INDIANAPOLIS — When Tommy Lloyd first laid his eyes on Tobe Awaka, he knew he had seen something different.
An unheralded 18-year-old at Tennessee, Awaka went toe-to-toe with Arizona’s frontcourt just nine games into his college career.
He left a lasting impression.
“I never had heard of him,” Lloyd said of playing against Awaka in 2022. “Here’s this guy, maybe a little bit undersized, he’s playing with guys like Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis, and Tennessee had a bunch of big guys, that Serbian guy that was in wrestling matches all the time.
“I just remember there was kind of a loose ball rebound situation, and like two of our big guys went for it and two of Tennessee’s big guys went for it. Everyone fell to the floor and there’s Tobe standing with the ball. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, who’s that guy?'”
Awaka played sparingly as a freshman but maximized his minutes, particularly on the glass. He averaged 1.83 offensive rebounds per game in conference play despite ranking 10th on the team in minutes played (10.3 per game).
Lloyd got another look at the big man originally from Hyde Park, New York, the following summer when Awaka suited up for USA Basketball at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary. Awaka started six of seven games and averaged a double-double, further reinforcing the impression he had made months earlier.
“The whole experience was great,” Awaka told Arizona Sports. “It was fun. Whenever you get to represent your country it’s amazing. Getting to travel and play outside the country was always super cool.”
Still, after coming back stateside, his role at Tennessee remained limited. Awaka averaged just 13.1 minutes per game as a sophomore and never cracked the starting lineup.
He entered the transfer portal after his second season, and Lloyd did not hesitate to sign him, saying his coaching staff quickly bought in after hearing consistent praise about Awaka’s character.
“My time at Tennessee was super fun,” Awaka said. “I still love that university, and I don’t think that without coach (Rick) Barnes and that whole staff, the teammates I had over there, I don’t think I would be the person that I am today for sure.
“I think Arizona was just the next step in my basketball journey. It’s been great and it’s been a wonderful two years.”
As a junior, despite having never started before, Awaka opened 36 of the Wildcats’ 37 games and burst onto the national stage once Big 12 play began last season.
He averaged 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in conference action, finishing fifth in the league in rebounding and fourth with nine double-doubles.
Then came an unexpected twist entering this year.
With Motiejus Krivas returning from foot surgery and five-star freshman Koa Peat arriving as the No. 9 recruit in the country, Awaka approached Lloyd with an idea.
Tobe Awaka explained his decision to approach Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd about coming off the bench and how it centered around constructing the best team possible. pic.twitter.com/Lq1NudXfWA
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) April 3, 2026
“I think it was just looking at the structure of the team, looking at the pieces that we had,” Awaka told Arizona Sports. “I know that obviously as a coach you’re looking at constructing a team to the best of your ability, so I just kinda wanted to reassure them that whatever decision they decided to make I was gonna be happy with. There was no sort of emotional investment for me in terms of whether I was starting or coming off the bench.”
The player who finally cracked the starting lineup after two years of selflessly waiting for his turn went to Lloyd and proposed coming off the bench.
“I think he came in and he said, ‘Big Mo had an injury last year, and he’s a developing player, and he’s really worked hard to come back at full strength; I think it would be a boost for his confidence if he started,'” Lloyd said.
“And Tobe said, ‘I have experience not starting, so I think it would be better for Koa to keep him in a role that he’s comfortable with.’ That was his idea.”
Awaka embraced the role. And thrived in it.
Coming off the bench in 35 of Arizona’s 38 games this season, he has improved nearly across the board — more points (+1.3), rebounds (+1.3), assists, and blocks — while committing fewer fouls and even playing 1.4 more minutes per game than the year prior.
The result: Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors.
Lloyd said Arizona would not be where it is without Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso anchoring the bench. Awaka, unsurprisingly, sees it differently.
“I wouldn’t say (my sacrifices) have led to the team’s success,” Awaka told Arizona Sports. “I think I’m just a witness to the team to the best of my ability. We have a bunch of talented guys, old and young. I feel like a mesh of that talent has been really paramount for us just winning games.”
His teammates see it clearly.
“Honestly just trying to be like Tobe, man. I look up to him,” Peat said after a 10-rebound performance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “He’s a beast on the glass.”
“They definitely put the team before themselves,” Brayden Burries told Arizona Sports of Awaka and Dell’Orso. “I’m very thankful for them. Because they could go anywhere to a different team and be a starter.
“They play a key role on our team and even if you play off the bench or start, it doesn’t really matter if you play good minutes or you’re impacting the team all game, and that’s what they do.”
That impact extends beyond the stat sheet.
Lloyd said more and more people tell him Awaka is their favorite player — a reflection of his blue-collar style and team-first mindset.
“He’s about the right things. Honestly, he’s been a real asset to our culture, and honestly, I felt we’ve always had a pretty good culture,” Lloyd said.
“I think he’s a key component for taking it to another level, on and off the court. So love Tobe. I wish I could coach him forever. And hopefully we can find other ones like him in the future, because they make my job awesome and they make coming to work every day special.”
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