Instead of keeping freshmen away from the media spotlight while they prepare for their first season, the Arizona Wildcats for the first time have been formally introducing them on a weekly basis before full practices even start.
The idea, with the blessing of second-year coach Tommy Lloyd, is to give the freshmen a chance to learn from additional interview experience, while also giving media and fans a chance to get to know them.
Except on Wednesday, when center Dylan Anderson showed up, neither side needed much of an introduction. Anderson played his high school ball at Gilbert Perry, committed to the Wildcats almost immediately after Lloyd was hired in April 2021, led Perry to the Class 6A state title last season, and has done countless interviews already with in-state media.
However, it is also worth noting that the Anderson who showed up Wednesday wasnโt exactly the same guy who graduated from high school several months ago.
Anderson has spent more time in Tucson this summer than any other UA scholarship player, adding nearly 10 pounds to his 7-foot, now-240-pound frame.
Anderson says he's working hard on his shot, post offense and defense.
โI feel like Iโve become more of a dominant player,โ Anderson said.
It hasnโt been easy. Even though Anderson said it helped that UA staffers gave him suggestions to work on as a senior at Perry last season, he still found the cardio work especially taxing when he arrived in Tucson.
โMy first week hereโฆ it was pretty rough,โ Anderson said. โI was constantly heavily breathing. It was pretty funny.โ
It helped that Anderson has had peer mentors around, though. Guys like junior 7-footer Oumar Ballo and all-Pac-12 power forward Azuolas Tubelis worked with him. And fellow 7-foot freshman Henri Veesaar also showed up from Estonia last month.
โItโs been great,โ Anderson said. โThey taught me a lot. They taught me how they wanted me to set a screen, how they wanted me to roll. Itโs been a great experience.โ
Specifically, Anderson said heโs worked lately on his timing of blocking shots and, among other things, simply being tougher.
โIโve become more physical, more of a 'dog,' as people say, playing the way I should have in high school,โ Anderson said.
Arizona Wildcats freshman Dylan Anderson won a Class 6A state championship during his senior season at Gilbert Perry High School.
That could be saying a lot. In his previous form, Anderson was still a two-time Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year, helping lead Perry to a 25-5 record and a state title last season while averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds per game.
As a freshman this season, Anderson is expected to play a reserve role with long-term potential to grow into a major contributor โ thanks in part to the work he put in this summer.
"It's a huge transition for a young 7-foot kid, โฆ and he probably started a little slow, but I think he's really got his footing," Lloyd said last month. "His ball goes in, he's got a jump hook that goes in, he's got a few post moves. He can make mid-range shots. He can make a wide open 3. I think he's really gonna grow in our pick-and-roll stuff."
Williams taking visits
Andersonโs former co-star at Perry, five-star forward Cody Williams, is scheduled to visit USC this weekend. He plans to visit LSU next weekend, UCLA on Oct. 7 and Arizona on Oct. 14.
In a 247Sports.com story posted earlier this week, Williams discussed his potential fit with the Wildcats, who offered him a scholarship in June after watching him again at the Section 7 event in Glendale.
“They obviously mention that it could be nice to stay home, but the biggest thing they’ve done well is that they stress to me how great their program is, how good their strength and conditioning is and how their offense allows everyone to shine,” Williams told 247Sports.com. “I could be very successful and be a big part of their offense and their defense because I could be a good two-way player and I think that’s something they’ve done a good job of.”
Duke offers Bryant
Five-star class of 2024 forward Carter Bryant added Duke to his collection of high-major scholarship offers Tuesday, announcing the offer on Twitter.
Arizona gave out one of its first 2024 scholarship offers to Bryant earlier this summer. Bryantโs new school, Sage Hill of Newport Coast, California, tweeted last week that coaches from both Arizona and Duke stopped by to watch practice.
Bryant transferred to Sage Hill from Fountain Valley High School for the upcoming season. That gave him the chance to keep playing for his father, DโCean Bryant, who left Fountain Valley after last season to take over program at Sage Hill, a private school.
Carter Bryant was an all-Sunset League pick as a sophomore last season at Fountain Valley. He also has offers from USC, UCLA, Oregon and several other high-major programs.
