Maybe because the Arizona Wildcats mostly existed behind closed doors and Zoom screens during Azuolas Tubelis' freshman season of 2020-21, then raced into national consciousness last season, time can be difficult for him to measure.
So it’s a little weird that, Tubelis says, all of a sudden people are telling him he has to give some advice to the Wildcats’ freshmen and other newcomers.
He's a leader now.
“It doesn’t feel like, 'Oh my God, I'm a junior now,’ “ Tubelis said Sunday, on the eve of the No. 17-ranked Wildcats’ regular-season opener against Nicholls at McKale Center. “It's kind of hard to believe.”
Still, Tubelis said he and fellow juniors Kerr Krissa and Pelle Larsson are trying to take a leadership role for the Wildcats, who lost three players to the NBA draft last summer plus a veteran leader in reserve guard Justin Kier.
Now it’s all up to the Wildcats’ juniors to “tell them we understand how hard it is to be freshmen or newcomers,” Tubelis said, while having grad transfers Courtney Ramey (Texas) and Cedric Henderson (Campbell) around also helps.
Since the NCAA suspended Ramey for the Wildcats’ first three games because he played in a non-NCAA-certified pre-draft camp last spring, Henderson will likely take his place in the starting lineup Monday, UA coach Tommy Lloyd said Sunday.
But Ramey, who will be eligible in time for the Nov. 21-23 Maui Invitational, has already made an impact in leadership.
“Courtney is a really tough guy,” Tubelis said. “He's a really good guy and he has a lot of experience. That helps us a lot because Justin Kier is not here any more. He came in and he's like our new Justin and he has been a great leader. He says stuff before and after the game in the locker room like a fifth-year senior. It's just great to have him.”
While Tubelis is not a naturally outgoing personality, the Wildcats have plenty of that with Kriisa, who continues to draw strong support from Lloyd this preseason.
Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa has been told by coach Tommy Lloyd to "go get it and the team will react accordingly."
Kriisa put on 10 pounds and played well with the Estonian national team over the summer but struggled from 3-point range in the preseason: He shot 1 for 6 from 3-point range in the Red-Blue Game and missed both 3s he took in a Nov. 1 exhibition against Western Oregon.
Kriisa actually took only three shots against Western Oregon, so Lloyd was asked Sunday if the point guard was still feeling out his role this season.
“He and I have talked about that a little bit,” Lloyd said. “I don't know if Kerr really needs to be feeling anything out. I think he needs to go get it. So that's been the message from me: `You go get it and the team will react accordingly.'
"I don't think he needs to bend over backwards to sacrifice to make sure other guys are getting up to speed. When Kerr is clicking at a high level, he's a high level player. And I'd rather have him play at that level than everybody else catch up with him.”
Then again, there’s also that time when you don’t always try to go get it. Specifically, Lloyd said after the Wildcats beat Western Oregon 91-61, that Tubelis was maybe a little too aggressive trying to lunge for steals to make things happen.
Tubelis eventually found he agreed with that, too.
“I just felt so excited, you know?” Tubelis said. “Maybe I thought that every ball is a steal, just amazing, that fans will go crazy and stuff.
"But I need to fix that. Next day, I woke up, watched the game and, yeah, I can't do that.”
It's the sort of lesson that now, as a third-year player, Tubelis might be able to warn his younger teammates about.
Arizona routed Western Oregon 91-61 in an exhibition game Tuesday night at McKale Center. Six Wildcats scored in double figures.
