If Spanish point guard Conrad Martinez brings some mystery to the Arizona Wildcats next season, at least some other things are now clearer.
The 6-foot Spanish point guard posted to Instagram on Thursday that he would not return to his club team next season, while Eurohopes and 247Sportsโ Wildcat Authority reported that he has committed to Arizona.
If so, that means:
Tommy Lloydโs 2022 summer vacation turned out to be both relaxing and productive.
While most U.S. college coaches were focused on the club-ball calendar early last July, Lloyd took off for Malaga, Spain, and brought family along while he took in the beaches, Mediterranean vibe, weather and โฆ FIBA ball.
The FIBA U17 World Cup, that is. In that event, Martinez led the home-country team to a silver medal while averaging 9.1 points, 3.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds and shooting 23.5% from 3-point range.
In Spainโs loss to USA in the final, Martinez also had a chance to match up against many top U.S. college recruiting targets, including Gilbert Perry five-star forward Koa Peat, collecting nine points and six assists along with four turnovers.
While Arizona hasnโt confirmed Martinezโs reported commitment, indicating it has not yet received his paperwork and/or other minor issues left to resolve, Lloyd likely saw something he liked in Martinez, a developmental prospect who is initially expected to add depth to a backcourt that lost starters Kerr Kriisa and Courtney Ramey from last season.
This past season, according to Eurobasket, Martinez averaged 16.6 points while shooting 35.7% from 3-point range in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Over Spainโs EBA season, he averaged 17.0 points over 22 games while playing for the Juventut youth club outside of Barcelona.
Azuolas Tubelis isnโt coming back.
Thatโs been the firm expectation for the past month or so and, while Tubelis said at the NBA Draft Combine last week he still had until May 31 to make a decision before the NCAAโs withdrawal deadline, the Wildcatsโ recruiting movement indicates they are moving on.
Martinez would give Arizona 12 players lined up for next season without Tubelis or his brother, Tautvilas. Thatโs just one shy of the scholarship maximum, and the Wildcats have also been pursuing other players who could fill the final spot.
At the combine, Azuolas Tubelis said Tautvilas will stay with the Wildcats next season. So if UA doesnโt add any more scholarship players, it could offer him another year of a scholarship. Otherwise, the Wildcats are expected to shift Tautvilas into another role with the program.
Thereโs still recruiting work to be done.
Arizona reportedly is one of three final choices for North Carolina transfer guard Caleb Love, who led the Tar Heels in scoring last season, then announced a transfer to Michigan before decommitting from the Wolverines last week. Love would be expected to give UA a significant scoring punch.
Arizona has also contacted another North Carolina transfer, former Marana High School standout DโMarco Dunn, though Martinezโs arrival might threaten interest on both sides.
Meanwhile, 247Sports reported Thursday that UA is one of more than two dozen schools to inquire about Tennessee transfer forward Julian Phillips โ if he doesnโt stay in the NBA Draft.
The Wildcats can go five-on-five in practice.
After having just seven projected players on the 2023-24 roster entering the month of May, Arizona now has depth at every position, regardless of what Love does.
At the two guard spots, UA already has rising sophomore Kylan Boswell, Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley and incoming freshman KJ Lewis โ and now Martinez. Meanwhile, its bigger wings include senior Pelle Larsson, sophomore Filip Borovicanin and Lithuanian sharpshooter Paulius Murauskas.
SDSU transfer Keshad Johnson could play either forward spot, while UAโs big post players include senior Oumar Ballo, sophomores Henri Veesaar and Dylan Anderson and Lithuanian freshman 7-footer Motiejus Krivas.
The scholarship penalty has already been taken care of.
When the Independent Accountability Resolution Process handed Arizona sanctions from its years-old NCAA infractions case last December, one of them was that the program had to lose a scholarship for either the 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons.
Since the Wildcats had only 12 players on scholarship last season, that suggested they were already satisfying the requirement before it was announced. But neither the IARP nor UA would confirm if it counted.
The IARP referred comment to Arizona on whether the school had officially satisfied the requirement, and initial attempts to get confirmation from Arizona were unsuccessful. On Thursday, Arizona still declined to say.
In any case, actions are speaking louder than words. The Wildcats are behaving as if they have 13 scholarships to offer, meaning the IARP sanctions will have no effect on the 2023-24 team.
In what will be Lloydโs first UA team entirely made up of players he recruited, the 2023-24 Wildcats now will have 12 or 13 players, including at least six newcomers and seven internationals.
Rim shot
Jim Rosborough, a longtime Arizona assistant coach under former Arizona coach Lute Olson, was formally inducted into the A Step Up Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame this week after being selected in March. Lloyd and UA assistant coach Steve Robinson are also members.
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