Lloyd Comments on Jaden Bradley’s Growth Over Time With Wildcats

Now in his third season with the program, Jaden Bradley has become the ultimate leader for the Arizona Wildcats.

After spending his freshman season with Alabama, Bradley transferred to Arizona before the 2023-24 season. After taking on a reserve role that season, Bradley became the team’s starter the following year, averaging 12.1 points and 3.7 assists per game in 2024-25.

Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) attempts a three-point basket over Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) and guard Emanuel Sharp (21) during the first half during the men's Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

This season, he’s taken it a step further, averaging 13.3 points and 4.5 assists per game for the Wildcats this season, while winning Big 12 Player of the Year after leading the Wildcats to a 29-2 record during the regular season. Arizona was ranked inside the top 5 in the AP Poll for most of the season, and spent nine straight weeks at No. 1 after a blazing 23-0 start.

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) brings the ball up court during the first half against the UCF Knights at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Bradley has also had a knack for hitting timely shots in close games this season, which was on display in the Big 12 Tournament as well. In the semifinals against Iowa State, Bradley drilled the game-winning jumper as time expired to give the Wildcats an 82-80 victory over the Cyclones to advance to the finals, where they’d knock off Houston 79-74 to claim the Big 12 Championship.

After the win, head coach Tommy Lloyd praised Bradley for the growth he’s shown over the course of his career with the program.

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd watches game play during the second half against the UCF Knights at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Lloyd’s Thoughts

“JB gets a ton of credit,” Lloyd said. “JB is a guy who’s always been on the scene. He was a state champion in North Carolina, he goes to a prep school at IMG. He’s been a McDonald’s All-American, he’s been around the block."

"No one knows how these careers are going to go. He goes to Alabama, he has kind of an up and down freshman year, but he decided it wasn’t for him, and we were lucky to get him. He came to us, and we were trying to figure out what we were still doing and building our program.”

Mar 2, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) smiles after they defeat the Iowa State Cyclones at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Bradley Stayed the Course

"For a guy like him, when maybe things don’t happen as fast as you want, to be steadfast and continue to work and get better, it says a lot about their character, and this guy’s going to play basketball for a lot of years to come, and he’s going to have a great career.”

Now heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are one of the four 1 seeds in the tournament. With the success story of Bradley leading the way, the Wildcats have a real chance to earn their second national championship in program history.