Wildcats are off to the NBA, what does the future have in store for the new pros and the team left behind?

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Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, the reigning, defending, defending, defending, defending, defending, defending undisputed universal heavyweight champion,

Wildcat Radio 2.0. Bear down, you beautiful people.

What's up, everybody? This is Wildcat Radio 2.0.

I'm Adam Green, and this is Brett Berry.

He's back after taking some time off.

Brett, how are you doing? How are you feeling? I'm

doing all right.

It's Adam, right? That's your name?

Still, yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

You know, it's hard to remember.

New dad brain and all that.

No, things are good.

My daughter's great.

So what else is there to talk about in life other than those are the things that really make you happy, right?

Right, right.

I know what that's like, but it's always good to...

Get some Wildcats talk in.

And we're going to start this week with the NBA draft and more specifically the Arizona Wildcats who were picked in the NBA draft.

Brayden Burries went 10th to Milwaukee Bucks.

Millie Wacke.

It's Algonquin for the good land.

Koa Peet went with the last pick in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks, who then spun him to the Phoenix Suns.

So he was picked for the Suns.

Jaden Bradley.

was picked by the Toronto Raptors in the second round, I think 50th overall.

And Tobey Iwaka was not picked.

Anthony Del Orso was not picked.

I expect at least Tobey to get, you know, a rookie free agent signing somewhere and that, you know, good luck to him.

um so no real surprises i think by the time the season is kind of funny but i was thinking like when the season began for the first you know handful of games koa was just a monster and brayden burrys are struggling and at that time i both of us on the pod were just like burrys will be fine and obviously he was but at that time how many people said yeah burrys is going to be the lottery pick and koa is going to be the end of the first round but but By the time the draft started, I think most people expected Braves to be top 10, and most people figured Coe would be the back part of the first round, early second round, and then Bradley getting picked in the second round.

So no real surprises in terms of the Arizona Wildcats in the NBA draft.

Yeah, and it's kind of interesting how it played out.

Braden Burries was kind of in that second tier of guys where it's just a lot of guards.

And so it's like, what team likes which guy and for what kind of role and fit? I think a lot of people thought he was going to be a good fit for the Mavericks.

They obviously went a different way.

But, you know, it's...

I think it's going to be a good fit for Burry's in Milwaukee.

It's a little crazy when they traded Giannis, so the roster might be a little more in turmoil.

I don't know if that's a net good or bad thing for him.

You know, filling out the Devin Booker comp, kind of that late lottery pick guy, that's kind of what Devin Booker was, where it's like, hey, we think this guy's solid with maybe some upside, and then Devin Booker got to the league and made a jump right he became he moved from like useful player to star and i think we'll see what buries can do and then when it comes to koa pete you know the drop wasn't surprising right um i think we kind of saw it coming and you know if you saw his

jumper during those pre-draft workouts that you saw this coming

if if you saw how often his jumper was falling you weren't surprised how fast his stock was falling um no it's but also he's he's kind of like i remember when aaron gordon got drafted and he didn't have a good shot either and i was like i'll bet on him for his work ethic in the long term was

a lottery pick though too well he was like number three or six or something i think it was

like i think he was third but you know should pete have come back probably right um The Suns traded up to get him, which is cool with it being like the local kid.

It's a very interesting fit with the Suns for him, too, because, you know, I tweeted out the potentially popular unpopular opinion that I think him learning from Dylan Brooks is going to be good for him.

I saw a comp too, and this is because of the Suns, and we grew up Suns fans, so I know the Suns too.

I thought of Sean Marion with regards to Koa in terms of the skill set entering the NBA.

Koa's bigger in terms of thicker.

He's stronger.

But Sean Marion didn't exactly have a jumper, and his shot never really looked better, but he was able to make it.

He was a slasher.

He was a guy who could defend up to four or five positions.

He was a better rebounder in college than Koa was, but Koa was also on a team with a bunch of really good rebounders, so who's to say how he'll do in the pros? But I like the fit for Phoenix.

And the Dylan Brooks idea isn't bad.

Someone who's just a dog out there.

And it's not that I think he's going to become a Dylan Brooks player, but I think there's a similar hates-to-lose mentality, I think, that Dylan Brooks has that I think Koa Pete has.

It's the hate-to-lose-more-than-you-like-to-win kind of guy mentality.

And there's something to be said for a guy that has eked out more of a career, I think, than people even thought when he was a good player at Oregon.

And how you can have a really successful career with longevity in this league.

I'm not sure Coe Pete's ever going to...

He's not the athlete that Sean Marion is.

I mean, I get the comp.

I don't think he's the raw athlete.

He's comparable to Aaron Gordon, but Aaron Gordon was more...

Coe Pete's a good athlete.

Even more of an athlete than

Coe is, too.

Yeah, exactly.

And Kopi is a good athlete.

And, again, this is the point in the conversation where I say we're talking five standard deviations from the mean at these kind of levels of athleticism, but there's a difference, right? You know what? When I was

watching Koa fall, though, I was taking my dog for a walk, and I got home, and then Koa was drafted by the Mavs.

But I was thinking to myself, because I saw people like Michigan had their three guys taken with a top, like, 12 or something like that, top 13.

Yeah.

Arizona, I'm like, wow, Arizona is going to have gone basically been the second best team in college basketball with a first round draft pick.

And that's not to say like Yvonne won't maybe get their next season or Mo won't get their next season.

I'm like just like how good Arizona's team came together.

It wasn't because of any individual greatness of players like they had one lottery pick one.

I mean, yeah, one lottery pick and end up with two first round picks.

But one of them was obviously because the back of the first round, the very last pick.

And they lost three games and they were arguably, you know, one of the two best teams in college basketball last season.

So I thought that was really impressive.

Just spoke well to what Tommy Lake did and what that team as a whole did, you know, greater than the sum of its parts.

Not that they had bad parts.

Like I'm not trying to say that this was a plucky underdog that found a way to be really good.

Like that's absolutely not the case.

But it wasn't like they had four lottery picks or three lottery picks on that team just ready to roll.

But I do think that's also because these are now the third players, I think, right, that were purely...

Well, I guess Pella Larson was a purely Tommy Lloyd guy, other than the fact that he was a transfer in.

But...

The first couple of guys, you know, the Matherins, the Colocos, the Dalen Terrys, they were recruited by Sean Miller.

So the more Tommy Lloyd guys get to the NBA, you want to see them do well because that's just going to help for me.

Like I saw the graphic, I think Arizona passed Indiana for first round draft picks or something yesterday.

We're recording this on Wednesday.

