Bryce James scored the first points of his college career Thursday night, knocking down a corner 3-pointer as No. 5 Arizona bounced back from a season-opening loss with a 104-84 victory over Cal Poly. The youngest son of LeBron James caught a pass from freshman Caleb Holt early in the first half and made the shot, drawing cheers from the home crowd at McKale Center. It was his second straight start for the Wildcats after spending his first season at Arizona as a redshirt.
James finished with five points on 2-of-5 shooting in 17 minutes. He also contributed one rebound, two assists and two steals, giving Arizona production beyond the basket that drew the attention. Thursday represented a step forward from his debut against UCLA on Monday.
James played six minutes in that game, missing all three of his shots and recording one assist as Arizona fell 84-75 in Las Vegas. The wait for his first college points followed a year devoted to development. James arrived as part of Arizona’s 2025 recruiting class after helping Sierra Canyon win a California state championship.
Coach Tommy Lloyd elected to redshirt him, allowing time to learn the system and develop physically. James has now started both games of Arizona’s new season, and the Wildcats found considerably more offense in their home opener. Center Motiejus Krivas led the way with a career-high 30 points, making 10 of 13 shots and adding eight rebounds.
Holt contributed 21 points and eight rebounds, while Ivan Kharchenkov finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Arizona scored 59 points before halftime and led by as many as 29. The Wildcats finished with a 56-26 advantage in the paint, giving them control even as Cal Poly’s Hamad Mousa scored 30 points and made eight 3-pointers.
The Wildcats host Northern Arizona on Tuesday with an opportunity to build on their first win. James will enter that game with his first basket behind him and a larger workload to build upon. After six minutes against UCLA and 17 against Cal Poly, his next challenge is turning those opportunities into a consistent role in Lloyd’s rotation.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
