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Jan 31, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Wildcats Officially Decide to Sideline High-Profile Freshman

Originally posted on Arizona Wildcats on SI
By Travis Tyler | Last updated Feb 4, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The No. 1-ranked Ariozna Wildcats have plenty of talent across their roster, and often times, that means others won;t play as big off a role as the season progresses.

The Wildcats' rotation has been pretty much settled, with just nine games remaining in the regular season and eight players playing at least 15 minutes per night through 22 games. That doesn't leave much time for the rest of the roster to contribute, including one big-name freshman, who has decided to redshirt.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Bryce James Redshirts

That freshman is Bryce James, the younger son of NBA superstar and future Hall-of-Famer Lebron James and brother of former USC forward Bronny James. Bryce had not appeared in any games this season, and head coach Tommy Lloyd officially announced his redshirt while speaking with reporter Chancellor Johnson on Tuesday.

"Bryce has made huge progress," Lloyd said. "He's been with us through the summer and now. The redshirting decision was just a long play to give Bryce the most options in his career as his career unfolds."

Bryce James Update :

It’s a redshirt year for LeBron James’ youngest son and Tommy Lloyd can already see the growth:

“Bryce has made huge progress. I have a real strong believe that Bryce will be a contributor at Arizona in the near future.” pic.twitter.com/l5iVbU8Ivl
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) February 3, 2026

Bryce James As a Recruit

Bryce James is one of seven freshmen on the Arizona team and a member of the No. 2-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the nation. He was a consensus three-star and top-300 recruit as a shooting guard and small forward from Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, the same school as his older brother.

James committed to the Wildcats over Ohio State and Duquesne last January and officially signed in mid-April.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Bryce James' Development

Arizona has gotten plenty of contributions from that freshman class this season, with Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Dwayne Aristode all carving out regular roles in the playing rotation. Sidi Gueye has also appeared in 15 games in a limtited capacity.

James is one of three others who have not played this season, but it sounds like Lloyd is pleased with the progress he's made as a freshman, particulalry as one of the younger members of the freshman class., and they have a clear goal for where they want to see him improve.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"I have a really strong belief that Bryce is going to be a contributor at Arizona in the near future," Lloyd added. "He's really showing a lot of progress -- not only learning our system but just physically maturing. ... Part of the thinking was let's slow it down and let Bryce's physcial development catch up with his peers, and it really has."

The pressure for Bryce James to perform is inevitable given his family background, but at Arizona he hasn't had to be the superstar. and now the Wildcats are making a smart decision that could pay off in the long run.

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