GLENDALE — Of all the things Arizona commit Dylan Anderson has been dealing with this spring, picking a future college might have been the easiest.
Especially once Tommy Lloyd took over the Wildcats in April. Until that point a lean for Gonzaga in large part because of Lloyd’s work as a Zags assistant, the Gilbert Perry 7-footer said he had already assured Lloyd he would play for him should he get the Arizona job.
So once Lloyd did, Anderson slipped the official word to UA special assistant TJ Benson, posted an announcement on Twitter — and at some point actually got around to talking with Lloyd.
“He called me after I committed,” Anderson said. “I was mainly talking to TJ about it.”
Less than two months later, Anderson and Lloyd met in person during an unofficial visit to the Arizona campus.
It was similarly undramatic.
“It was mainly for my mom, just to see the campus because she didn’t go with us in eighth grade,” Anderson said, referring to a 2018 visit with then-UA coach Sean Miller.
Asked if Lloyd did anything during that visit that jumped out at him, Anderson answered, simply, well, no.
Not really. The two already knew each other pretty well at that point.
“He just showed me how wants me to work in the system that he wants to run for me,” Anderson said.
With that, Anderson — Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year — went back to work. He missed the state playoffs because of a concussion suffered late last season and has been working to recover since then.
After Gilbert Perry lost to Seattle Prep 51-42 in its first Section 7 game this weekend, Anderson said it’s not all back yet. Friday marked his first competitive game in four months.
“Condition-wise, no,” Anderson said. “But other things, yeah.”
Anderson has been working out daily on his game, often with his father, though Perry coach Sam Duane said there’s some things that simply don’t come until you start playing games again.
“He’s getting there and he’s finding his conditioning, finding his timing,” Duane said. “It’s different than in workouts. When you step on the floor, with the adrenaline and everything, it’s just a different animal.”
His teammates still need time, too. Perry finished last season 15-3 but lost standout guard Christian Tucker, who committed to UTSA, while versatile junior wing Cody Williams has been banged up — and the Pumas have also quickly elevated forward Koa Peat from eighth grade into their starting lineup this summer.
Perry opened Section 7, a showcase of top high school teams from all over the West, with losses to Seattle Prep on Friday and Kayville (Utah) Davis on Saturday.
“We’ve just got to get together and learn how to flow together,” Anderson said. “We’re a brand new team with lot of new guys. It just takes time.”
A rising junior, Williams has attracted attention from Arizona and several other high-major schools with his athleticism, scoring ability — and the fact that he’s grown six inches since entering high school.
“Cody is just keeps developing,” Duane said. “He can handle the ball, he can score in a lot of different ways. Once he gets his legs under him, he’ll be fine. He’s a really good player but he’s not in great shape yet either.”
Williams, who said he’s still waiting to plan a visit to Arizona and see what other schools he’s interested in, said he’s up to about 6-7 now and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s continuing to grow.
“Still having knee pain so I assume, yeah,” Williams said, smiling.
Then there’s Peat, who’s already 6-7 at age 14.
That’s in large part thanks to a notably athletic family that includes older brothers Andrus, a 315-pound offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints and Cassius, formerly a football and basketball star at Tempe Corona del Sol.
Peat said playing basketball with his brothers has helped his game and toughness, though the jump from eighth grade to Perry has been significant so far.
“It’s hard, but if I keep working. I’m gonna fit right in with this team,” Peat said. “I trust Coach Duane.”
Not surprisingly, Duane said Peat is “very skilled” and won’t take long to mesh his talents fully into the Pumas’ lineup. Since he has already enrolled at Perry, Peat has been eligible to play this summer.
“He’s learning in how to play at this level right now, the speed and the things he can and can’t do,” Duane said. “But he’s just gonna get better and better and better and Cody’s been battling a little injury so he’ll get better and better.”
The same goes for Anderson, who will play one final season for Perry in 2021-22 before arriving at Arizona next summer.
Anderson and Duane both said having that college decision behind him should make it even easier to focus.
“I’m sure it did,” Duane said. “But Dylan’s always a very even-keeled kid. He’s never too high, never too low. He’s a wonderful kid.”
