Long, skilled and available to play college basketball in 2022-23, Stockton (Calif.) Lincoln guard Miles Byrd attracted coaches from Arizona and other high-major programs all around Section 7 games last weekend.
He also logged into a Zoom call with the Arizona coaches on June 21.
But, in what might be a sign of a more deliberate and selective recruiting approach under new UA coach Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats did not offer the 6-foot-7 guard a scholarship. At least not yet.
And Byrd is OK with that.
“They said that they want to take it slow, they want to see how I develop,” Byrd said after a Section 7 Finals game last weekend at Phoenix Brophy Prep. “Also, they want to just build a relationship. They don't want just throw out an offer. …’
“I love that more than just the team that only sees you play one time and offers.”
Even though the past two weeks were the first live periods since the pandemic shut down in-person recruiting in March 2020, creating an explosion of contact and interest, the Wildcats only offered scholarships to two players over that time: To class of 2022 guard Collin Chandler, who visited UA on Sunday, and to fast-rising 2023 guard Kylan Boswell of Corona (Calif.) Centennial.
“They said I was the first 2023 (player) they offered,” Boswell said.
If selectivity gives the Wildcats an edge with Boswell, they may need it: Boswell actually picked up a flood of offers after helping lead Corona Centennial to the CIF Open Division title and, over the following two weekends, a combined 9-0 record in Section 7 and Section 7 Finals games.
In between the two Section 7 weekends, Boswell received an offer from Arizona — and six other schools.
“That's a new experience for me,” Boswell said. “I've never really had that happen to me, and I'm thankful for all the coaches for thinking like I can fit in their programs.”
While Lloyd may not have had time to fully develop a relationship with Boswell yet, he may be making up for it with frequency.
“I've been talking to Coach Lloyd all week and coach (TJ) Benson as well,” Boswell said last Saturday. “They said they liked me. They say I would fit well in their program. I really liked their program, too, and from here on out, I’m still talking to them.”
Mathurin joins Canada’s U19 team
After working out with the Canadian senior team camp this month, Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin was not among the 12 players ultimately selected to play for Canada in an Olympic qualifying tournament that will start Tuesday in British Columbia.
Mathurin instead has joined Canada's junior national team in Europe to prepare for the U19 World Cup from July 3-11 in Latvia, where he is expected to be one of his country's best U19 players.
Arizona Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin has joined Canada's junior national team in Europe to prepare for the U19 World Cup from July 3-11 in Latvia.
He'll join UA teammates Azuolas Tubelis (Lithuania) and Oumar Ballo (Mali) in the event while former UA wing Tibet Gorener, now of San Jose State, will also be there playing for Turkey's U19 team.
Tubelis and Mathurin will face each other during the first game of the U19 World Cup, with Lithuania scheduled to play Canada at 5 a.m. on Saturday (3 p.m. in Latvia).
Ballo and Mali will open with Australia on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., while Gorener and Turkey will open against USA on Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
Ballo, Tubelis warming up
Tubelis had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead Lithuania's U19 team in an exhibition game against Australia on Monday in Latvia.
Lithuania is scheduled to face USA Basketball's U19 team in Riga, Latvia, for another exhibition game on Wednesday while Ballo was named to the all-tournament team in a warm-up event in Menorca.
Also named captain of Mali's U19 team, Ballo asked fans to "support us with blessings so that we can take the small step that we could not do during the last edition to bring the cup to Malian territory," according to a translation of a Maliactu.net story.
A transfer from Gonzaga, Ballo led Mali to the championship game of the 2019 U19 World Cup before losing 93-79 to USA Basketball.
