Tommy Lloyd sees 'world of potential' in Arizona freshman Maksim Brnovic

The biggest question surrounding Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats heading into the 2026-27 season is at power forward.

While RJ Godfrey battles in court for another year of eligibility, Arizona is preparing for the year without the Clemson transfer - and it leaves a big hole in the frontcourt.

One of the top contenders to fill that hole, Montenegrin big man Maksim Brnovic, helped his cause on Friday with a very strong performance in Arizona's 82-67 win over San Diego State.

The 6'10 forward dropped 10 points on 4-6 shooting, including 2-3 from deep, along with four rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes of action. His sequence midway through the first half - where he hit a three, got a steal on the other end, and threw down a crowd-pleasing dunk in transition - was one of the biggest highlights of the game, a game where he was the lone Wildcat to shoot 50+% from the field.

Future is bright for Brnovic

Coach Lloyd loved what he saw from the teenager on Friday night, and believes the future is very bright for Brnovic.

"He's got a world of potential," Lloyd said after the game. "It'll be interesting to see how long it kinda takes him to get closer to his ceiling. It could take him a while, but he's showing that he's not scared out there, and he was able to make some critical plays in the game."

The 6'10 Brnovic joined Arizona in early June from Zalgiris, shortly after Koa Peat kept his name in the NBA draft - but well before Godfrey was in the picture. At the time he was considered a potential starting option next to Krivas - and that could still be the direction they go if Godfrey remains ineligible.

But Arizona could also go with a two-PG lineup of Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit - who each had 12 points on Friday - or freshman wing Cameron Holmes. Either option would push Ivan Kharchenkov from the three to the four.

While Kharchenkov is more than capable at PF, Arizona's best lineup is with him at small forward - especially if Brnovic is spacing the floor and opening up driving lanes and room for Mo Krivas to operate.

Lloyd believes the added reps are really helping Brnovic prepare for his first collegiate season, which gets underway Nov. 2 against UCLA.

"I'm really excited about the progress he's making and all the reps he's getting," Lloyd continued. "And I think we're really gonna be able to hone in on some growth areas in the coming weeks."

Arizona's final exhibition game is set for Friday, Oct. 23 against Eastern Washington. Tip is 7:00 PM MST and the game will be on ESPN+.

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