But you want to see more guys have success in the NBA because there was a stretch.

A lot of Sean Miller guys really didn't.

You know, they became first-round picks like Aaron Gordon did.

He's had a nice career.

But Stanley Johnson, no. DeAndre Ayton, not the player you thought he'd be.

Solomon Hill, not really a great career.

So, I mean, I'm not trying to dog on those guys.

I thought they were great Wildcats, and I'm always rooting for them.

But you want to see players who go to the NBA and thrive in the NBA.

And I'm curious to see if the guys who run the Lloyd system or today's NBA, where it's going, if those are going to be the guys that can do it.

If Carter Bryant, who's off to a pretty good start with his rookie year in San Antonio, if he can become a good NBA player.

If Braden Burns will be a good NBA player, people developing a good NBA player.

I mean, shoot, if Jaden Bradley does too.

Ben Mathren's already kind of there.

But Matherin was also a Sean Miller recruit.

So that's kind of my point.

I get like these guys blew up under Tommy Lloyd, but it would be nice to see Arizona guys because Arizona's had no problem getting guys drafted historically.

But there's been a bit of a stretch of not particularly great NBA Wildcats.

And I'd like to see that change, and I think it absolutely can change with Carter Bryant in time.

He's still very young.

I think it can change with Braden Burries.

The role in Milwaukee, I don't know.

Milwaukee's probably not going to be any good, but that's going to mean a lot of shots for Burries.

Now, he's not a chucker, right? That's a situation where I'd say Caleb Love would come in and be just terrific because they need someone to shoot the ball.

I don't think that's Burries' game, but as long as he stays within himself, he's going to be a very good player for Milwaukee.

He's going to get his touches.

He's going to have the ball in his hands, and he's going to do all the other things too, rebounding, playing defense, passing, the things that Braden Burries did for Arizona.

That's very valuable.

And then Koa, I tweeted it last night on Tuesday afternoon.

I'm like, you know, if nothing else for Arizona, because a lot of times people are like, oh, the last Arizona Wildcat that they took was DeAndre Ayton.

Well, there's just been picking someone first and 30th.

But if Koa Pete doesn't turn into anything special, one, it was a 30th pick in the draft, so it's not going to be like a franchise-defining move.

But if he doesn't pan out, it won't be due to a lack of effort on his part.

You won't say, well, Koa just didn't care enough or Koa didn't want it enough.

And I have no doubt that's a big part of why the Suns wanted him, why they traded up to get him.

Because they know they got a guy who...

He's got really good athletic ability.

It's different.

I mean, he is bigger.

He's bigger more than he's athletic.

He plays bully ball.

But you know he's going to work his ass off.

You know he's going to work on that jumper.

You know he's going to work on his game.

And he's going to be a great guy to have in that locker room, on that team, and in your program.

So...

I don't know what he's going to turn into.

I don't know if he's going to be a Dellen Brooks or a Sean Marion, if he's just going to be a role player, if he's going to flame out because that jump shot will never get better.

He'll never have that ISO game or where he can do it on his own.

But I know he's not going to be a bad guy to have on that team.

As they try to work with him and he works his ass off to try to get better.

So for something like that, if he can do that, that's going to be another feather in Tommy Lee's cap.

And I'm like, these are guys he had for one year.

So how much impact did he really have? I don't know.

But I think it'd be a really good thing to, if we're five years from now, we look back and we're like, yeah, Carter Bryant, that's a good NBA player.

Braden Burries, that's an all-star caliber player.

Koa Pete is a very good player for the Suns.

And then they just keep pumping out, you know, Timely keeps pumping out NBA draft pick after NBA draft pick and successful NBA player for successful NBA player.

Yeah, I mean, I'll take three draft picks per team per season and we'll have a pretty good run here.

I do want to mildly push back on Solomon Hill.

I think Solomon Hill had a sneaky good NBA career maximizing what his capabilities were.

Um, and the, you know, the thought I had, I did have the thought with all the draft picks here.

I think of not just the number of draft picks guys have had, but the lifetime earnings that these guys get.

I, I venture to guess, uh, kind of like, you know, Caleb Love is going to end up getting another contract, like a guaranteed contract, even as an undrafted guy.

T.J. McConnell has made a lot of money in this league.

T.J. has

made a lot of money,

yeah.

Jaden Bradley strikes me as a guy that's a second-round pick, but somebody that's going to get to a second and third contract.

I think there's some long careers that come out of the guys that are getting drafted and the guys that we are hoping will get drafted next year.

It's not just...

It's because there's a difference between there's a bounce that the NBA teams do, and it's kind of changed over the years of drafting just raw potential, like an major league baseball draft thing where you're like, yep, I hope this lottery ticket pays off and I'm going to go on highest upside and not count them to do anything.

You know, it used to be rare, like Shaq played in the cup in college for three years.

Right.

Um, and then came out and dominated immediately.

it then went pretty high school heavy.

And now we're kind of back to having some one and dones, but it's there.

There's a, with the NIL world that we live in, players are able to season a bit more, you know, uh, guys like Mara from Michigan might've gotten drafted higher in the old days as a high schooler than he would have coming out of UCLA.

But then he paid off by going to Michigan, right.

And, and developing.

So it's all of that is to say, I think, uh, there's a there's more of a value in the draft these days of guys that are like actual like the floor is higher and i think the likelihood of a second and third contract which is where you really make your money in the league is higher for arizona guys or i'm betting that off of like this draft class and other you know ben mathurins of the world like he wasn't a particularly high draft pick uh i mean i mean he was a I think he was, like, top six.

Was he that high?

Yeah.

He was...

Let's pile this up.

He was sixth.

Yeah.

Oh, well, I stand corrected.

Aaron Gordon was fourth.

Mathren was fourth, sixth.

It was...

Gordon was fourth.

And then Mathren was sixth.

Yeah.

So this changes your

entire point

that you were making.

Totally.

No, but I think you get where I'm trying to slowly meander to.

I'm a little rusty, Adam.

It's going to pay off more, to go back to what I said initially, the lifetime earnings matters more when you see an Arizona Wildcats logo there than number of draft picks, in my opinion.

Sure.

Earnings is a big, I mean, yeah.

But it's also nice to see them win a lot of games, win awards, be on all-star teams, win championships.

It would have been cool to see Carl Bryant win it in his rookie year.

He wasn't the best player on San Antonio, wasn't the key player, but he was a role player for them as a rookie, and he has room to improve.

I think that's the thing about all these guys.

Other than Jaden Bradley, who probably doesn't have a ton of room to improve, but I think he's going to have a nice career because of what he can do.

