4/16/2021 basketball Edit

Commitment breakdown: Arizona lands C Dylan Anderson

Rob Cassidy • Basketball Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting Director

The No. 72 prospect in the class of 2022 and one of the top centers on the West Coast will stay home for college.

Phoenix-based point guard Dylan Andrews announced his intention to play for Arizona on Friday, choosing the Wildcats over a long list of offers that span time zones and major conferences. Below, Rivals.com has a look at what new head coach Tommy Lloyd is getting in the 7-foot center and what it means for the big picture.

WHAT ARIZONA IS GETTING
Anderson is a legit 7-footer that moves impossibly well for his size. He boasts some of the best hands you can ask for in big. He also finishes relatively well at the rim. The class-of-2022 star has retained his agility as he’s grown, which makes him a matchup problem due to the ease at which he steps away from the basket. Few centers have the same ability to post up and shoot the 3-ball, so Anderson will bring a heap of versatility with him to Tucson. His knack for stretching the floor is his calling card, but while he’ll need to develop as a rim-protector and add some more muscle, his agility and dexterity make him a solid defender as things stand.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE BIGGER PICTURE

Simply put, this is an important victory for the Wildcats. Anderson could have easily decided to balk at a new U of A coaching staff and play for any number of more stable programs or established head coaches, but that was not to be.

Instead, new Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd swung big, swung local, and connected with his first recruiting punch as the man in charge. The pace at which Lloyd was able to seal the deal with an in-demand prospect such as Anderson is worth a pile of praise on its own. The fact that he managed to beat out in-state rival Arizona State, the school both of Anderson's parents attended, in addition to blue bloods North Carolina and Kansas makes it even more impressive. Anderson, who seems like a nice fit for Lloyd’s free-flowing offense, is the first member of the Wildcats’ 2022 class and seems to be a perfect player around which to build a foundation. Talent attracts talent. So, if nothing else, this is a recruiting victory that sets a tone.