice.
Ryan Abelman, who shot 45.5% from 3-point range in Big Sky play last year, is 6 of 16 (37.5%) through the first two games.
Abelman and Eastern Michigan transfer Arne Osojnik are each averaging 12.5 points.
“Our goal is to compete for a Big Sky championship and we’re not shying away from that,” Northern Arizona coach Shane Burcar said. “I understand other coaches are saying the same thing, but when you win 18 games (last season) — win two more and we’re top-four in the league — we’re right there.”
–Field Level Media