Braden Burrys is not a finished product.

Coa Pete is not a finished product.

Carter Bryant's not a finished product.

So when you have these guys for one year, you're hoping to have them show enough in their one season at U of A to make NBA teams say, oh, yeah, I can do something with this guy.

We can take him the rest of the way.

And that's where it's like Burrys is a very polished game.

That was one of the most impressive things about him as a freshman.

He was just so polished.

He was in control.

He was smooth.

He was calm out there.

He could do everything.

Koa has more room more things to improve on that's where I saw some people thinking as he was science like well this is a guy definitely should have come back for another year and maybe he would have made more money I think coming back to Arizona for one year would have been an all-american type guy on one of the best teams in the country probably and I wrote about this and Do I think he should have come back? I thought the whole time he was going to.

It kind of surprised me when he didn't.

But at the same time, he now gets to live out his dream as an NBA draft pick, and he gets to do it for his hometown team.

He grew up.

He's from the Phoenix area, right? So he gets to be a Phoenix Sun, which is pretty cool for him.

Mr. Arizona gets to stay in Arizona, and I imagine if he had come back for another year and he had a good season, he's probably a lottery pick.

but does he have any regrets about staying in the draft and being picked by the Suns in the first round? I'm sure not.

And that's great because I didn't want to see him.

I didn't want him to have regrets about this decision.

It's a tough decision to make, I'm sure.

You know, when you're going into the NBA, you're like, I want to be an NBA player.

It's been my dream my entire life.

And I'm hearing from agents or for some teams or whoever saying, yeah, you can do this.

You're going to be a pick.

So you just go for it.

And he gave Arizona enough.

He gave them a really good year, gave them a final four.

So it's like he owed the Wildcats anything or University of Arizona anything.

But I didn't want him to slide to the second round and kind of like Henry Vassar, who I think was picked even later than Bradley, like late in the second round.

And it's like I saw that he could have made like five million at North Carolina this last season just for one more year.

And like it's like, does he have any regrets? I hope not for all these kids that make that jump, you know, because like that that would stink because it's not even just like I was like, oh, you could stay in college for another year.

It's like the money that would be there.

And that does delay your second contract by a year.

But that $5 million that Vasar could have made as a senior at North Carolina

would have been a nice start

to his professional career.

He still could have been a second round pick next year and maybe sneak into the first as well.

Could have slid into the starting four spot back at Arizona, Adam.

Right? There was an opening

there, too.

But, yeah, so that was my thing, just watching Coa slide.

Like, I was kind of hoping that Burries would slide to Golden State.

I think they had the next pick, so I thought he would have been great in Golden State.

But Milwaukee will have a lot of opportunity for him.

It's not like Milwaukee wasn't, you know.

NBA champion just a few years ago granted the reason they were an NBA champion a few years ago is now in Miami but you know it's not the worst organization you can be a part of they've shown an ability to put together a championship team and winning teams and I guess be part of a rebuild there whereas Koa goes to a team that made the playoffs last season but definitely still has its holes and he's someone who if he works on his game and I have no doubt he will has a chance to be a really good player and I know If you're an Arizona fan, and there's probably a lot of Arizona fans who are Suns fans, so they're definitely excited about this.

But if you're an Arizona fan, you're rooting for all these guys.

And you're rooting for Jaden Bradley, too, in Toronto.

And I don't know where Tobey's ended up, if he's picked up a contract anywhere, but you're going to root for all these Wildcats because they are Wildcats.

And the more Wildcats that are in the NBA, the better.

Amen to that.

So, Brett, let's take a break, and we come back.

We'll stick with the NBA draft theme, looking towards next year's draft with next year's Wildcats.

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We're back.

It's Wildcat Radio 2.0. We are glad to be joined by one of our favorite guests.

We've had one of our smartest guests and most insightful guests, Mike O. Mike's Synaptic 23.

He's the social media manager for The Draft Stack, does prospect scouting.

And Mike, first off, welcome back to Wildcat Radio 2.0.

Thanks for

Mike OGuest19:43

having me.

Of course.

Well, we really wanted to talk to you because we're recording this on Wednesday the 24th, and we know that there's been three Arizona Wildcats drafted.

Braden Burries went 10th, Coa Peet went 30th, and Jaden Bradley, I think, went 50th in the second round out of Toronto.

And none of that really surprised anyone.

Like, we knew especially, I mean, you're the one kind of informed about Braden Burries going into last season when he committed just how good he was going to be.

And correct.

Well done.

But we kind of knew last season that Braden Burries was a one-and-done, that Koa Peet was a one-and-done, and we knew Jaden Bradley and Adele Orso and Toby Iwaka weren't coming back, although I guess recent rule changes.

Maybe.

Who knows what could happen with some of those guys.

But I'm kind of thinking, like, now as we look at Arizona's next season team, where they don't have those players – They bring in a Caleb Holt.

They have a Cameron Holmes.

They have Ivan Karchenko, Mo Krivis, who Mo, I think, has to go after next season.

I think most people expect Ivan to be gone after his sophomore year.

Caleb Holt appears to be a one and done.

Cameron Holmes, maybe not.

I'm curious from like a draft angle, the 2026-2027 Arizona Wildcats, what are we looking at?

Mike OGuest20:53

Um, they have a couple of prospects.

Mike OGuest20:54

I think they have a couple of prospects on their team that, um, end up being, um, legitimate.

Mike OGuest20:59

Now, the 2027 class is still, um, obviously we're still, um, they just started, they started going into training or whatnot, I believe, either just this week or the next week, if I'm not mistaken.

Mike OGuest21:11

So, but I'm a lot more unsure about this class, if I'm being honest with you, going into this year.

Mike OGuest21:18

A lot of things have been shaken up.

Mike OGuest21:20

Obviously, you have Jaden Bradley, Braden, Koa, all of them just gone.

Mike OGuest21:25

So, and with this class, I'm a lot more unsure about their immediate fits on NBA teams.

Mike OGuest21:33

Caleb is the one surefire prospect I have.

Mike OGuest21:36

probably the most confident about.

Mike OGuest21:37

And I think even Arizona fans are probably the most confident about coming in and having an immediate impact.

Mike OGuest21:42

Caleb's one of my favorite prospects in this class.

Mike OGuest21:44

He's like a surefire top five prospect in this class.

Mike OGuest21:48

So I think what you see from him is what you get.

Mike OGuest21:51

might get some streaky nights here and there but i think caleb uh i think caleb is the one like one of the by far the most ready prospects going into this year i don't i don't really expect much so i don't i expect a lot from him coming into next season as opposed to some some of the other five-star prospects because i think that they're a little bit more raw offensively um And yeah, it's just going to be it's going to be a completely new Arizona team next year.

