Arizona MBB Swings And Misses on Major Recruit

Arizona is a brand that has global reach on the recruiting trail but has missed on a major target.

Arizona Target Junior County playing hoops | Junior County's Instagram

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.

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.

Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

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.

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

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.

Now, Arizona is locking in on the recruiting trail again and working to put together another high-level class for the 2026 recruiting cycle.

UConn commit Junior County on his visit back east | Junior County's Instagram

Lloyd and his staff have offered Junior County, who is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound shooting guard that is rated as a four-star prospect according to the 24/7 Sports composite ratings and is out of Mount Pleasant, Utah, where he plays for Wasatch Academy.

Back in September, Arizona hosted County on a visit to Tucson, which was the weekend of the Wildcats’ football team taking on X.

• “County is strong and physical with long arms and loads of winning intangibles. While he’s a versatile scoring threat and capable of creating his own shot from all three levels, he understands how to play within the flow, move the ball, and keep the dominos falling when the opposing defense is scrambling (3.4 assists with 2.1 turnovers), said 24/7 Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein.

• “That requires both unselfishness and a high basketball IQ. Similarly, he throws ahead in transition, makes quick/simple reads with the ball, cuts well, and just knows how to play in offensive structure.”

Although Arizona was in the heart of the recruiting battle for County, things changed quickly after he took a visit to UConn this week.

Following the visit, the County committed to the Huskies after receiving offers from Arizona, Purdue, Indiana, and Maryland, among others.

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