When five-star guard Brayden Burries announced Wednesday he’ll play for Arizona, the Wildcats picked up a strong, versatile and high-scoring replacement for Caleb Love in their backcourt next season.
They also may have gained a bargaining chip in trying to keep forward Carter Bryant around for another season.
A 6-4 combo guard from Eastvale (Calif.) Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Burries played club ball with Bryant from ages 9-15, and the two remain close friends. Burries last June said that Bryant, then already having moved to Tucson to prepare for his freshman season, had been nudging him to “play together again.”
Bryant has yet to announce if he will return for his sophomore season or declare for the NBA Draft, but Burries’ announcement gives the Wildcats a potential Top 25 rotation regardless — if they can keep guard Jaden Bradley, wing Anthony Dell’Orso and centers Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas out of the transfer portal.
The Wildcats have so far lost two starters from 2024-25, Love and forward Trey Townsend, but Burries and five-star forward Koa Peat could fill their spots, with Burries playing off the ball but also potentially handling point guard when Bradley is not on the floor.
Arizona target Brayden Burries conducts an interview after playing in a Section 7 game for Roosevelt High School on June 22, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
During the Section 7 recruiting showcase last June, Burries indicated the chance to play point guard at Arizona was part of the Wildcats’ appeal.
“Coach (Jack) Murphy, the whole coaching staff, coach (Tommy) Lloyd, are all great guys, genuine people,” Burries said then. “They’re telling me the honest truth. They see me as a point guard and that’s what I want to be in college. And they feel like they can help me get to the next level. That’s what I like.”
On Wednesday, while revealing his choice on ESPN, Burries stood near a framed No. 5 Arizona jersey, put on a white UA hat, and said he liked how Lloyd lets his guards play.
“His playing style, I feel like it fits me perfectly,” Burries said. “I feel like he’s gonna get the best out of me.”
Burries also told ESPN he models himself after 6-6 NBA players Devin Booker and Cade Cunningham, “a big guard that likes to get to their spots ... they can score at all three levels and rebound.”
Burries will already be 20 when the 2025-26 season opens, and several analysts have cited his maturing offensive game.
Travis Branham of 247 called Burries “one of the most college-ready guards” in the 2025 recruiting class, saying he’s “a guy that can come in, score double figures for you, put up four rebounds and also add three or four assists for a team.”
In the CIF Open Division championship against San Francisco Riordan on March 15, Burries did a lot more than that. In the first half alone, Burries had 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting, prompting veteran Los Angeles Times high school columnist Eric Sondheimer to tweet it was “one of the best 16 minutes of high school basketball I’ve ever seen.”
Burries went on to set an Open Division scoring record with 44 points, hitting 15 of 22 shots that included 4 of 6 3-pointers, while adding 12 rebounds to lead Roosevelt to an 80-60 win.
“Unbelievable,” Roosevelt coach Stephen Singleton said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Best player in the history of Roosevelt. No. 5 is going to be retired. Nobody is better. He stepped up in the biggest moment on the biggest stage.”
After the game, Singleton added that Burries would be “playing here one day,” referencing the game’s location in an NBA arena that is home to the Sacramento Kings.
Because of his winning résumé, and ability to score from all levels, ESPN’s Paul Biancardi said Burries was special.
“He’ll bring scoring prowess, a high basketball IQ and strength to the college game,” Biancardi said.
Burries initially used his big frame to power a more downhill scoring threat, according to 247 scouting director Adam Finkelstein, but has evolved into a scorer with more feel and ability to create.
“He lacks the dynamic first step to rely on blowing right by his defender and can almost have a slow-mo style with physicality and balance through contact,” Finkelstein wrote. “He can elongate his strides at the end of his drives, has a terrific left hand as both a driver and a finisher, good body control, and can rise-up to hammer big dunks on unsuspecting defenders, even if he worked his way to the rim more gradually.”
Finkelstein also wrote that Burries has a formidable mid-range game, with the ability to create space for pull-up jumpers or step back into 3-point range, with limited elevation but a soft touch.
“While he is focused primarily on scoring, Burries possesses soft hands, solid floor vision and a reliable enough handle to have some on/off-ball versatility,” Finkelstein wrote. “He is also an excellent rebounding guard. Defensively, he is fully engaged, physical and competitive, if not ultra-quick.”
Adding Burries immediately elevated the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class to the No. 4 spot in 247’s composite team rankings. Burries will join Peat, four-star forward Dwayne Aristode and three-star guard Bryce James. The Klutch Sports Group represents Burries, Peat and James.
Perry’s Koa Peat (10) slaps the hand of Tucson’s Malaki Cunningham-Hiadzi (22), stopping his shot in the second quarter of their game in Tucson, Jan. 7, 2025.
“We’ll have one of the best freshman classes coming in,” Burries said. “I feel like we got a chance to make some deep pushes in March Madness. Stay tuned. It’s gonna be great for sure.”
