Dostoevsky and double-doubles: Tobe Awaka discusses academics and athletics with Provost Prelock

During his time in Tucson, Tobe Awaka has constructed a well-earned popularity as one of many hardest, most tenacious members of the Wildcat group. Students and professors alike marvel at Awaka’s tireless work ethic.

And he is a reasonably good basketball participant, too.

Awaka was among the many most vital contributors to the boys’s basketball group’s notable 2025-2026 season, which noticed the Wildcats earn this system’s first Final Four berth in 1 / 4 century. Awaka, the Big 12 Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 9.1 rebounds – the second-highest quantity within the convention – and led all school basketball gamers in offensive rebounding share, the place he pulled down 20.2% of accessible offensive rebounds whereas he was on the court docket. Awaka recorded eight double-doubles (video games the place he tallied greater than 10 factors and 10 rebounds) and turned himself right into a fan favourite with his thunderous dunks and relentless hustle.

He did all of this whereas balancing coursework from the Eller College of Managementthe place Awaka research enterprise administration. The Collegiate Sports Communicators lately acknowledged Awaka’s efforts, changing into the sixth U of A males’s basketball participant named to the group’s Academic All-American group.

Awaka sat down for his “exit interview” with Patricia Prelock, U of A provost and chief educational officer, to debate balancing the highlight this season with his academics, his fondness for Fyodor Dostoevsky’s characters, and what’s subsequent after he graduates.

Prelock: So, you selected the University of Arizona to check, and I perceive you are in enterprise administration on the Eller College. What is the curiosity in enterprise?

Awaka: Yeah, it was one thing I type of gravitated to. I used to be seeking to do enterprise administration and then do one thing with finance on the aspect. I took an internship on Wall Street with AlphaDyne Asset Management – ​​that was an ideal expertise. You study stuff from the textbook, from the lectures at school, however to see it occur in actual life, to see it function functionally, it was an ideal expertise.

Prelock: I truly know somebody who instructed me that your favourite books are funding books. Tell me about that.

Awaka: I’m actually huge into investing books – philosophical books and theology as effectively – however particularly investing from the standpoint of managing private wealth, funds, issues of that nature. I learn “One Up on Wall Street” by John Rothchild and Peter Lynch, that was an ideal e-book. I learn the e-book concerning the ’08 market crash, “The Big Short,” that was nice. I’m at the moment studying “Market” proper now, in order that needs to be attention-grabbing.

Prelock: But I additionally perceive you could have one other curiosity in books that you just’re studying – “Crime and Punishment,” or did you simply end that?

Awaka: Yeah, I used to be huge into Dostoevsky over the summer time. I used to be studying “Crime and Punishment,” that was nice. The manner that he kind of breaks down his characters and makes them so human and life like, I feel it is actually superb. I actually received kind of entrenched in that e-book all through the summer time.

Prelock: In addition to the excellence that you just present on the court docket as a basketball participant, you additionally carry that excellence to the classroom amid all of the touring you are doing and the expectations. How do you stability the academics and the sports activities?

Awaka: We have an ideal help system in Arizona that helps us keep on prime of our work. But on the identical time, I feel it is simply intentionality, simply figuring out that the entire educational piece goes to serve you sooner or later. And it may be an ideal outlet so that you can make connections and meet new individuals. I feel the basketball a part of issues is so speedy. Once the ball stops bouncing, you wish to have that avenue to kind of create success for your self.

Prelock: Tell me about your transfer from Tennessee, why you made that transfer, and the way it felt to be a part of this group.

Awaka: I used to be simply type of in search of a brand new begin, a brand new place that was going to assist me kind of propel my basketball profession. Obviously took a go to right here, beloved Coach Lloyd, Coach Murph, the entire workers, and they have been nice. I type of noticed it like a brand new house. Playing on this group, I feel that our tradition was one-of-one. Whether it was guys who had been right here for slightly bit or guys who have been transferring in, I feel we type of ingratiated ourselves with one another in an effective way and it was pure. A variety of bonds, a number of friendships off the court docket, and that helped kind of propel us on the court docket.

Prelock: A few instances you have talked about as we have been strolling in right here that what helped is the help methods that you’ve got right here. Are there particular issues that you just assume, whether or not within the classroom or in your athletics expertise, that basically contributed?

Awaka: Andy Salgado, our educational advisor, simply checking in on us, ensuring that we’re on prime of our work. I feel for me, simply, , private relationship with the coaches as effectively. I feel our energy and conditioning coach, Chris Rounds, he is been right here for some time, even because the Sean Miller days. But he is an individual that I’ve had the luxurious and the pleasure to kind of construct a relationship with. He’s been nice to speak to one-on-one nearly life, basketball, mentality in relation to the way you carry your self, the way you execute on the court docket and within the weight room. So, he is been an ideal particular person to learn on in instances of success and lows as effectively.

Prelock: Are there specific issues in Eller which have actually supported your success?

Awaka: Yeah, I feel the content material that we’re studying is partaking. But I feel simply the professors are nice individuals as effectively. They type of perceive my state of affairs and simply, how the season kind of ebbs and flows. And clearly, when you get nearer to March, there’s much more journey, there’s much more eyes, there’s much more consideration. So, I’m positively grateful for them for permitting me some grace in relation to assignments, deadlines, issues of that nature.

Prelock: Yeah, I’m glad to listen to that as a result of it’s a number of strain and generally you are going throughout midterms and finals or no matter. I do know household’s actually necessary to you, so inform me how your loved ones has been engaged with you thru this course of and this journey that you’ve got had.

Awaka: I feel the gorgeous factor about them is that whether or not I’m taking part in effectively or whether or not I’m taking part in unhealthy, they’re all the time the identical. They’ve been fixed all through the entire journey.

I feel my mother, to shout out her, she’s the person who type of helped me academically from a younger age kind of instill that wish to study and that willingness to study. During the summers again, like fourth, fifth and sixth grade, she’d make me and my siblings go to the general public library, pick a couple of books, and then she’d quiz us on the books through the summer time. I did not fairly prefer it at first. But then finally, you began to seek out books that you just favored and then, you type of began to develop and develop in sure matters and fields and, swiftly, you are doing it by yourself.

Prelock: Since you are going to be graduating, is there any recommendation you’d give to your fellow graduates who’re leaving the University of Arizona and taking the subsequent step?

Awaka: You’ve performed the work to get thus far. You’ve gone via loads. College is a superb alternative to community and to study issues about your self that you just won’t have realized in case you’re in a distinct surroundings. The key right here shifting ahead is simply establishing an identification of your self and simply understanding who you’re and type of what you are right here for by way of your function. I feel that is the largest query that anybody’s going to need to ask inside their lives.

Prelock: People could be upset if I did not ask the query: What’s on the horizon for Tobe?

Awaka: Obviously I’m going to attempt to proceed the sport of basketball that I like, and go so far as I can with that. Hopefully, it is skilled, within the NBA or, abroad, no matter it could be. But additionally simply preserve the nice connections that I’ve made right here in Arizona, preserve these alive and effectively, preserve pushing to maintain these contacts and relationships sturdy. And then I’ll type of see the place life lies when the ball stops bouncing. Obviously, I like the inventory market, I like investing. I like that entire discipline. So, hopefully down the highway, one thing involving that, we’ll see what that blossoms into.