Arizona makes late push to the top of 2025 recruiting rankings with another 5-star commit

After three straight years missing the NCAA Tournament at the end of Sean Miller’s tenure, Tommy Lloyd has Arizona back as a yearly contender in college basketball. However, the Mark Few disciple and first-time head coach has yet to lead the Wildcats past the Sweet 16 across his first four seasons in Tucson. 

So far, Lloyd’s tenure has been defined by veteran-laden rosters and impactful transfers, but in 2025, he’s decided to go all-in on high school recruiting to get over the hump and compete for a national championship. However, that wasn’t how the recruiting cycle started. 

Tommy Lloyd lands commitment from 5-star guard Brayden Burries

For much of the 2025 recruiting cycle, three-star Bryce James, who is notably the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, was headlining the Wildcats’ high school haul. Then, in March, Lloyd beat out Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley for Arizona native and five-star forward Koa Peat. Peat is the No. 8 ranked player in the 2025 class according to 247Sports and the highest-ranked recruit of the Lloyd era in Tucson. 

The Peat commitment, along with James and four-star Dwayne Aristode, launched Arizona near the top of the recruiting rankings, but now with Burries in the fold, a head coach who has yet to produce a top-20 recruiting class currently sits at No. 4 behind Duke, Houston, and UConn, and one spot ahead of John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks. 

There is still an opportunity for movement with the No. 4 player in the class Nate Ament remaining uncommitted, but Lloyd’s high school recruiting efforts clearly signal a philosophical shift. Experience pays in the transfer portal era and on Monday night when Florida beat Houston for a National Championship, not a single freshman or former five-star played in the game, but high school talent could be Lloyd’s best chance to attract game-changing players, especially in a loaded 2025 class. 

As a 6-foot-4 200-pound shooting guard, Burries will bring three-level scoring and could replace Caleb Love, who expended his final year of eligibility in 2024-25. Old for his class, Burries will turn 20 years old in September, so he should be ready to make an impact in Year 1 for the Wildcats. Lloyd has yet to land a player out of the transfer portal, so both Burries and Peat will need to.