Mike OGuest22:20

You're probably not going to have the whole unbeaten regular season season all over again or almost unbeaten season.

Mike OGuest22:28

That's what I meant to say, just because it's going to be a lot more.

Mike OGuest22:33

The playing field is going to be a lot more leveled, if you know what I mean, coming into this next season.

Mike OGuest22:38

So, yeah, I'm excited, but I'm also kind of cautious as to how I'm going to be talking about Arizona this next season around, as opposed to last season.

Well, it's a funny thing because you talk about Caleb Holt, and I think...

Am I crazy that for being as highly rated a recruit as he is, I feel like Arizona fans and just national folks are kind of just sleeping on him a little bit.

I think he's going to be a beast.

He's got long arms.

I think I saw he's got a 6'11 wingspan for a combo guard.

From what I've seen, he looks like he's got pretty good high basketball IQ, freak athlete, seems like a good kid.

What do you think his game is going to compare to in terms of names we would know?

Mike OGuest23:28

Games I would compare Killable to...

Mike OGuest23:33

Caleb Holt is pretty interesting because now going into this year, unlike Braden, where I was so sure about who Braden played like this year, I haven't really pinpointed exactly who Caleb plays like, but almost any...

Mike OGuest23:47

Because if I say any other pacey guard that gets downhill and finishes at the rim well, and that's athletic, you couldn't compare that to a million other guys where I feel like Braden was a lot more...

Mike OGuest24:00

Brayden was really, he plays in a really specific way as to where it was a lot more easier for me to compare to someone.

Mike OGuest24:08

Now, my comparison might have ended up being a little bit off after one whole season.

Mike OGuest24:12

But, I mean, I feel like I was a little bit under money.

Mike OGuest24:17

But I feel like for Caleb, if you feel like he's being slept on, it's mostly because there's a lot of stigma going on around this 2027 class, mostly just because it's kind of seen as a little weaker than other classes, probably the weakest we've ever seen, probably in this decade.

Mike OGuest24:37

So even if you hear about someone like Caleb or even if it's someone like Jordan Smith or an Arkansas or... or one of the other prospects in the 2027 class, you're going to hear a lot of like, okay, he's good, but he's also just not like...

Mike OGuest24:55

He's always they'll say he's not Braden or he's not this.

Mike OGuest24:58

He's not that you're going to hear a lot of like negative.

Mike OGuest25:00

And that's one of the reasons why he's not being as hyped up as like Koa or Braden or really any other top five star prospects we've seen in previous classes.

Mike OGuest25:10

So if you ever hear or you don't hear much about Caleb going into this class, that's one of the main reasons why it's because there's a lot of stigma going into his draft.

But at the same time, Arizona's going to need him to come in and be like a top five pick type player next year, right? Because the whole, you know, Braden Burries and the collective of what Arizona had last year to fill in for the loss of Caleb Love, for example.

But you're losing Braden Burries, who is one of your top scorers.

You're losing Jaden Bradley.

You're losing Koa Peet from last year's team.

You're losing Tobias Walker.

You're losing Anthony Dillard.

So there's going to be shot attempts.

There's going to be points that are necessary.

There's a vacuum that needs to be filled in terms of offensively.

And it seems like Caleb Holt is as ready as anyone to fill that void.

And if he does, if he's averaging 18, 19 a game for Tommy Lloyd, 19, 5, and 3 or whatever it is, I don't know his entirety of his game, but he's supposed to be a pretty well-rounded guy, athletic, and an effort guy too.

If he has those kind of numbers, he probably is a top five pick next season, right? Especially because maybe it's been more of a down year for the freshman class.

Mike OGuest26:10

Yeah, like I said, the only issue I have with Caleb is maybe the inefficiencies that he can have every now and then.

Mike OGuest26:18

Obviously, I expect him to have the ball in his hands probably more than anyone else next season.

Mike OGuest26:23

So, I mean, I don't know what the shot selection is going to end up looking like at Arizona next season.

Mike OGuest26:28

I hope, but I just pray he's just not going to settle for tough jumpers because obviously that's going to end up probably taking his third shot because he could be averaging... 19 points per game but if he's only averaging like 42 percent from the field then people are going to start asking questions and whatnot like and like and although like given some people have to average 19 19 but they could be averaging 42 because sometimes they're just that much better than everybody else and if somebody has to take the shots

like someone has to make shots

Mike OGuest26:56

yeah well i i don't think i hope that's not the case for caleb next season but if it is like um it keeps he can score the ball but he's just a little inefficient doing it but also that could just be a lot of other like underlying causes to why because like i said if he's just that much better than everybody else then teams might be able to see it but also just some of you guys he just might be selling him right be taking a lot of bad shots like um a lot of mid-range a lot of i don't expect him to be taking too many written range shots out of them out of the like off the bat i think as time goes on he should be able to take more of those shots as he's Gets more within the flow of the offense and whatnot.

Mike OGuest27:33

But off the bat, no.

Mike OGuest27:35

I think he's, you're probably going to get more of a simple, I think you're going to get a lot more of a simple game from Caleb right off the bat, if I'm being honest with you.

Mike OGuest27:45

No. He'll probably have the ball in his hands.

Mike OGuest27:50

Or at least at the end of positions, he'll have the ball in his hands a lot.

Mike OGuest27:53

Because I don't know if he's going to be initiating.

Mike OGuest27:56

Yes, he's a combo guard, but he's more of a shooting guard.

Mike OGuest27:59

So I expect whoever is playing the one next season to have the ball in his hands when initiating the offense at first, rather than Caleb.

Mike OGuest28:06

I'm not saying Caleb can't initiate the offense, but I'm saying off the bat, probably not.

Well, that's one of the probably most likely guy that's going to be on the roster for Arizona starting at the one, but his other guy that kind of fits a combo guard spot is Derek Dixon, the transfer.

He was fairly well touted coming out of high school, and I don't think he necessarily underperformed at his prior stop.

but is he a guy that has NBA upside? Cause he's got pretty decent size, decent shooter, maybe doesn't have the raw upside, but is he like a potential NBA guy in your mind? If he shows, you know, that you can handle the ball as a point guard, but also be an effective shooter.

Yeah.

Mike OGuest28:52

See, the issue with Derek is when people go, I believe he was, what, 50th? He was a 50th prospect in his, like, ranked 50th in his class or somewhere around that? Around that, yeah.

