Arizona's Tommy Lloyd aiming for Bryce James to 'run his own race' despite expectations

There’s a disconnect between the near future Arizona freshman Bryce James is looking at, and the one so many others appear to be.

A moment during the Los Angeles Lakers’ media day earlier this week said it all: LeBron James, Bryce’s NBA superstar father, was asked if he might wait to retire until after Bryce could join him in the NBA.

LeBron smiled and shook his head.

“I’m not waiting on Bryce,” he said. “I don’t know what his timeline is. He’s his own young man now. He’s down in Tucson. We’ll see what happens this year, next year, but he has his own timeline and I got my own timeline and I don’t know if they quite match up. We’ll see.”

The question was not a surprise: Maybe it would reveal a clue about LeBron’s retirement timeline and, besides, Bryce’s older brother, Bronny, joined the Lakers after a year at USC, so why not Bryce?

Not surprisingly, there’s already been speculation that Bryce might star or start for the Wildcats, too.

But Bryce was a three-star recruit who is not expected to leave for the NBA after the season, not expected to start for the Wildcats, maybe not even play a whole lot as a freshman. He’s considered a developmental prospect with long-term potential … even though he is already arguably Arizona’s most famous player.

All that could put UA coach Tommy Lloyd in a weird spot but, when asked about the LeBron question and other outside expectations for Bryce during a news conference Wednesday, he shook them off.

“My commitment’s to Bryce and helping Bryce run his own race,” Lloyd said. “That commitment I’ve made to him will not be influenced by media or social media. I care about Bryce. That’s all I care about. I don’t care what anybody else thinks, and he and I are gonna stay locked in on that relationship and continue to grow.”

During a UA media appearance last month, Bryce told Tucson media he was all about fitting in, and he’s kept a low profile since then. He was not available for preseason media day interviews nor the Wildcats’ autograph signing at El Pueblo Activity Center last week, though he was on hand for another signing before a recent UA football game.

Bronny, also, was kept mostly off limits at USC, though he missed the first half of his one season with the Trojans after suffering cardiac arrest before it began.

But within the UA program, Lloyd said, Bryce has been a “great young man” who has become a valued member of the team, knowing he will need time to develop.

“He and I have had great conversations about what his expectations are, what his ultimate dreams and visions are, to make sure that there’s alignment,” Lloyd said. “Bryce is a guy that his best days are ahead of him. We’ve made a commitment to developing him as a player, and he’s made a commitment to put in the work to be developed.

“So just he’s great to have around. It’s been really fun watching him come out of his shell since he’s been here.”

Lloyd said he had no doubt if Bryce sticks with it, he would make an impact at Arizona “in the future and the not-so-distant future.”

But as for those LeBron and Bryce timelines? Lloyd indicated neither he nor Bryce, nor LeBron, is counting on such an alignment.

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“What his dad decides to do with his professional career is 100% his dad’s choice,” Lloyd said. “There’s no pressure being put on Bryce from that end. Really, his biggest desire is just to be a normal kid and fit in with a group.

“So my recommendation to all you guys and everybody in social media is let him fit in with this group. Let him be a normal person. Let him be a normal 18-, 19-year-old kid. You know, that’s the greatest gift you can give him.”

They’re good (maybe)

All of Arizona’s 12 scholarship players were active during the portion of a practice that media were allowed to watch Wednesday afternoon, though Lloyd stopped short of saying everyone would be available for the Red-Blue Showcase.

“I don’t know about that,” Lloyd said. “We’ve kind of got a couple more days of practice to go before that. Obviously we’re gonna make the best long term decisions we can for each individual player.”

Freshman forward Dwayne Aristode, who sat out his senior year at Brewster Academy with a foot injury, has been seen regularly wearing a boot off the court but Lloyd said Aristode has practiced fully and even joked about his boot.

“I think Dwayne has an NIL deal with that boot company,” Lloyd said, complimenting the UA training and conditioning staff who have worked with Aristode. “Dwayne’s been a full participant and everything seems to be trending in the right direction. He looks great to me. The boot thing is between him and the trainers.”

Also, freshman forward Sidi Gueye has been wearing a knee wrap, but Lloyd said he suffered only a bruise and would be fine.

UConn, Houston times set

Times and television coverage for two of Arizona’s biggest games next season have been set.

Arizona’s Nov. 19 game at UConn will tip off 5 p.m. Arizona time and will be carried on FS1, while the Big 12 announced that the Wildcats’ Feb. 21 game at Houston would begin at 2 p.m. on ABC.

The Big East announced its television schedule Wednesday, including all nonconference games. The Arizona-UConn game is part of a two-year series that will conclude at McKale Center on Nov. 18, 2026.

The Huskies, who won the NCAA title in 2022-23 and then again in Glendale in 2023-24 before sliding to 24-11 last season, lead the Wildcats 5-2 in the all-time series. UConn won the first five games in the series, including a 65-63 game in the 2011 Elite Eight, but Arizona has won the past two, 73-58 at McKale Center in 2017-18 and 76-72 in Hartford, Conn., in 2018-19.

The Big 12 posted Wednesday that ABC would televise two men’s conference games, UA-Houston and Kansas’ date at Iowa State on Feb. 14.