When Purdue hit seven early 3-pointers and took a seven-point halftime lead over Arizona men's basketball in the Elite Eight Saturday, any Tucsonan who felt a pit in their stomach wasn’t alone.
There was a high school kid from Alabama who felt the same way.
“When we were down last game, I was feeling like it was, like, the end of the world,” Caleb Holt said.
But Holt, the Wildcats’ five-star class of 2026 guard, said he knew the Wildcats would make a run and come back in the second half.
Maybe because he’s a believer in a head coach who, Holt says, believed in him. A 6-5 shooting guard now playing at Florida's Prolific Prep, Holt was one of only four 2026 players who made the Lloyd-coached USA Basketball team that won gold in the U19 FIBA World Cup last summer.
Guard Caleb Holt (6) led USA with 20 points and seven rebounds in its blowout win over New Zealand on Saturday, July 5, 2025.
During an interview earlier this week before he was scheduled to play in Tuesday’s McDonald's All-American Game in Glendale, Holt said his experience playing for Lloyd last summer had a lot to do with why he chose to become a Wildcat in early March.
“That was definitely about 80% of my decision,” Holt said. “It was just the cherry on top when I got to visit and see everything. I was like 'Yeah, this is me right here.' It was great.”
Playing on a star-studded USA team last summer that included UA forward Koa Peat, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and a player the Wildcats will have to deal with Saturday — Michigan forward Morez Johnson — Holt averaged 10.0 points while shooting 57.4% during the Americans’ 7-0 run to the gold.
Arizona signee Caleb Holt, center, celebrates USA's U19 FIBA World Cup championship in Switzerland last July along with BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (left) and UA forward Koa Peat.
“It was great” playing for Lloyd, Holt said. “Calm, collected, confident coach. A real coach who encourages you, instills you with confidence. That was the biggest thing — he instilled me with confidence. He believed in me when his job was on the line and everything.
“Under pressure, he was very poised. That was my favorite part about coach Tommy.”
Since returning from the World Cup in Switzerland, Holt transferred from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., to Prolific Prep, which had just moved from Napa, Calif., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Earlier, Holt had transferred from Buckhorn High School in north Alabama to Grayson.
Holt said he wanted to go to Prolific last season so he could better focus on basketball at a program he says has a similar approach to Arizona's.
“The culture (Arizona has) is something very similar to where we're at right now at Prolific Prep — it’s attack every day, go day-by-day, with the mindset of winning the day," Holt said. "That's the memo we have at Prolific and that’s the memo Tommy Lloyd has.”
Prolific Prep's Caleb Holt (2) in action against Dynamic Prep during a high school game at the Hoophall Classic, Jan. 19, 2026, in Springfield, MA.
Holt said he was glad Prolific moved to Florida, since it’s a better geographic fit for his family, but Lloyd still prompted him to move out West next season. Holt already received a taste of Arizona this week, experiencing several days of activities in and around Phoenix before the McDonald's All-American Game.
Saying he wants "to be the most versatile player an NBA GM wants to draft," and takes pride especially in defense and shooting, Holt said he envisions being with the Wildcats at this time next season in exactly the same place they are now, headed to the Final Four.
“It’s been great,” Holt said. “That’s where I want to be next year. So I’m imagining myself in that place next year.”
More ’97 whites
While Arizona wore navy uniforms while beating three No. 1 seeds en route to the 1997 title, the Wildcats will instead keep wearing the white uniforms that were inspired by the 1997 look in this season's Final Four.
Arizona will be the “home” team for its game with Michigan in Saturday’s NCAA semifinal, and if the Wildcats beat the Wolverines, also in the national championship game Monday against Illinois or UConn.
The Wildcats earned that distinction because they are the highest remaining team on the overall seed line. UA was No. 2 behind only Duke, while Michigan was third.
The Wildcats have worn their "97 whites" since winning at Colorado on March 7 in the final game of the Big 12 season.
Indy exposure
The Wildcats are scheduled to travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday morning, then will hold workouts there on Thursday and Friday. They are also scheduled to hold a 50-minute public shootaround at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday at 2 p.m. Indiana time (11 a.m in Arizona).
Arizona players and coach Tommy Lloyd will appear at various press conferences and open locker-room sessions both Thursday and Friday, on top of private interviews scheduled with TNT, CNN, Westwood One, NCAA.com and ESPN.
