Arizona Guard Anthony Dell'Orso Details His Offseason

Since taking over Arizona, head coach Tommy Lloyd has been one of the most successful up-and-coming coaches in college basketball going 112-33 over the course of the last four seasons making the NCAA Tournament each season and leading the program to three Sweet Sixteen appearances.

This past season, Lloyd and his program entered a new era of Arizona basketball with the Wildcats leaving the Pac-12 and joining the Big 12 Conference. In UA’s first season in a new conference, the team went 24-13 while finishing third in the conference standings.

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd works the sideline against the Oregon Ducks in the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

In the Big 12 Tournament, the Wildcats made it to the conference title game and fell 72-64 to Houston, which would go on to play for the National Title.

Following the end to the season, Arizona lost star guard Caleb Love to graduation and forward Carter Bryant to the NBA Draft where he went No. 14 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.

Plus, Arizona saw two key players in KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar leave the program and transfer to Power 4 programs.

Despite that, Arizona will be fully loaded again with four key returners in Jaden Badley, Tobe Awaka, Anthony Dell’Orso and Motiejus Krivas. Plus, Lloyd and his staff signed the No. 2 recruiting class according to 24/7 Sports.

We are inching closer to the start of the college basketball season with Arizona tipping off its schedule against defending national champions the Florida Gators in Las Vegas 43 days from now.

As we are getting closer to the opening tip, Arizona held a media event with players available to the local media to talk about what they’ve been doing during the offseason and about the upcoming 2025-26 season.

One of the players Arizona Wildcats On SI talked to was returning guard Dell’Orso, who will be entering his second year with the program. There were five takeaways that stood out from his interview.

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Five Takeaways

Q: Was there any thoughts about testing the NBA Draft waters during the offseason?

Dell’Orso: “No, for me, it was really all about coming back. I had a good year here. I didn’t have any desire to leave. I had plenty of things I wanted to work on, things that I was dedicated and straight away went down to the coach's office and told him straight up that this is what I want. I want to come back.”

Q: How much weight have you added this offseason?

Dell’Orso: “So far, 25 pounds. Coach (Chris) Rounds and I have been super dialed into that. From the minute we lost to Duke. We lost on a Thursday night and Monday morning I started. We really didn’t take any time because in my situation we really don’t have time to play with. So, let’s just get started.”

Q: What has stood out about this freshmen class to you?

Dell’Orso: “Yea, they are adapting quickly. They’re learning quickly, which is a great sign. I mean, it just shows their willingness of character and how much they’re willing to be taught.”

Mar 23, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) reacts after a play against the Oregon Ducks in the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Q: How do you keep the aggressive mindset throughout the course of the season?

Dell’Orso: “I think that experience from last year has helped. I mean, obviously some guys have left and some guys have graduated and that kind of opens up doors for me with big guys like Caleb and Trey and those guys that had a big role and now they’ve stepped out and now the door’s kind of open.”

Q: Are you going to need a lot from some of these freshmen?

Dell’Orso: “Yeah, it’s going to take everyone. I mean, you saw last year. The Big 12 is no joke, it's every night, it’s a big game and it’s a big opponent. And no team has just one player, or two players. It’s four, five and six players. The depth goes into the bench. Everyone really has to be locked in.”

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