After years of anticipation, Arizona freshman Carter Bryant shows versatility in Red-Blow Showcase

The lineup of four- and five-star high school players, maybe future Arizona Wildcats or maybe not, sat in the first row behind the southwestern courtside seats at McKale Center, just like they always do.

Carter Bryant, who committed to the Wildcats in the spring of 2023, sat in those seats a year ago. And the year before that. And before that, even appearing once in purchased seats.

This time, he wasn’t in any seat.

The Wildcats' freshman forward was on the court, wearing a red Arizona uniform and, basically, making up for all that anticipation. Bryant won the pregame dunk contest, took part in the 3-point shooting contest and scored nine points to help the Red team beat the Blue 47-44 in a 20-minute scrimmage Friday night.

“This is surreal for me,” Bryant said afterward. “This is my fifth Red-Blue game I've been at. … My dad got me tickets for my birthday one year, and I've just been coming back and forth. So for me to finally have the opportunity to compete in a Red-Blue game is awesome.”

Bryant wasn’t the only standout performer in the event — wings Caleb Love and Anthony Dell’Orso took much of the spotlight in both the 3-point contest and the scrimmage — but Bryant might have been the one contributing in the most places.

“Carter is really talented,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Obviously he can make 3s, and he can put his head on the rim. Those are great qualities to have for a young player.”

A versatile 6-8 forward from Riverside, Calif., who is a projected first-round NBA pick next summer, Bryant had nine points on 4-for-9 shooting while making 1 of 4 3-pointers and collecting three rebounds and an assist. He started at small forward but is considered to have the potential to play on the wing or inside.

“I believe I just fit in wherever coach feels that I'm needed,” Bryant said, “whatever my role needs to be going to the game -- whether he needs me to make shots, to constantly crash offensive glass, whether he needs me to be a playmaker, or guard the best player on the floor, I feel like I'm capable of doing all those things.”

That sort of flexibility could come in handy for the Wildcats. Because while Bryant started at small forward in the Red-Blue scrimmage Friday, the Wildcats also have proven wing players in Love, KJ Lewis and Dell’Orso, suggesting that Bryant could also soak up time as a power forward, or maybe at small forward in a lineup when Lewis or Love shifts over to relieve Jaden Bradley at point guard.

For now, though, all those guys are opponents in practice, something Bryant appears to welcome.

“When you have all-American caliber guys on your team, and you're constantly going head to head with them every day, it’s constantly learning, figuring out ways to get better,” Bryant said.

Predictably, one of those all-Americans led the way in the Red-Blue scrimmage Friday. A third-team Associated Press All-American and the Pac-12 Player of the Year last season, Love lived up to the loud applause he received while walking down McKale Center’s red carpet Friday.

The fifth-year guard edged Dell’Orso in the 3-point shooting contest by sinking his final “moneyball” (double-point) shot from the right corner to win 17-16. Then he had 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting to lead the Red team to its three-point win in the scrimmage, which consisted of two 10-point halves.

Dell’Orso had 15 points while hitting 4 of 8 3-pointers but missed a contested 3 from the right corner just before that buzzer that might have sent the scrimmage to overtime.

“Me and Delly usually work out together pretty much every day, so it's no surprise that he was making as many shots as he was and it came down to us two in the 3-point contest,” Love said. “I see the work that he puts in and he sees the work that I put in, and so we just kind of feed off each other.”

Lloyd said Love and Dell’Orso are the Wildcats’ best shooters so far. But he indicated Dell’Orso, who shot 38.0% from 3 for Campbell last season while leading the Camels in scoring with 19.5 points a game, is not one-dimensional.

“Obviously, you guys see he can really shoot the ball, and he's more than a shooter,” Lloyd said. “He's a very cerebral player who makes good decisions with the ball. I think he's gonna have a big impact on this team, and we're lucky to have him. And defensively, he does some really good things. He’s one of our best guys at understanding schemes and concepts and help-side-type defense.”

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But it wasn’t just Dell’Orso’s abilities on the court that convinced Lloyd to pull him out of the portal last spring. Dell’Orso averaged 33.4 minutes a game for the Camels last season but was OK with less than that -- if wearing the right uniform.

“Recruiting is crazy,” Lloyd said. “It was a 12-hour recruitment. We talked to him one day. We had to make a decision on him the next morning. His sales pitch to me was, ‘Coach, I visited these other schools, but I'd rather come off the bench at Arizona than start at any of those other schools.’

"When you get somebody with that type of character, you wrap your arms around him, and you're lucky to have him. So he's going to be a significant impact for us.”

Lloyd optimistic about bigs

Even though projected starting center Motiejus Krivas continued to sit out Friday with an undisclosed foot/an ankle issue, Lloyd expressed optimism about him and some of UA’s other options up front without all-league center Oumar Ballo.

Lloyd said last week that Krivas would be active if the Wildcats were playing games and said Friday that trainer Justin Kokoskie and a doctor are “both very optimistic that we're on the right track.”

Without Krivas, Tennessee transfer Tobe Awaka (Blue) and freshman Emmanual Stephen (Red) started Friday’s scrimmage at center, with Awaka collecting nine points and eight rebounds in just 22 minutes, though he picked up four fouls.

“I love having the biggest, strongest guys on the floor and Tobe is just a sweetheart of a person, but he's such a warrior of a player. It's a great combination,” Lloyd said. “I think he's really grown in his short time here.

"He came from a program that prides itself in toughness, and he's a tough-natured player, but we've seen him grow in a lot of other areas. He's a great learner, and I think with continued experience in our program, (he’s) going to turn out to be a special player.”

An athletic 7-footer with considerable long-term potential, Stephen pulled down six rebounds but missed his only field goal and committed four fouls, three of which came in the first seven minutes.

“At least three fouls,” Lloyd said with a smile. “You know, E-man, he's doing great. He’s right where he should be. We knew he was going to be raw, but we love his energy. We love his effort, and we love having him around every day.

“The big test for him is just going to be hanging with it and having a little patience, learning from some of the veterans, learning from the staff. (It’s to) work really hard, two, three, four, five, six months, 12 months. Then let’s pop our head up and see where we're at. I think if he has that approach, he's going to make significant strides.”

Honored guests

Five-star class of 2025 targets Koa Peat of Gilbert Perry and Brayden Burries of Eastvale (Calif.) Roosevelt were among eight top recruiting targets the Wildcats invited into McKale.

Others included 2026 five-star forward Cam Holmes of Goodyear Millennium, 2026 five-star guard Ikenna Alozie of Glendale Dream City, four-star 2026 guard Mason Magee of Chandler Basha, and two well-regarded 2027 players at Phoenix Sunnyslope: Forward Darius Wabbington and guard Delton Prescott.

Burries is a close friend of Bryant's while Alozie played with Stephen last season at Dream City.

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