SAN DIEGO — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd called one of his prized freshmen into his office. The five-star recruit was not in trouble for disciplinary reasons. He simply was not playing up to expectations.
Brayden Burries, the No. 11 high school prospect in the 2025 class, had scored just 39 points over the first five games of the season (7.8 points per game), while shooting 14 of 42 (33.3%) from the field.
It was this early-season meeting with Lloyd that Burries credited as a turning point in his first collegiate season. A campaign that later became one of the greatest by a first-year player in Arizona history — his 560 points scored are the fifth-most by an Arizona freshman.
“Coach had a meeting with me and then I feel like once I got to like (the) Auburn (and) Alabama game I just kinda took off from there,” Burries told Arizona Sports.
Arizona leading scorer Brayden Burries revealed when things started to click for him on the court after his freshman struggles. pic.twitter.com/fA7zxxK4Zi
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 19, 2026
“What was said? Just freshman struggles. It happens. You’ll get through it. Just continue to work hard,” Burries said of what Lloyd told him during the meeting. “And then that’s what happened.”
The Auburn game saw Burries score 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting (63.6%) in a 29-point Arizona thrashing of the No. 20 Tigers, while the Alabama contest featured Burries dropping a then-season-high 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting (57.9%) in a 21-point Arizona blowout win in Birmingham over the No. 12 team in the nation.
“I just told Brayden, if I would have been predicting the future, in September, how the season would go, I would have thought it would have played out just like it did. I thought it was going to take him a little time,” Lloyd said.
“I felt like he needed to get a few games under his belt. We knew how good he was and how talented he was, because we’re in the gym with him every day. But I thought he was going to need some game experiences, and he was going to need to learn from them.”
Following the victories over the Alabama-based schools, it was after a win over Abilene Christian that Burries said he was starting to get more comfortable. It was his fifth game in a row that he scored at least 15 points.
He also finally found his shot. In that five-game span, he shot 38 of 62 (61.3%) from the field.
“Just learning after the vets like (Jaden Bradley) and (Anthony Dell’Orso) and them,” Burries said following the Abilene Christian game. “And coach just believing in me. My teammates believe in me, so I feel like it’s just confidence, honestly, I’m starting to get it.”
Bradley reflected on Burries’ difficult stretch and said the freshman “just had to find his flow.”
“Brayden, he’s been great for us,” Bradley said. “Earlier in the year, he had a little rough start. And we played some great teams.
“He’s been great for us scoring, on the defensive end. And we knew he was going to be that. It just took him a little time to show the world. And excited for him to continue this in March.”
After his struggles during the opening five games to begin the season, Burries scored 143 points over the next eight games (17.9 points per game) to help the Wildcats finish non-conference play undefeated (13-0) in what eventually became the best start in school history (23-0).
Burries later led the No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats in scoring (16 points per game) and earned Honorable Mention All-American accolades from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the Associated Press.
“I evolved great, honestly,” Burries said. “I met new people. Made new friends. People I can call my brothers for the rest of my life. As a person, you can always grow. You can never know it all. Just being around these guys I learned a lot.”
The Wildcats were stationed in San Diego for their first two NCAA Tournament games, about 100 miles away from where Burries grew up in San Bernardino.
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Prior to Friday’s game, Burries said he did not know how many friends and family would show up but said “hopefully a lot.”
“Just being happy,” Burries said about the emotions that come with playing his first NCAA Tournament games not far from where he grew up. “Just being able to be back home, but you know it’s a business trip. Trying to handle business. Trying to win.”
In Friday’s 34-point beatdown of LIU, Burries led the way with 18 points and made four of his five 3s, later saying he was “pretty sure” playing in front of his family made a difference.
“I just saw my dad, my mom was here, my sisters were here, so that was the main thing,” Burries said. “It was great, especially being back in Cali. I haven’t been back in a minute, so just being back here. The weather’s great. I got to see my people, so it’s great.”
Arizona’s other five-star freshman, Koa Peat, who committed to Arizona two weeks before Burries, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds alongside Burries in Friday’s win.
Peat praised Burries’ work ethic and reflected on his evolution over the course of their freshman year together.
“(He’s) just getting better each and every day,” Peat told Arizona Sports. “He’s always in the gym and as a person, just continuing to be a great guy like he is, just a great player and an even better person off the court.”
Burries is a projected top-10 pick in this year’s NBA draft, but Lloyd is not worried about his freshmen staying beyond this season. The coach is instead focused on bringing Arizona to its first Final Four since 2001 and its first national championship since 1997.
“That stuff all plays out here,” Lloyd said when asked if he expects most of his freshmen to stay beyond this season. “We’ve made a commitment to each other. I’m not just saying this to gloss over any questions, but just to stay in the moment. And we’re going to enjoy this experience and stay fully focused on this moment.
“And all that stuff is going to take place after the season. There’s no reason for us to get emotionally caught up in it now.”
Whether or not Burries declares for the draft or continues on at Arizona, he said he has enjoyed learning under Lloyd and called him a great coach.
“He really cares for his players, and he holds you accountable,” Burries said. “So I appreciate that.”
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