In just 35 seconds Wednesday, freshman 7-footer Emmanuel Stephen showed why he could be the future of the Arizona Wildcats’ frontcourt – and why that future could take a while to arrive.
Arizona center Emmanuel Stephen (34) moves up to defend near the top of the key in the second half against Samford at McKale Center, Dec. 18, 2024.
Breaking his planned redshirt season largely because of a foot injury to projected starting center Motiejus Krivas, Stephen entered the Wildcats’ game against Samford with 2:38 left, when Arizona was comfortably en route to what became a 96-64 win over the Bulldogs.
Just 26 seconds after the excitable, energetic freshman from Nigeria stepped on the floor, he raced downcourt on the break and elevated to the left of the basket to slam in an alley-oop feed from point guard Conrad Martinez.
Because Stephen was a split-second ahead of Martinez’ pass, he instead arched backward as he rose, Gumby style, then tipped the pass high off the glass, with just enough angle that the ball fell directly into the hoop.
“Heck of a tip-in,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said.
But on Samford’s next possession, Stephen fell for a fake under the basket by Samford’s Jaden Brownell, jumping up and trying to pull back upon his descent, but falling into Brownell to send him to the free-throw line.
That foul was followed by another just 16 seconds later. Martinez committed his first turnover of the season on the left wing and Samford guard Julian Brown took a pass and drove downcourt on the break. But Stephen, hustling his much bigger frame downcourt at the same time, met Brown under the basket with just a little too much momentum.
Foul No. 2.
Discussing things immediately afterward with teammate KJ Lewis, Stephen lifted up both his hands in apparent frustration, then he exchanged smiles with Samford veteran guard Rylan Jones when the two lined up next to each other and Jones appeared to offer him a message.
In an appearance that totaled only two minutes and three seconds, Stephen had already been initiated into college basketball.
There was no time for nerves, or at least it didn’t seem that way.
“I don’t even know if he knows what butterflies are,” Lloyd said. “That guy just comes out and he’s going to play balls to the wall. That’s going to be his greatest strength, his activity and his energy. I know our players were excited, and our staff was excited, when he made that” tip-in shot.
While Stephen hasn’t been available for comment recently, forward Trey Townsend said center Tobe Awaka is usually the one who feels that energy while facing Stephen in practice regularly.
“You gotta love E-man,” Townsend said. “He’s one of the hardest working guys that I know. Obviously, with big Mo getting hurt, you’ve got to step up into the opportunity. He’s been feeling that during practices, and he gives 100% effort no matter where he’s at on the court or when he’s on the court.”
Townsend said he relates to Stephen, after first walking on at Oakland as a freshman and then moving into the Golden Grizzlies’ starting lineup when the regular season opened. He said Stephen just needs to keep his head up and trust his effort.
“I was struggling a lot, but I could control the effort thing,” Townsend said. “With him that hasn’t been an issue. He’s going to learn a lot and be a great help to us because he’s got great size, great athleticism.”
Stephen missed much of last month with what Lloyd called a “small knee issue” but returned to practice just as Krivas was re-sidelined with what appears to be a stress-related injury to his left foot. Krivas missed much of the preseason with an injury to his left foot and then, after playing in UA’s first eight games, became unavailable indefinitely before UA faced UCLA on Dec. 14.
“Mo handed the baton to him,” Lloyd said.
While UA is bracing for Krivas to sit out possibly all season, continuing to monitor how his foot progresses, Lloyd said he thought Stephen was ready to fill in.
Arizona center Motiejus Krivas sits on the sideline wearing a boot on his left foot before the start of the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Dec. 14, 2024.
Most likely, Stephen will receive more playing time Saturday when the Wildcats finish up nonconference play by hosting Central Michigan, and then he’ll have time to keep adjusting before UA opens Big 12 play on Dec. 30 against TCU.
“He probably needs another week or two of good practice, and so we can figure out some packages with him that make sense for him,” Lloyd said. “But, hey, when you see him, your eyes are on him, right? There’s always something happening. He’s kind of a whirling dervish out there, which is exciting because there’s so much potential.”
Maybe someday, Stephen even elevates and bends that 7-foot frame on the other side of the court, instead stopping an opponents’ shot in mid-air or at least making a driver think twice about driving inside.
Maybe even without fouling.
“He’s very quick for his size and he’s a great shot blocker,” Townsend said. “He’ll block shots that you wouldn’t even think he would have a chance to block, which is a great asset to have for us defensively. As he learns the fundamentals of defense, I think he’s going to become an elite player.”
Arizona center Emmanuel Stephen (34) dunks the ball during an exhibition game against Point Loma at McKale Center, Oct. 28, 2024.