Mike OGuest29:05

And he's a transfer out of UNC, correct?

Correct.

Mike OGuest29:08

Yeah, so one of the issues with...

Mike OGuest29:11

One of the issues with Derek is Derek was always going to be stuffed in a squad where he was...

Mike OGuest29:16

Because if you know UNC's roster last year, they just got a lot of international players.

Mike OGuest29:21

And he kind of got stuffed in a roster, and it just didn't really work out in his favor.

Mike OGuest29:26

And in this crazy NIL era, one year, about one year of that, and immediately they're transferring out.

Mike OGuest29:32

Um...

Mike OGuest29:33

it he's not on if i'm being honest he's not on my radar of that now that could easily change after a couple games but i didn't see enough from him because he obviously he didn't play as much as he didn't play as much as a lot of other younger guards or i just felt like whatever i saw of him wasn't much compared to a lot of other prospects i have in mind especially with all the returners because if you know of the 2026 draft, the 2026 draft was supposed to be, like, mind-blowing, like, first and second round, and then, like, 40% of the prospects pulled out and went back to college, so a lot of, so my head is, like, more centered around those guys, and some of the guys that got more minutes that are staying in college anyways, as opposed to Derek, where I feel like Derek more than likely has to make a name for himself at Arizona next season.

Mike OGuest30:26

So we'll see.

Mike OGuest30:28

That's what's

interesting about this team going into next season is because Mo Krivis is going to the NBA or he's going pro after next season.

I imagine Ivan Karchenkov, I don't know if he was on everybody's radar going into last season, but he probably hopped onto the radar during this season.

I imagine if he has a good year with the ball in his hands and shows some growth, he's off to the NBA next season as well.

When you look at this roster, I guess, after Caleb Holt, are there any surefire NBA prospects? I know Cameron Holmes is coming in, but I don't think he's expected to be a one-and-done guy.

He's more developmental.

And you mentioned Derek Dixon transfers in.

Maybe he has to show some more before he can be considered an NBA draft prospect.

But outside of Caleb Holt, who are the NBA prospects on this roster? And are they going to be NBA players or NBA draft picks in 2027?

Mike OGuest31:21

I want to give, I want to give an, I want to, so Krivis obviously is, Krivis is obviously the first one.

Mike OGuest31:29

I was surprised Krivis, I was surprised Krivis pulled out the draft, but a lot of the games, a lot of the games that, or a lot of the strategy that a lot of players play nowadays is you spend one year in college and with NIL, and I'm not sure what Arizona's NIL budget is.

Mike OGuest31:45

I'm not sure if you know.

Mike OGuest31:47

Um, they could be making millions and Krivis was probably like a late first round or early second round guy.

Mike OGuest31:53

Now he could enter the draft and he probably would have been a first rounder had he stayed in, I think in the draft, given he had a good enough combine and no issues there whatsoever.

Mike OGuest32:04

So Krivis is the first person, um, And then, obviously, like you said, Caleb Hall.

Mike OGuest32:13

Not saying Cameron Holmes isn't a prospect or a prospect off the bat.

Mike OGuest32:17

He might as well easily could be, but I probably am a lot less sure about him off the bat compared to a lot of other freshmen I think I've seen.

Mike OGuest32:28

Karchenkov is interesting.

Mike OGuest32:31

I would like to see the ball in his hands a little bit more going into next season, which I think he will.

Mike OGuest32:37

or it will be, especially with the absence of worse, not at Braden and co are not on the team.

Mike OGuest32:42

And I expect, I believe Ivan or I believe he's supposed to start next season.

Mike OGuest32:46

If I'm not, I'm not mistaken.

Mike OGuest32:48

So I think it could be a real, if it could be a really good season for him next year.

Mike OGuest32:53

And he, the flashes he showed last season were really, really impressive.

Mike OGuest32:57

Um, a spot he's spot on shooting touch uh mechanics um mechanics look um better i think as the season progressed and whatnot and he just became kind of more he became a lot more confident and also like he has good size about six foot seven 220 pounds so i mean yeah i have there's a couple other players on roster but no i think right now like the main three are like crevice holt and um Krivos Holt and Karchenkov.

Mike OGuest33:25

Like I said, Holt is kind of...

Mike OGuest33:29

Cameron Holmes is on that list, but I'm just a lot more unsure about him off the bat.

Mike OGuest33:34

And then you have, obviously, I don't know how to pronounce his name.

Mike OGuest33:38

That's

fair.

That's most of the roster for me now.

Yeah, I

Mike OGuest33:41

don't...

Mike OGuest33:42

But there's a player that just transferred.

Mike OGuest33:45

I think his first name is Sven.

Mike OGuest33:48

I believe he just transferred to Arizona, I believe.

Mike OGuest33:53

this last season.

Mike OGuest33:54

I

think he left.

I'm blanking on his last name, but I think you're right.

The kind of combo guard, Sven.

Mike OGuest34:04

Yeah.

Mike OGuest34:04

Did he transfer? Oh, no.

Mike OGuest34:05

He transferred out?

He transferred out, I believe.

Mike OGuest34:08

Okay.

Mike OGuest34:08

That's my biggest mistake.

Mike OGuest34:11

But mainly those three.

Mike OGuest34:13

I was thinking.

Mike OGuest34:14

I think I might

have.

They're the ones who are likely to hear their names called next summer.

And after that, if anyone else from this Arizona roster, upcoming Arizona roster, hears their name called, it's going to be a pleasant surprise is what it sounds like.

I was going to say, this time last year, though, I think we had you on, and I remember asking you about when Arizona was getting Ivan Karchenkov, and it was kind of like, oh, okay.

And I remember we had the conversation where I was like, I don't know, Mike, I'm watching this video.

This guy looks like he might be something of a dude.

And then he basically started all year.

What is Karchenkov's ceiling as an NBA draft pick level talent? Because I think he surprised everybody with how well-rounded he is.

He's got pretty darn good size.

I think he's sneaky athletic because you're not that good of a defender without having some level of athleticism.

And I think the...

To your point, I think he has good shot mechanics.

He was kind of inconsistent in his accuracy, but...

Is he, the comp that comes to mind for him, for me, like his best case scenario is like a Dan Marley type, like a big wing that can hit a three and play good defense and just kind of be all around.

Is that a reasonable comp for him, you think? Dan Marley? Mm-hmm.

Mike OGuest35:33

How long ago? I'm not trying to be like shady or anything.

Mike OGuest35:37

How long ago is the name Dan Marley?

You're talking to guys from Phoenix, man.

He was a legendary sunscreen.

40-year-olds from Phoenix,

yeah.

