Surrounded by high expectations, Arizona freshman Caleb Holt readies for McKale debut

Maybe it works out that way for Caleb Holt, too.

A top five rated recruit in the class of 2026, the prolific shooting guard from Alabama is scheduled to make his public McKale Center debut on Saturday in Arizona’s Red-Blue scrimmage, en route to what is also roundly expected to be an NBA Draft lottery selection.

“That's all cool and everything,” Holt said of the expectations on him. “But I feel like we have a job here, and that's to get better every day and to win. I feel like if we do that all that will take care of itself later … I'm not worried about the future. I'm worried about the next few months with Arizona basketball.”

Also, as Holt already has found to some degree, his path might not be a straight line.

Burries proved as much last season, going just 1 for 6 from the field and fouling out against Florida in the Wildcats’ season opener, then struggling against UCLA and UConn in the Wildcats’ other early season marquee games before morphing into their leading scorer. 

While it happened only during exhibitions in Lithuania last month, Holt struggled in his first appearances in a Wildcat uniform: He averaged 11.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over three games but shot just 29.5% from the field – and hit only 3 of 12 3-pointers, missing shots from all levels that he is known to make.

“I didn't play how I wanted to play, obviously, but I feel like my shot will fall, and I work every day,” Holt said. “I'm confident in who I am, so I'm not gonna let those games define how I think the season's gonna go.”

Besides, Holt said he has a “great support system” and also the knowledge of what Burries went through.

“I've known Brayden pretty well,” Holt said. “Brayden didn't have the start he wanted to, and didn't have the games I wanted to. But I go back and look at that, and Brayden stayed very confident in what he does.

“Even if I'm not making shots, I'm not gonna let that define what I'm gonna do in the game. If I'm not with the ball, I still can affect the game in every aspect. .. obviously I love to make shots and I work every day to make shots. So I know that's going to come.”

Holt proved as much during the Wildcats’ second exhibition game against the Ukrainian national team. Arizona had suffered a dispiriting loss to the Lithuanian national B team a night earlier, but while Holt’s shooting wasn’t much better at 5 for 17 against Ukraine, he pulled down 14 rebounds over 31 minutes to help the Wildcats win 107-85.

Asked this week if Holt might be able to pull down double-digit rebounds as a guard during the upcoming season, Lloyd said he wasn’t putting any ceiling on what Holt might do, saying he has an unusually consistent high effort.

Already, Lloyd saw what Holt can do with the U19 USA Basketball team in 2025, when Holt averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in USA’s seven-game romp to the FIBA U19 World Cup despite then being only one of four rising high school seniors on the Lloyd-coached team.

“First off, he's just a winner, and he's just a great person to be around every day,” Lloyd said. “He’s a guy that's going to contribute to all facets of the game. Coming up through the system, he made his mark with his effort and energy, and his defense, his hustle, his rebounding, and just winning plays.

“To his credit, he's kind of developed himself into a really polished offensive player for a young guy. So he and his family get a lot of credit for his development, and I think Arizona basketball is going to be a willing recipient of his talents.”