Tommy Lloyd Discusses His Excitement About Arizona's Newest Five-Star Player
The next step for this Arizona Wildcats basketball program under head coach Tommy Lloyd is recruiting at a high level.
Since taking over ahead of the 2021-22 season, Arizona has largely used the transfer portal to supplement this roster, plucking talent from teams around the country.
The results have been great, making the NCAA Tournament in all three years since Lloyd was hired while also winning two Pac-12 regular season titles and two Pac-12 Tournament titles.
But, they have yet to get past the Sweet 16 during March Madness, something the Wildcats are looking to change this year with a group that is viewed as true title contenders.
One way for Arizona to have sustained high-end success is to bring in talented recruits who become familiar with Lloyd's offensive and defensive system as soon as they step foot on campus when they are freshmen.
The coaching staff is starting to build a recruiting footprint, securing their highest-ranked class in the 2024 cycle which ranked 16th nationally, but for a legacy program who has become one of the best in the country during this three-year stretch, that has to improve.
Arizona made a statement in the 2025 class when they landed Dwayne Aristode.
Ranked as a five-star and the 14th-best player in the cycle by 247Sports, the 6-foot-8 wing is exactly the type of prospect the Wildcats should be targeting.
Lloyd is also excited about what he will bring to the table when he arrives in Tucson next season.
"That's one of the most exciting things about him, his versatility. He has great size and great skill. He can really shoot the ball. He's a great athlete. He has a good feel for the game. Those are all great places to start. Rather than pigeonhole him on a certain position or certain style of play, I think we push him and give him a great foundation developmentally and see what direction it goes and what his strengths are and what our team needs," he said per Jason Scheer of 247Sports.
What also makes the coaching staff excited about Aristode's future with Arizona is the personality he possesses.
Culture is a huge part of how Lloyd runs his program, so he's looking for fit just as much as he's looking for talent when he's recruiting and in the transfer portal.
"Dwayne is an incredibly talented young man. He is somebody we had our eyes on for a long time. We think his best days are ahead of him. I love his personality. He has a seriousness to him. He wants to be great. He has great physical tools. Like a lot of young players, he is going to have to come in here and I am sure there's going to be a learning curve. We expect him to be a quick study," the head coach added.
That is great sign for what Aristode can bring to the table immediately.
He could have a path to playing time early next year as well.
Caleb Love will graduate and the duo of KJ Lewis and Jaden Bradley could leave for the NBA draft, so he might find his way onto the court early if he can figure things out at the collegiate level quickly.
