More than half of the scholarship players on Arizona's roster next season will be from countries other than the United States. Six of the seven incoming freshmen are international players as head coach Sean Miller and his staff shifted away from homegrown talent this spring and opted for recruits from other countries instead.

Some of UA's priority targets from the US decided to turn pro and bypass college while others simply looked elsewhere. Rather than panic, Arizona's "Plan B" ended up leading to the top-ranked recruiting class in the Pac-12 as the Wildcats continued to add top international player after top international player in the time since the season ended back in March.

It was capped by the additions of Lithuanian brothers Azuolas and Tautvilas Tubelis who officially joined the program a week ago.

Azuolas could be the top European prospect in the class making the Wildcats' late move to get him a potentially impactful one. It was not a process that just recently started, however. The Wildcats have been tracking all the international recruits for quite some time and it is just now that the fruits of that labor are being seen by the UA fan base.

"I think for us, especially when Jack Murphy came aboard because Jack has the passion to recruit international, he has the contacts and I think the knowhow, it just made sense," Miller said during a virtual media session with local reporters on Tuesday. "Sometimes it takes about a year or so for you to see the results, but we set out as far as a couple of years to mix it in and make it a part of what we do.

"I think each year is different. Obviously because signed only one player in the fall class, Dalen Terry, this past year and then you never really know how many you're going to lose when you bring in four freshmen, three of them that leave, all the sudden now you have a lot of need. Thank goodness we had cultivated that and I think the players, the young guys who will be coming in will be great additions to our program and we welcome them with open arms.

"I think at the end of the day the class that we put together is a very good one ... this year it's maybe a little bit more heavy towards international."

With Murphy's help, Miller has been able to put together the makings of a roster that fulfills a number of needs. Yes, UA wants to be competitive now, but being competitive in the long term is something the Wildcats have on their minds as well. That means finding players who will be around for a while and be able to develop over years versus months.

It was clear back in December when Arizona was preparing to play Gonzaga, as well as after the Wildcats lost to the Bulldogs, that Miller has an appreciation for how Mark Few runs his program up in Spokane.

That model is something he had on his mind as he was looking to build out his roster for next season.

"You have programs that have just done it well," Miller said. "Not just in a single season, but for a long period of time. Obviously, Gonzaga really comes to mind. Me being here for over a decade and competing against Gonzaga, I think it's one of the ingredients that makes them such a successful program that they don't rely on just one aspect of recruiting.

"They've gotten some great four-year transfers, players that have actually sat out and then impacted their program. Kyle Wiltjer is an example of that. Clearly the international players, some which hit the ground running but others that have developed within their program, almost become the fabric Gonzaga."

Arizona signing so many international recruits in the 2020 class isn't a sign of things to come, however, according to Miller. Looking overseas will remain an option for Arizona, but this class shouldn't be viewed as the new normal despite the success of the program's revamped approach.

"That also doesn't mean next year we're going to bring in four or five international players," he said. "Maybe one, maybe none. I don't know. I think being able to pull from different aspects of recruiting takes a lot of pressure off of especially a program like ours that oftentimes we need to call on four, five or six new players from one season to the next."

We'll know in the coming months how impactful the international recruiting success will be on the floor, but Miller is confident that a lack of college experience among the group will not hold the Wildcats back.

"The one thing about all of our guys that are coming in from the international game they've been battle tested in FIBA," he said. "They've played for their country. They've played against some great competition in Europe. They've traveled. They've traveled to the United States, almost all of them, and I think you have a good feel and they have a good feel for the game.

"So, they're not going to be a deer in headlights when it comes to college basketball. There's certainly going to be an adjustment period, but I think all of them come very well-coached, very well-schooled having played in a variety of competitive environments that will remind them of college."

In addition to the Tubelis brothers, UA's other incoming international players include Estonian point guard Kerr Kriisa, French big man Daniel Batcho, Haitian Canadian wing Bennedict Mathurin and Turkish forward Tibet Görener. That is in addition to big man Christian Koloko who is heading into his sophomore season with the Wildcats. The 7-footer is a native of Cameroon.