As low key as Tommy Lloyd has carried himself since taking over the Arizona Wildcats in April 2021, there are also times when he is fine with blowing a horn or two.
Wednesday is one of them. The Wildcats will reveal new uniforms for the 2022-23 season as part of the lead-up to Fridayโs Red-Blue Game in McKale Center.
โOne thing Iโve learned down here is the Arizona fan base is passionate about a lot of things, and one of those things is the uniforms,โ said Lloyd, the former Gonzaga assistant who is entering his second season as head coach. โI think the jerseyheads out there are going to be really excited. Theyโre gonna do Arizona proud.โ
Arizona stoked some additional excitement Monday via social media, showing video of UA basketball legends Sean Elliott and Steve Kerr peeking into bags featuring the new gear.
โThese are too smooth,โ Elliott said, without revealing them.
Kerr, shown wearing a Golden State Warriors T-shirt, sat down and pursed his lips as he opened his bag, then shook his head.
โNo,โ Kerr said, smiling. โYouโre not ready for this.โ
๐๐ #BearDown #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/ujs2CCvcKA
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) September 26, 2022
The uniform redesign was actually initiated by former coach Sean Miller. Lloyd worked with Nike to finalize changes after his spring 2021 hiring, but COVID-related production delays meant the Wildcats did not have them in time for the 2021-22 season.
They are ready now, however, and the Wildcats are expected to debut them at Fridayโs Red-Blue Game.
Boswell improving as practices begin
The Wildcats opened full-length practices on Monday, the first day they were allowed to under NCAA rules.
Lloyd said all the Wildcats are available except freshman guard Kylan Boswell, who continues to recover from a broken foot suffered in the spring. Boswell has been cleared for limited activity, and could return fully in time for the Wildcatsโ Nov. 7 opener, but Lloyd has said he expects Boswell to need time before he makes a significant contribution.
โHeโs shooting around in the gym and heโs passing in some drills here and there but not much more than that,โ Lloyd said. โThe biggest priority for Kylan is getting him back to 100%. And once he does start to be able to do some things live, itโs being able to give him a little bit of a buffer so he can kind of adjust and adapt like any other normal freshman.
โObviously, weโre excited that heโs progressing and I anticipate him being out on the court helping us this year at some point for sure.โ
Recruits arriving for Red-Blue
Although Lloyd has followed a selective recruiting philosophy, the Wildcats are expected to host a number of top recruiting targets at the Red-Blue Game.
Five-star 2024 forward Carter Bryant told On3.com he will visit Arizona this weekend, and 2024 guard Zoom Diallo and 2023 UA commit KJ Lewis are also expected to be on hand for the 7:30 p.m. celebration.
Bryantโs expected presence is another significant sign in the Wildcatsโ effort to recruit him. Bryant became the first publicly known Class of 2024 player to have been offered a scholarship by Lloydโs staff, just before the Section 7 recruiting event in Phoenix in June; Arizonaโs coaches offered Diallo a scholarship shortly afterward. The Wildcats have continued to make both players top priorities.
Gilbert Perry standouts Cody Williams (Class of 2023) and Koa Peat (Class of 2024) are also expected to visit UA soon, possibly this weekend.
Viva Los Gatos
The uniform reveal and Red-Blue Game are only part of a busy promotional week for the Wildcats.
On Thursday, Lloyd and Spanish-speaking Wildcats Oumar Ballo and Henri Veesaar will appear at El Pueblo Neighborhood Center from 5-7 p.m. The schedule includes ticket and other giveaways, plus music and food trucks.
Ballo is from Mali but picked up Spanish while playing in the Canary Islands and in Mexico City. Veesaar is Estonian but brushed up on Spanish while playing for Real Madridโs top junior club last season.
On Friday, the โLuteโ documentary will premiere at Centennial Hall at 5:30 p.m. The documentary is expected to be over by 7 p.m., so fans can walk across campus to attend the Red-Blue Game.
Arizona Assist, the name, image and likeness collective that benefits the UA menโs basketball players, will host an after-party starting at 9 p.m. at Gentle Benโs, 865 E. University Blvd. Former Wildcat Richard Jefferson and current UA players and coaches are expected to be in attendance.
Some details for the Red-Blue Game still have yet to be determined, but Jefferson, former UA womenโs basketball star Aari McDonald and comedian Frank Caliendo are expected to judge the dunk contest. Caleindo is a longtime friend of Arizona freshman Dylan Andersonโs family.
