Dusty May Praises Arizona’s Elite Freshmen Trio
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The Arizona Wildcats have earned a reputation as a team that thrives off its standout rookies, and their Final Four opponent is taking notice.
The freshmen trio of Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Ivan Kharchenkov have been some of Arizona’s most impactful players this season. Burries has been the team’s leading scorer, while Peat and Kharchenkov have been extremely valuable members of the supporting cast.
Arizona’s Resume
That trio of rookies has helped push Arizona to one of the best seasons in program history. The team started 23-0, and is currently 36-2 as they head into their first Final Four since 2001. Veterans such as Jaden Bradley and Tobe Awaka have been impactful as well, but it’s been the freshmen who have taken up most of the attention.
Each of the Wildcats’ rookies has extensive experience playing high-level basketball. Kharchenkov spent several seasons in the EuroLeague from the age of 12, joining Bayern Munich's senior team at 16. He has taken part in Team Germany FIBA runs at the U18 level, helping Germany win gold in 2024.
Additionally, Burries and Peat have also played for Team USA at the U18 level. Their experiences are likely what largely shape their veteran play styles despite their age, which has helped them achieve plenty of success this season as they head into the Final Four.
Arizona’s opponent in the Final Four — the Michigan Wolverines — also knows how good Arizona’s rookies are. Ahead of the matchup, Michigan head coach Dusty May was asked about matching up with the standout freshmen of the Wildcats, and he cited their past experiences as a key factor as to why they have performed so well.
May’s Thoughts
- “Well, first of all, if you played in the Euro League, you are not a freshman, so let's knock Kharchenkov off of that list,” May said. “When we were at Florida, we used to talk about how there are certain prerequisites to be able to play as a freshman at the Power Five level."
- "And, one of those few prerequisites was playing USA basketball because of the amount of intensity that it takes to compete during the trials, during the practices, and also the games. And then also the sacrifice that it takes because you're playing with 11 of the best players in our country, and you have to sacrifice so much just to play. So you know what it means to play team ball and put something above yourself.”
- “When you look at Burries and Koa Peat — I think both of those guys have multi-year national team experience with Team USA,” he added. “I think that experience allows those guys to be much more advanced than the typical high school player. Some guys are older, some guys are younger, but those guys, I guess DNA factors into it. Those guys don't look like freshmen.”
The Wildcats and their star freshmen will look to prove May’s comments correct as they will try to knock off their fellow 1-seed in one of the biggest matchups of the entire college basketball season on Saturday.
Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.