If this this is the final game for Arizona’s Seniors at the McKale Center, then the Wildcats and Tucson faithful sent Pelle Larsson, Oumar Ballo, Caleb Love, Keshad Johnson, and Grant Weitman off in tremendous fashion. Arizona defeated Oregon 103-83 in the Wildcats’ final Pac-12 home game, in a contest that featured a career-high 19 first half points from Kylan Boswell, Keshad Johnson’s 1,000th-career point, and a dominant victory from whistle to whistle.
Check out what Tommy Lloyd and the seniors said in Arizona’s Senior Day Postgame Comments below:
Tommy Lloyd on if he plans to start senior walk-ons every year on Senior Day:
“I’m not going to commit to anything. Year to year. But I love doing that, because I know the true value that those walk-ons and managers have to the program. You could tell a lot about a program by the way they treat their managers and their walk-ons, and our guys are treated like anybody else.”
Lloyd on giving senior Grant Weitman the starting nod over Kylan Boswell on Senior Day and Kylan Boswell’s career-high 19 first half points:
“That was awesome! If I had a crystal ball and knew that would happen every time, I would start Grant Weitman and bring Kylan off the bench.”
Lloyd on Arizona’s shot selection against Oregon:
“We call them ‘my shots’, and our program is built on ‘our shots’, so we’ve just got to lock into our shots. The definition can vary guy to guy what an our shot is. I thought we just got settled in early in the game and just make sure the ball is finding the open guy and have your hands and feet ready locked and loaded.”
Lloyd on the connection between Keshad Johnson and Caleb Love and Keshad’s effort running the floor:
“I think the more those guys play together, the better they get. I know they’re good friends. That was a nice pass out in transition that Caleb threw Keshad, but that’s something we work on all the time. If you go back and watch the play, Keshad is running. He’s even with his defender, Caleb’s pushing the ball. Caleb sees the back of Keshad’s defender’s head, you throw the guy open. It’s fun basketball to play.
That was a great look, and I thought Keshad’s effort running the floor really made a difference today. I think if you look at a lot of those transition baskets in the first half, Keshad might not have been the recipient of the pass, but he was running and dragging defenders with them that created openings.”
Pelle Larsson on his emphatic postgame message to the McKale Faithful:
“Honestly, I just had the time of my life here at the University of Arizona and with these people. I just want to do something special for them and for the people that support us.”
Oumar Ballo on the lasting image he take with him of Arizona Basketball and the McKale Center:
“I don’t even know what to say. This place is special. You come in every day, see McKale rocking, fans coming out. It doesn’t matter if we play at noon or 9 PM, they’re going to show up every single time to cheer for us. That’s something special.”
Caleb Love on the support he receives from Arizona fans:
“It means everything. It’s what you play the game for. Those fans, they give their everything. The energy and what they bring to the table, it helps us and lifts us up. Anytime we can show out and give them what they want to see, it’s special.”
Keshad Johnson on his improved 3-point shooting since arriving in Tucson:
“I put in a lot of work throughout the summer. But most importantly, I always knew I had it in me. It was just the confidence. The confidence that my teammates and my coaches give me here is second to none. That’s what really helped the ball go in, along with the work that I put in.”
Johnson on Kylan Boswell’s career-high 19 points in the first half:
“The youngest on the team, but man his ceiling is crazy high. He’s a young vet. I don’t know what was in his head, but I was just loving it on our senior night.”
Grant Weitman on his mentality ahead of his first start:
“Don’t do anything too special. Just play within the system. It was an honor to get to start.”