Arizona Freshman Learning On The Fly As Starter

Koa Peat is the star, guiding the Arizona offense with 15.5 points, six rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He can dominate down low and make plays at the rim on the defensive end.

Brayden Burries has struggled thus far, but shown flashes of the scoring chops that made him an elite recruit for Lloyd to land. Against Denver, Burries dropped a career-high 20 points and knocked down three triples.

Off the bench, Dwayne Aristode has provided valuable minutes, using his length to his advantage on defense and, similar to Burries, flashing some promising shooting form and ability. He drilled four 3-pointers against Denver and six more against Northern Arizona a couple of weeks ago.

The third freshman in the starting lineup isn't as highly regarded as Peat or Burries, but maybe he should be.

Ivan Kharchenkov

Ivan Kharchenkov has been an excellent piece to the puzzle so far for Arizona. Through six games, he is averaging 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, two assists and 1.5 steals per game. While he isn't lighting the world on fire offensively, he is a steady force and a strong defender.

Against Denver, Kharchenkov scored a career-high 20 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Bayern Munich alum shot 9-of-12 from the field and dropped a pair of 3-pointers.

Kharchenkov made a point of being aggressive toward the rim as the Wildcats built an early lead and pulled away. Most of his highlights this season have been from range or picking pockets on the perimeter, but the 6-foot-7, 220-pound freshman showed his physicality against Denver.

“I knew I could drive," Kharchenkov said after the game. "I just had to get the speed down, what speed and what rhythm, and when exactly I could drive and make a play. I think I figured it out a little bit. I’m going to keep working on it.”

Kharchenkov starred on a night where the Arizona freshmen combined for 72 points. Lloyd spent a lot of time securing this class after the mass departures from last season, and so far, his work is paying off.

“I think our freshmen are really mature," Lloyd said. "I think our freshmen, they’ve been highly sought out, sought after, highly ranked prospects probably for a long time since they played basketball ... The veterans have all been there. They know the most important thing is performance; performance of the process, not a ranking.”

Lloyd has seen the freshman trying to settle into the fast-paced college game. While Kharchenkov hasn't been perfect, he isn't a negative piece, and he allows the rest of the floor to operate with him, not trying to force the action.

“He’s a really good all-around player," Lloyd said of Kharchenkov. "I love his physicality. I think there’s some real potential for playmaking with him and being able to play through him a little bit certain scenarios. I like that he’s kind of figuring it out on his own. The shooting is going to come.

"I think that’s an important growth piece for us over the course of this season, is his kind of settling in on what are the right shots for him, and when is the right time. Kind of settle in it, because he can do so many other things, we don’t want to just get hung up on one thing.”

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