Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Tobe Awaka (30) shoots the ball over Akron Zips forward James Okonkwo (32) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Arizona's Tobe Awaka Adding Another Element to His Game

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Troy Hutchison | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Last season, Arizona men’s basketball ended the year in the Sweet Sixteen falling to 100-93 to No. 1 seed Duke despite an amazing 35-point performance by guard Caleb Love. It marked the third time head coach Tommy Lloyd has seen his team’s season fall in the Sweet Sixteen in his fourth season as the head coach.

Now, after an offseason seeing forward Carter Bryant going to the NBA and key players like KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar leave after entering the transfer portal, the Wildcats still have a loaded roster as they welcome back four key players from last season and the nation’s No. 1 overall recruiting class.

The recruiting class features three 5-star recruits in Koa Peat, Brayden Burries and Dwayne Aristode along with four other prospects making it a class size of seven players.

As we get closer to the upcoming season, Arizona has had player press conferences to give updates on what they’ve done during the offseason in preparation for the 2025-26 season.

Recently, big men Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka spoke to the media about what they’ve been doing this off season.

During that press conference, Awaka said that he had been working on his 3-point shot and wanted to add that to his game.

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Now, the immediate reach would be one of enthusiasm with a player as physical as Awaka being able to extend his game to the 3-point line to open things up.

However, I don’t think it is something that you will see a ton of this upcoming season and moving Awaka out of the paint wouldn’t be the best thing for Arizona.

The Big 12 is a physical gauntlet of a conference that features some of the toughest teams in the country. Last season, Arizona was able to hang with the top of the conference establishing itself as a physical team.

A massive part of the Wildcats becoming that tough and physical team was the way Awaka established himself in the paint and on the boards. His toughness set the tone in games and throughout the season.

In terms of playing at the next level, developing a 3-point shot would help his odds of making a roster. But, you can’t replace the toughness in the low-post this upcoming season.

It's a shot that might help the offense at times throughout the year but the strength of Awaka’s game is in the low-post setting the tone on both sides of the court. It isn’t a shot that you want to see him taking multiple times a game.

The 3-point shot for Awaka should be a limited skillset and not something that changes his game.

This article first appeared on Arizona Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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