Geriatric millennials, you Gen Z or whatever you are, Mike.

You young.

Hey, Dan Marley was like a mid-first round pick, like late lottery pick.

Had a long NBA career.

No, but

Mike OGuest36:03

one year.

Mike OGuest36:05

In the 80s and 90s.

Mike OGuest36:06

80s and 90s.

Mike OGuest36:07

Yeah, that's what that was.

Dan Marley out

here catching strays from

Mike O. I need to come with comps that are slightly more recent.

Mike OGuest36:20

No offense to either one of you, but I've never...

Mike OGuest36:24

That's Dan Marley.

Mike OGuest36:25

Dan Marley the first.

Mike OGuest36:26

I'm not too familiar with Dan Marley.

Who on the roster compares best to George Mikan?

We've

all

been playing 82-0, right? You should see some of these guys now.

I mean, I

Mike OGuest36:40

guess, but...

World

of E-Free was awesome.

What about the first guy Dr. James Naismith handed a basketball to and nailed a hoop to the wall?

Mike OGuest36:52

There's only so many names you'll know, and Dan Marley might be one of those names where he might have been a dog in college, and obviously you probably see his name a couple times, but he might just have that faceless 2K generation where they don't even have a face of him or something like

that.

Central Michigan University's finest Dan Marley.

He

was booed on draft night.

Fun fact.

I think, Brett, what you're going for, besides just aging yourself very, very, very heavily, is trying to understand what type of players these Wildcats are expected to be at the next level.

Because You know, we see them in college.

It's kind of like trying to protect Coapete at the next level.

It's like, OK, he was a bully ball guy at Arizona.

Is that going to work in the NBA? No, he has to figure out his jumper, probably maybe get a bit better at ball handling so he can initiate some offense and hit a jumper, hit a three pointer.

Karchenko specifically, he seems like he could do everything because you mentioned he's got a good looking shot, can stretch out to three point.

He can handle the ball, though he had his issues sometimes being a little bit out of control last season, but hey, he was a freshman.

His defense, no one questions that, and he's got excellent size for the position.

So it's like if he, say if Ivan Karchenkov plays himself into being a first-round pick next season, which I imagine is the expectation, what does that look like for him as a player at Arizona?

Mike OGuest38:21

I think, like, are you more referring as to how, like, his impact, assuming he plays his way into a first-round prospect? Yeah, like, if he plays his

way into, let's say, the top 15, top 20 of the draft, what type of player is he, or where does he improve from what we saw last season? Because he was pretty good last season, but I don't think anyone was shocked that he decided to come back for another year.

So with another year, what does Ivan Karchenkov look like if he plays his way into being a top 15, top 20 pick?

Mike OGuest38:46

This is, I will say, a clear-cut 3 and D wing with great size.

Mike OGuest38:51

Like I said, 6'7", 320.

Mike OGuest38:52

That's a pretty good combination.

Mike OGuest38:55

That already sounds like an NBA wing.

Mike OGuest38:57

Now, he can playmake a little bit.

Mike OGuest38:58

I think he averages about, like, what, 2.3, 2.5 assists, somewhere around that range.

Mike OGuest39:03

for a game.

Mike OGuest39:04

So he does have some playmaking touch to him.

Mike OGuest39:07

That's all.

Mike OGuest39:08

It's more secondary playmaking than anything.

Mike OGuest39:11

I'm not saying he's initiating pick and rolls or whatever.

Mike OGuest39:16

I'm not saying he's doing all of that.

Mike OGuest39:17

But I'm saying more secondary playmaking.

Mike OGuest39:19

A little bit like if any of you are familiar with how uh conkineppo played at duke um like when he was at when how conkineppo played at duke it was more secondary playmate because he was not the main playmaker on the floor nor was he really the secondary playmaker on the floor it's just when he had to playmate he could and he could operate a little pick and roll he could um you know he could pass and type you know can get into tight spaces pass to the open man on the corner on the wing and whatnot like that that's more i think what you can get from ivan but like a clear three and d wing um you can handle can handle the ball good defensive versatility um you can switch onto if you can switch onto the four um if i'm not if you switch onto the four and post um yeah that's good great lateral quickness can navigate through screens during dribble handoffs like to quicker guards and whatnot.

Mike OGuest40:09

His defensive floor is kind of high, in my opinion, but he has a lot of, like, room to grow on that end.

Mike OGuest40:15

And like I said, the three-point shot, like, he shot a decent amount of threes, but obviously he didn't, like, it got, it looked good in some moments, and in some moments he just wasn't, you know, getting it together.

Mike OGuest40:26

But I think, I think as long as he relies on a lot of, like, catch and shoot, like the spot-up threes, and he's put in good positions to actually take those threes, then I think he should be fine.

Mike OGuest40:41

His efficiency definitely has to climb in order to raise the ceiling of Arizona's ceiling next season because I feel like if he reaches his potential next season and he just becomes a clear first-round pick and then he's shooting – he doesn't have to shoot 40% from three, just somewhere in that 35, like 37, this 35, 37 range.

Mike OGuest41:06

Cause if you're taking a good amount of threes, you gotta, you can't be knocking out just a little bit more than 30% of them.

Mike OGuest41:11

Cause obviously you're missing a lot of threes at that point.

Mike OGuest41:14

And those couple of threes could end up easily losing Arizona, a couple of tight games, which you probably can't afford to do next season.

Mike OGuest41:21

Cause like I said, the playing field is going to be a lot more level next season.

Mike OGuest41:25

So yeah.

Mike OGuest41:27

Yeah.

Mike OGuest41:27

I think, I think Ivan can reach that, but it's just a matter of...

Mike OGuest41:36

It's more of a matter of if and also how long, because I don't know if he's going to be hitting the ground running right off the bat.

Mike OGuest41:43

It might take him some time, but we'll see.

I think the secondary playmaker comparison to Khan Kanupal is an interesting one, but I need you to compare him to a late 80s, early 90s player so I can actually relate to that, Mike.

Yeah.

I just need to play more 82-0, man.

Mike OGuest42:06

I was born in 04, so...

Mike OGuest42:10

Alright, it's been fun

having Mike

on the show today.

I guess what's kind of funny, too, about this conversation, which is obviously off the rails now, but it's a different game.

Like what we need or what NBA teams want from players is different than it was in the 80s and even the 90s.

Right.

So like someone like Ivan Karchenkov, his skill set, like there's like Coa Pete 20 years ago, 30 years ago, is probably a lottery pick.

Just a big guy who can bang and do what he does.

But in today's NBA, the more skills you have.

