After two months at Arizona, Wildcat freshmen players are already well-versed in the many tricks of conditioning coach Chris Rounds.
“The leg press,” said forward Dwayne Aristode, chuckling, when asked what Rounds’ craziest technique is. “He stands on the leg press.”
The veterans have come to welcome that sort of effort. Wing Anthony Dell’Orso, still smarting over the Wildcats’ loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 last March, said Rounds has helped him put on about 25 pounds of strength so far.
“Coach Rounds and I have been super dialed into that,” says Dell’Orso, who says he now has about 210 pounds on his 6-6 frame. “We lost to Duke on a Thursday night and Monday morning I started. We didn’t really take any time, because in my situation, we don’t really have time to play with.”
Anthony Dell’Orso (3) poses for a photo on media day at McKale Center, Sept. 17, 2025.
Even freshman forward Koa Peat, whose elusive combination of strength and speed helped power USA to the U19 World Cup gold medal over the summer, returned stateside to find Rounds squarely in his way in the weight room — and center Tobe Awaka blocking his path on the court.
“My first day here was pretty tough,” Peat said.
But for the Wildcats, who will begin full practices starting Monday, their offseason conditioning program hasn’t been all about gaining weight.
Peat said he hasn’t been adding weight as much as losing body fat and adding muscle, “just changing my body,” he said.
The same is true on a more massive schedule for center Motiejus Krivas. Already listed at 7-foot-2 with 260 pounds last season, “Big Mo” now describes himself as a more efficient 270-pounder, as unlikely as that might seem.
Krivas said his body fat percentage has dropped, though he said he wasn’t sure by how much.
“I’m trying to get more lean,” Krivas said.
For point guard Jaden Bradley, meanwhile, endurance is an ongoing need. Bradley averaged over 36 minutes in regular-season conference games, as well as in the Big 12 and NCAA Tournament games last season, meaning he was pretty much on the floor whenever it mattered.
Bradley said he’s worked on strength and overall conditioning, though the final report card really won’t come in until November.
“We haven’t really played a true game yet,” Bradley said. Until “we get a couple of those under our belt, you can’t really know what kind of shape you’re in.”
Aloha for Aristode
Having grown up in the Netherlands and attending his final two years of high school in New Hampshire, Aristode said he stuck to Jimmy’s Pita and Poke pretty much for the first week after he arrived in Tucson.
“That was crazy,” he said.
Dwayne Aristode (2) poses for a photo on media day at McKale Center, Sept. 17, 2025.
Then he tried some other new dishes he’d never seen before, and not just the Mexican ones.
Asked what sort of local places he’s liked going to, Aristode began by saying “Hawaiian Bros,” trying island favorites he hadn’t previously experienced. He said he’s also come to like Pizza Hut, Illegal Pete’s and Panda Express, among others.
Salute to Fogg
While there’s a long list of significant players who have worn No. 21 at Arizona, including Brian Williams, Hassan Adams, Brandon Ashley and Bennett Davison, grad transfer Evan Nelson didn’t hesitate when asked who he thought of with that jersey in mind.
“Kyle Fogg,” he said.
Nelson, a Salpointe product who wore No. 11 at Harvard before transferring to his hometown school, said he picked No. 21 because of his close connection to Fogg, the affable shooting guard who was lightly recruited when he arrived in 2008 but later became an all-league pick under Sean Miller.
Kyle Fogg, shown playing against UCLA in 2011-12, became a first-team all-Pac-12 player as a senior that season.
Fogg stuck out in Nelson’s mind not just because of his production but also because of the way he once handled Nelson as a frustrated young player at a UA summer camp.
“Friggin’ Kyle Fogg,” Nelson said when retelling that story last spring, “I’m crying after losing a game and Kyle Fogg is consoling me.”
Tommy, and Tomm-E
For a true freshman who still hasn’t played a game at Arizona, Peat may have seen every side to coach Tommy Lloyd already.
Not only has Peat been a UA recruiting target for years, watching countless Wildcat games, but he also spent three weeks playing under Lloyd with USA’s U19 team. So he’s watched how Lloyd builds relationships, coaches — and celebrates.
“He let loose after we won the gold, for sure,” Peat said, smiling as he declined to offer detail.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd instructs incoming UA freshman Koa Peat at a recent USA Basketball U19 training camp workout.
Lloyd will get a chance to publicly let loose on Oct. 3, at UA’s afterparty for the Red-Blue Showcase. Pictured with a backwards cap on his head, grin on his face and microphone in his hand, Lloyd is being marketed as “Tomm-E” for the event, which will also feature Shaquille O’Neal (aka “DJ Diesel”) and Mix Master Mike.
