Arizona freshman guard Bryce James — the youngest son of Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James — might see his season end before it even begins.
In a news conference on Tuesday after the Wildcats’ 84-49 win over Northern Arizona, Arizona basketball coach Tommy Lloyd said redshirting is an option for James and freshman forward Mabil Mawut.
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“Redshirt is on the table for both of them,” Lloyd said. “No final decisions have been made, but it puts you in a tough situation.”
James has yet to play in Arizona’s three games so far, including Tuesday’s 35-point victory. Lloyd’s decision not to put James in the game is largely based on his future eligibility.
“Putting him [Bryce] in the game like this for three minutes burns a year of eligibility,” Lloyd said. “I wish it was easier, I wish there were a set number of games you can play a guy like in football.”
In college basketball, players burn redshirts, using up a year of NCAA eligibility, after playing in one game. In college football, players can play in four games before burning a redshirt.
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Before James came to Tucson, he played all four seasons of high school basketball at Sierra Canyon High School in California, the same school where his older brother, Bronny, starred. Bronny, now in his second year with the Lakers, played college basketball for a season at USC. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
At Sierra Canyon, Bryce James won the CIF State Division I championship as a senior and averaged eight points and four rebounds per game in his final high school season. He was a three-star recruit according to most rankings.
Arizona is off to a 3-0 start and is ranked fifth in the AP Poll. The team is led by freshman forward Koa Peat and senior guard Jaden Bradley. Peat is averaging 19.3 points a game, while Bradley adds 16 points a game.
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This Friday, No. 5 Arizona takes on No. 15 UCLA in a ranked matchup (10 p.m. ET, Peacock).