So like if you're Ivan Konchaykov, you can play three and D.

You can handle the ball, be a secondary ball handler and whatever.

Your skill set grows.

Mo Krivas, who is going to be gone for next season.

But if he develops a consistent three-point shot, like a spot of three-point shot to go with his great post-defense, interior defense, rebounding, passing, and his touch around the hoop.

then all of a sudden that's so much more valuable in today's NBA.

So I wonder from what you've seen, from what Arizona's guys did last season and what you've seen under Tommy Lloyd, is what type of offense or system that Tommy's running, is that going to be the type that helps prepare guys to be better in today's NBA? You know, that's a lot.

It's one thing to get to the NBA.

It's another thing to be ready to play in the NBA.

And it's Braden Burry's because he played at Arizona or Tommy more ready to go from Milwaukee is co-op because he played under Tommy Moore, Jaden Bradley and so on and so forth.

Like from your perspective.

Mike OGuest43:35

I think it varies because my expectations, if I'm being honest with you, because my thoughts about Koa from the last time we were on to like right now are almost night and day, if I'm being completely honest with you.

Mike OGuest43:47

My expectations for – and I believe Jaden just got – I think Jaden also just got drafted literally today to the Cavaliers, if I'm not mistaken.

Mike OGuest43:57

I think it was

Toronto.

Mike OGuest43:59

Was it Toronto? Oh, no.

Mike OGuest44:00

Was it Toronto?

Okay.

Okay.

Mike OGuest44:03

which Toronto, sorry, Toronto clearly needed a guard and I was surprised they didn't get a guard already.

Mike OGuest44:08

That's a whole separate conversation.

Mike OGuest44:12

I think my expectations for...

Mike OGuest44:15

It just varies by players because sometimes they can play in the right system and they can play in the right team, but also when they get to the league, it just really depends on what team you fall into and the situation you fall in.

Mike OGuest44:28

Braden fell into an almost perfect situation because they traded Giannis and now Braden could end up maybe playing the one alongside Tarahiro and Milwaukee and all this, and they're like And so he's in a perfect situation.

Mike OGuest44:46

Jaden Bradley is probably in a situation where he's probably going to be in the G League for a little bit or in whatever Toronto's G League team is.

Mike OGuest44:54

But he could be going in and out of the G League because he could be having a great G League season and then maybe Toronto want to finally just sign him to a full-on contract and now he's a full part of the Raptors roster.

Mike OGuest45:05

Whereas with Koa, Koa's a project player, and Koa is probably, and I probably would have said this before, I was kind of surprised he didn't come back to college, just because he still lacks a jump shot, and that's pretty daunting, because...

Mike OGuest45:22

You there's so much competition in the league nowadays where if you lack a consistent jump shot and you're not like a crazy lockdown defender where you're consistently locking down the best player and whatnot.

Mike OGuest45:35

I don't know how long you would be on a roster for before getting cut.

Mike OGuest45:41

And I know that sounds extremely harsh.

Mike OGuest45:43

I'm like so surprised.

Mike OGuest45:44

Like, well, like what you were saying about people for like, how could you say that? Well, Given, like I said, there's going to be a lot of talent coming in from future drafts, from overseas and whatnot.

Mike OGuest45:56

So you don't really have...

Mike OGuest45:58

Franchises don't have, especially for late first round picks, they don't have a lot of time to be dwelling on someone who still lacks a consistent jump shot two, three years down the line.

Mike OGuest46:06

Unless, like I said, you're an Asara or a Man Thompson where you're just a crazy athlete and a crazy defender and you can slash and...

Mike OGuest46:14

You don't even need to be a good shooter, but you definitely be on the roster where obviously that's not really the case with Koa.

Mike OGuest46:20

And obviously those...

Mike OGuest46:21

I'm not sure if either one of you are familiar with what happened with Koa considering his drills.

Mike OGuest46:28

I don't like his agility, spot-up shooting drills and whatnot.

Mike OGuest46:32

And he finished like last or tied to last on some...

Mike OGuest46:35

Yeah, like...

Mike OGuest46:36

It was pretty daunting.

Mike OGuest46:38

And I think he tried to mend, he tried to make some changes to his jump shot, but it had like a hitch.

Mike OGuest46:44

Like he, he had like a hitch.

Mike OGuest46:47

It was something wrong with his jump shot where it was like he was a

lot wrong with it.

Mike OGuest46:53

So I was, it just really depends.

Mike OGuest46:55

It just really depends on.

Mike OGuest46:57

So it's not just about the team, like the players is like, I will say it's not even just about like the players fit on the, like on Tommy Lloyd's team.

Mike OGuest47:04

I also just say like, it's also sometimes just about like, if you're, if you end up being in the right situation and also if you have the right circle to put you in those right situations, because sometimes that circle could end up advising you to take some decisions that may not end up being the best for you.

Mike OGuest47:23

I'm not saying that's the case with him, but I'm also saying that I, Probably would have thought going back to school would have been a better choice, but... especially post-Combine because I think after Combine, he had the decision to come back to Arizona, if I'm not mistaken.

Mike OGuest47:38

But the reason why he didn't, I believe, is because when he committed for the draft, I think he decided to forego his college eligibility completely.

Mike OGuest47:48

So I'm not sure if he had the option to come back now, I think of it.

Mike OGuest47:51

But I think he went all into the draft, which probably wasn't the best decision.

Mike OGuest47:55

But that's a whole different conversation.

Well, you know, to kind of maybe wrap our conversation here, you know, I'm curious to hear your perspective, Mike, as somebody that studies everyone internationally, all the college programs.

Obviously, Adam and I are very skewed in our knowledge in an Arizona-centric manner.

you know, you talked about surrounding yourself with the right kind of circle and the people, the team that can help you make the right decisions.

And, you know, you can see what bad consultation can be bad coaching, et cetera.

You know, Tommy Lloyd's been at Arizona now for a number of years.

And, you know, I think we've moved past all of the Arizona fan panic of, can he recruit high school guys? Can he develop guys? Can he put guys in the league? I mean, they just got three guys drafted and Topia Walker is probably going to latch on at least on a, you know, some kind of G league contract.

What's your kind of perspective on Tommy Lloyd now, enough years into his tenure, coming off his first Final Four as both an identifier of and a developer of NBA talent?

Mike OGuest49:01

I think he's in a good spot because he took...

Mike OGuest49:04

I think he's in a good spot.

Mike OGuest49:06

Now, I know college fans can be very, very impatient in terms of what to expect.

