Dell'Orso arrives battle-tested by Arizona's Final Four

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Australian shooting guard Anthony Dell'Orso was described as "maybe the best bench player in the country" in the NCAA 2025-26 season before playing four games for the Sacramento Kings at the 2026 Summer League this month.

Dell'Orso, 22, signed with the Perth Wildcats for NBL27 after four seasons in American college basketball – two years at Campbell and two years at powerhouse Arizona Wildcats.

After Arizona beat UConn 71-67 on November 20, 2025, Huskies national championship coach Dan Hurley backed the Australian to reach the NBA.

"I think [he's] going to make an NBA team, just because he's got size and he shoots it with the way the new NBA plays," Hurley said.

"I know he wasn't good tonight, but that guy is maybe the best bench player in the country."

Dell'Orso’s Arizona side was in the midst of a 6-0 start to the season and ranked the No. 1 team in the country as the Victorian was adjusting to coming off the bench.

"It's great to hear, obviously,” Dell’Orso said.

“He's a notable coach and one of the best to do it with his resume and stuff like that, and it makes you feel good, obviously.

"You wanna hear that stuff, especially on a night that probably wasn't my best night.

"But I appreciate him saying that. That doesn't change any of the way I go about things. It's not gonna change any of the way I think about the game or the way I go about getting ready for games and stuff like that.

"It's a process, and then there's multiple people that you think are NBA guys that may not make it or may make it, and it's a process.

"So yeah, I appreciate him saying that, but I'm just taking it one day at a time, and when the NBA comes around at the end of the season, then I'll go full throttle on that."

The 198cm guard was a key piece of the University of Arizona side that reached the 2026 NCAA Final Four, a run that reinforced his reputation with NBA scouts and confirmed his standing as one of the most reliable shooters in the American college game.

His shooting splits underpinned the projection. In 2024-25, his first season at Arizona, Dell'Orso shot 41.3 per cent from three-point range and 90.2 per cent from the free-throw line. He backed it up in 2025-26 with 38.9 per cent from deep and 91.3 per cent at the line - the kind of efficiency that travels to any level.

In 142 college games, Dell’Orso averaged 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He shot 46.5% from the field and 36.1% from three with an effective field goal percentage of 54.1.

Perth have secured itself one of the best young shooters in the country with big school experience.

He also has size – 1.98m and 93kg – the latter he knew he needed to work on between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.

"Definitely stepping up from the mid-major level to this level was the physicality,” Dell’Orso told Jason Cadee on Cut to the Jase.

"That's something that I took really seriously this offseason. Just basically get in the weight room, almost put a basketball on a back burner, if you will and just took the weight room like it was the most serious thing in the world.

"You know I came home for a couple weeks, was down with the (South East Melbourne) Phoenix boys getting the lift with them, eating a bunch, you know home cooking.

"All that kind of stuff you can't really take that for granted. You know, when you wanna be a pro, that's the ultimate, that's the fuel, that's the preparation.

"It's not how many shots you get up. I mean that is a part of it, but you gotta really take all that extra stuff seriously if you wanna be able to get to where you wanna get to.

"I was able to fortunately get that, and it worked to my favour.

"That Duke game I was 183 pounds (83kg), and I was going against guys that were 210 (93kg), and it was like every night was a war.

"As you come out of that, your body hurts, and you can't physically compete sometimes.

"And then this year I come back, and I'm 210, and it's just a completely different world.

"So I think that was definitely the biggest thing I did all year."

Perth is still on the hunt for a point guard, but Dell’Orso is almost certain to slot into the starting line-up next to imports Dylan Windler, Kristian Doolittle, and centre Jo Lual-Acuil Jr.

Windler is 1.98m, Doolittle is 2.01m, and JLA is 2.11m. The Wildcats have elite size 2 through 5 and are still searching for a point guard 16 months after now six-time MVP Bryce Cotton departed.

Head coach John Rillie’s son Jaron, who played five seasons of college basketball, showed glimpses of being an outstanding backup before injury setbacks last season, has returned for NBL27. At the same time, the addition of Alex Higgins-Titsha adds depth at the wing.

Ben Henshall has departed for Ole Miss in the NCAA, but Dell’Orso’s signing, pairing with Elijah Pepper, who can flat-out shoot the basketball, means opposing coaches will have their hands full in their scouts.

Pepper, who held the NBL1 Men’s scoring record with 59 points last season until Kyle Adnam shattered it with 70 this season, averaged 10.5 points on 40% from the field last season.

Rillie now needs a point guard that at the very least can get his knock-down shooters the ball.