Arizona men’s basketball target Alijah Arenas, son of former UA star Gilbert Arenas, to reclassify to 2025

On By Littum

Arizona men’s basketball’s 2025 recruiting class already features one 5 star view and that son of a future NBA Hall of Famer.

Next in line? It could be a player who is both a 5-star recruit and son of one of the best guards to ever play in Arizona.

Alijah Arenasone of the top-ranked juniors in the country, is preparing to reclassify as a senior, which would make him part of the 2025 class. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard told 247Sports that he is waiting for the necessary papers to be submitted.

“My family and I made the decision when it came to my junior year,” Arenas told 247’s Brandon Jenkins. “We saw the possibilities and wanted to take the big step of looking at college. I’m trying to get there early and to the league.”

Arenas, son of Arizona the great Gilbert Arenasconsidering his father’s alma mater as well as Kentucky and USC. Arenas plays for Chatsworth High School in California.

He is currently ranked as the No. 1 overall player. 5 in the 2026 recruiting class, and should he reclassify, he should “arguably rank as the No. 1 shooting guard in the national senior class,” Jenkins writes.

Arenas told 247 he expects to announce his decision in March or April. He took an unofficial visit to Arizona for the Wildcats’ game against Duke in November; also at that game Bryce Jamesson of LeBron, who committed to Arizona on Wednesday.

“I got to see what the environment is like,” Arenas told 247. “Their school is amazing. The environment and the intensity was crazy high. They’re like family and show a lot of love over there. I vibe with everyone on the staff. My dad went there , but he’s open to me going anywhere.”

Landing Arenas would be the biggest recruiting coup yet for an Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. The 17-year-old is considered one of the elite scorers for his age. He averaged 22 points at Adidas 3SSB in July, according to ESPN, where he shot 46 percent from 3-point range.

Arenas would add to a top-20 small forward class Dwayne Aristode.

The Wildcats are also in the running for the 5-star in-state power forward Koa Peat and 5-star combo guard Brayden berry. If Arizona can land at least two of the three between Arenas, Berries and Peat, it would be one of the best recruiting classes in program history.

Arenas, as a legacy recruit with significant name recognition, would arguably carry the most weight.