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“It matters,� UA coach Tommy Lloyd said.

Except the one guy who it should have mattered to the most had almost no clue about it.

Jaden Bradley indicated he was just too locked in.

“Really don't even notice them timeouts,� Bradley said. “I just listen to coach, whether he's yelling or not, or what message he's bringing across. But there’s a lot of media and different timeouts, which definitely help sometimes get your wind back, especially that first one.�

Breathless or not, Bradley played an average of 36.3 minutes in Big 12 games last season, and 36.2 in NCAA and Big 12 Tournament games, on the court nearly all the time whenever a game was still in contention, all but oblivious to his energy output.

Bradley takes a similar approach to nearly everything else about his game: Cool and confident, whatever the circumstances are, never with a complaint but often with a compliment or upbeat note.

That comes even though Bradley entered college with the sort of profile that usually says “one-and-done" — a five-star recruit and McDonald’s all-American, the kind of guy who looks elsewhere if things don't happen quickly.

Bradley did transfer out of Alabama after his freshman year of 2022-23, but has stuck with the Wildcats ever since. As a sophomore transfer in 2023-24, Bradley played off the bench behind Kylan Boswell and became the Wildcats’ most efficient player, never caught asking for more.

As a starter last season, he played heavy minutes and was the second-leading scorer (12.1 average points) but well behind the guy he often dished to, guard Caleb Love (17.2).

After each of those two seasons, Bradley quietly entered the NBA Draft, gathered feedback, and just as quietly withdrew so he could return to Arizona. He did, however, post a photo of himself with the title “LAST RIDE� to Instagram upon withdrawing last spring.

“Definitely tested the waters, just to see what that whole process is like, get the feedback and see how hard you’ve got to work to enter and stick in the league,� Bradley said during Big 12 media day. “So one more year — the focus is on winning games and trying to get a national championship.�

Except by coming back this season, Bradley isn’t just working on basketball skills or the framework of the Wildcats’ offense and defense to win those games.

He also has to help direct everyone else. Arizona has seven freshmen and is expected to need at least three or four of them to play major roles in the rotation, a heavier lean on youth than Lloyd has ever done at Arizona.

Lloyd will need Bradley to rope the new guys together, translating his cool confidence to freshmen who may be experienced at high levels of basketball but not in the college game.

That he’ll have to become more of a leader, the way Lloyd described it, is fairly obvious.

“He and I talked, but I don't have to really direct him,� Lloyd said. “Jaden’s got a great feel for the room. He's got a great feel for the team and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help his teammates and his team be successful.�

Bradley says the Wildcats have other leaders, with Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell'Orso being in their fourth year of college basketball.

"We each speak and lead in different ways," Bradley said.

But Bradley is the guy with the ball in his hands and has played more full years on the court in Lloyd’s system than any current scholarship player. Only redshirt sophomore center Motiejus Krivas has been around as long, and he missed most of last season with a foot injury.

This time, Bradley's leadership efforts started over the summer, when he greeted and worked with the new Wildcats, then bonded with them off the court.

“We do a lot of fun stuff, go bowling, different stuff like that,� Bradley said. “Game nights at the house, whatever it is, to get together as a team and help bond.�

On the court, Bradley is expected to play similar minutes this season but also expected to take more than the 9.1 shots he attempted in games last season — including some shots that may be taken with the game on the line, the kind of shots that Love often took.

“I don't think there's any doubt he's gonna do more of it,� Lloyd said of Bradley. “But I never put that on one guy's shoulders. I mean, you're playing another team, and that other team can try to take your one guy out. So you have to give yourself multiple options at the end of these games to have a chance.�

Those options may include highly regarded freshman Koa Peat or Brayden Burries, or maybe dumping the ball inside to Awaka or Krivas.

Not surprisingly, Bradley indicated, he’ll roll with whatever works. Whatever can get those wins.

“Whoever's moment it is, whoever's feeling it,� Bradley said. “Could be Tobe. Could be Brayden, could be Koa, whoever’s night it is. Whoever coach calls on — we trust in coach — his final call, just go with that.