ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

Jaden Bradley, Anthony Dell’Orso and Tobe Awaka all signed revenue-share agreements to return in 2025-26 — along with sophomore center Motiejus Krivas — just over two weeks after the Wildcats lost to Duke in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

The way Dell’Orso described it during a midsummer press conference Thursday at McKale Center, it was something of a no-brainer.

“I was pretty heavily wanting to come back quickly,� said Dell’Orso, who arrived as a transfer from Campbell last summer. “I just thought that with what I experienced last year, the way Tommy (Lloyd, UA coach) recruited me, the way we had talked about the process and what you want to achieve later in your career, he could really help me with those things.

“And with certain guys leaving, and new guys coming in, I could see the foundation was already there, especially guys like JB, Tobe and Krivas. That kind of set that tone for me, like ‘I can step right into something I already know, with coaches I already trust, and just build on what I already did.’�

For Bradley, the difference was that he was returning for a third season and had been testing the NBA Draft for a second straight spring.

Still, he didn’t change course either.

“I love what coach Lloyd, the staff and the program is all about,� Bradley said. “I definitely want to finish out my senior year here, and wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else. I feel they’re going to help me achieve my goals at the next level.�

Not projected as an NBA draft pick this year, Bradley indicated he was so convinced about staying at UA that he didn’t really go through much of a predraft process at all.

It was the second straight spring Bradley had tested the draft quietly, neither publicly acknowledging he was declaring nor that he was withdrawing, other than posting an image of himself with the words “LAST RIDE� after the NBA’s official withdrawal list came out on May 30.

“My name was in there, but I talked to some of the people and I decided not to do any of the workouts or anything,� Bradley said. “Once I talked to coach Lloyd and everybody and was fully committed to coming back, I put my name out of it, and I was just working to get better within the offense, working on stuff that we’re going to translate to Arizona basketball.�

But this week, once nearly all the Wildcats began assembling for five weeks of offseason workouts together, things had changed around the seniors.

Gone were veterans Caleb Love and Trey Townsend, along with freshman NBA lottery pick Carter Bryant and departing transfers KJ Lewis (Georgetown) and Henri Veesaar (North Carolina). Around the seniors now were seven new players (an eighth, Senegal native Sidi Gueye, remains out of the country for visa-related reasons).

Then there’s that matter of compensation: Starting July 1, those revenue-share agreements the returnees signed kicked in, meaning Arizona could start paying them directly for the first time, on top of any NIL deals they may have had.

NIL and revenue-sharing agreements are not public at Arizona, thanks to a new state law, but it’s clear that the relationship between athlete and school has changed.

Dell’Orso said “life’s pretty much the same� after the change, but said his trust in UA led to his decision to stay and sign his rev-share deal.

“I don’t think anyone ever thinks that what you talk about is not going to happen when you trust someone,� Dell’Orso said. “You believe that they’re going to hold up their end, and you hold up your end by showing up, by working out, by putting extra time in, and that’s all I can do.

“It’s whether you trust them or you don’t. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t come back. So that’s a big reason why I did come back.�

Then there’s that one thing that hasn’t changed, the one thing that Bradley is aiming to shake up: The Wildcats’ 2024-25 season ended in the Sweet 16, just as it did during his sophomore season of 2023-24 — and just as it did in 2021-22.

That’s a ceiling Bradley is aiming to raise.

“We definitely wanted to hang up a Big 12 regular season championship or a Big 12 Tournament (banner) … and get past the Sweet 16 as a program,� Bradley said. “I’ve personally never been past the Sweet 16 before, either.

“We’re not talking about it all the time, but that’s something that in the big picture we want to accomplish.