Mike OGuest49:14

But honestly, the path that they ran into and the specific team that they ran into, matchup-wise, it was always going to be a dogfight or it was never going to be a walk in the park for Arizona.

Mike OGuest49:26

And I think Arizona fans know that.

Mike OGuest49:30

But I think he's a great identified talent.

Mike OGuest49:34

I think once he gets that first ring, eventually, because I think it'll come eventually, because the team I see consistently are getting five-star recruits, and they're looking in the right places overseas.

Mike OGuest49:46

And as long as the NIL era allows players coming in from overseas and whatnot, especially as classes fluctuate in terms of actual talent, either overseas or here domestically, I think Arizona will be in a good spot, especially now that...

Mike OGuest50:03

I mean, I won't say they're out of the way yet, just yet, but Dusty May leaving Michigan is a big, big plus because I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't because that would look like a potential... college dynasty or whatnot, and obviously Dusty leaving, which apparently was because of, like, NIL concerns and whatnot, because he's apparently frustrated with the transfer portal.

Mike OGuest50:25

I would say high school recruits is important, but in order for Dusty to really, like, make the most of, like, the current college basketball era, he will have to utilize the transfer portal as much as possible.

Mike OGuest50:37

I'd even argue that's what they're doing.

Mike OGuest50:38

They're even slightly more focused on the transfer portal now, especially because...

Mike OGuest50:44

Once the season ends, then there are millions...

Mike OGuest50:48

It's not actually millions, but lots of players enter the transfer portal.

Mike OGuest50:52

They're looking at...

Mike OGuest50:53

Maybe in Arizona, I might be looking at the high-level D2 guys that are way too good for D2 and whatnot that would end up being steals in terms of signing and whatnot.

Mike OGuest51:03

I think colleges have shifted their focus a little bit.

Mike OGuest51:08

I'm not saying they don't focus on high school anymore, but unless they're jumping out the gym...

Mike OGuest51:13

Sometimes they're unless they're jumping out the gym or they're just clear surefire prospects or they're not there locally.

Mike OGuest51:18

I feel like sometimes they may take their eyes and they focus more on the players that can help them win now as opposed to players that can help them win in the future.

Mike OGuest51:26

Unless like because you got to think about it because Braden and Koa were both five stars.

Mike OGuest51:31

So those weren't like.

Mike OGuest51:32

Oh, well, if or what, no, those are, like, players, like, you knew what you were going to get from them.

Mike OGuest51:36

Yeah,

it was exactly unearthing hidden talents there and hidden gems.

Yeah, no

Mike OGuest51:39

hidden talents there.

Mike OGuest51:40

Like, Brayden literally came off a state championship.

Mike OGuest51:43

So... you knew what you were getting from there.

Mike OGuest51:48

And Koa's been hyped up for years and whatnot.

Mike OGuest51:50

So I'm saying it really, I would say it really just depends.

Mike OGuest51:55

But I think they, as long as they keep that mix of getting players from the portal and also, you know, getting, you know, at least one or two of those surefire talents or five-star or high four-star talents, I think they'll be fine in the long run.

Mike OGuest52:11

Now, I can't tell you what year I'm expecting a championship because obviously I was kind of expecting one last season.

Mike OGuest52:17

What a

bit nice.

Mike OGuest52:20

Yeah.

Mike OGuest52:22

But, no, it really, I would say, no, he's on the right path.

Mike OGuest52:28

So anyone getting frustrated, get it.

Mike OGuest52:30

But give him time.

Mike OGuest52:31

He's made the Final Four.

Mike OGuest52:33

It was a great run.

Mike OGuest52:34

Tough Michigan team.

Mike OGuest52:35

They lost.

Mike OGuest52:35

But you come back, you retool, you try one more time and get them going.

Mike OGuest52:39

It's one year at a time.

That's how it goes.

And the NBA draft happens one year at a time.

We'll see which Arizona Wildcats hear their names called by Adam Silver.

I assume he'll still be the commissioner next season.

So we'll see who has their name called.

But we know there's going to be Wildcats.

It seems like it's going to be a yearly thing now where Arizona Wildcats are being picked in the first round and the second round.

And if you're doing that, you probably have a pretty good team.

Mike O at Mike underscore Synaptic 23 on the Twitter machine, the draft stack.

Always love talking with you.

Always love getting your expertise.

And we look forward to talking with you again down the road.

Mike OGuest53:10

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you both again soon.

Mike OGuest53:12

Thank you.

All right, that's Mike Owen.

When we come back, our final news and notes from the weekend, Arizona Athletics.

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We're back, Wildcat Radio 2.0. Love talking with Mike there.

His insight, because we look at things from how can they help Arizona, and his expertise is how these guys look for the NBA and the NBA draft.

And I think what he said probably doesn't come as a surprise to most, that Caleb Holt is the surefire one and done.

And then after that, Mo is an NBA prospect.

Yvonne is an NBA prospect.

But that's about as far as we can go right now, we can say, before next season happens.

Yeah, I'm going to stand by my take that I think Caleb Holt might be better than we're...

It's weird because he's the highest rated on 247 Sports recruit of all time for Arizona, which is why I'm kind of like, guys, what are we missing? And I think he falls into the...

Kind of what I think is a truism where guys that are kind of good at a lot of things are undervalued and guys that are really good at one thing are overvalued, right? You know, the guy that can shoot 50% from three but can't do anything else, the casual thinks he's super valuable, but the hoopers know.

I think Caleb Holt might fall into that a little bit, kind of some of these other guys like, uh, uh, Derek Dixon.

Um, but it's going to be, it's going to be a different roster next year.

It doesn't mean it's going to be, uh, it's probably a step back, but I still think it's, but it's, but I, I, you know, I don't know, man, I think back to Derek Dixon and, uh, Mandaquit, uh, that might be kind of similar to when, uh, Remember when Arizona fans were freaking out over losing Ryan Nembhard when we were on this pod? And I was like, I don't know, man.

Jaden Bradley might be the better overall fit.

But that team had

Boswell coming back, and we had seen him the year before, and then Bradley had experience.

I think the only reason why we don't need to go too deep into this now because we've got plenty of time to talk men's hoops going into next season.

But what made me more confident in last year's team was the fact that they had a senior, Jaden Bradley, at point guard.

And we had seen him as a junior.

He was very good the year before for Arizona.

So where there were certain unknowns, or we didn't know what Braden Burries would be if he could replace Caleb Love.

We didn't know what Koa Pete would be, but we felt pretty good about his chance of being good.

We didn't know Moe Krivis, what he could be, because we hadn't seen him healthy as the starter.

Yeah, but we had seen Tomei Iwako.