The hiring of Tommy Lloyd has worked out well for the Arizona Wildcats.
In three seasons since he was hired away from Gonzaga, where he was one of Mark Few’s top assistants, he’s gone 88-20 and led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament all three years. Arizona reached the Sweet 16 last year and he’s hoping to take them further as the program embarks on its first year in the Big 12 Conference.
But, with success comes interest from other programs. While Arizona is one of the country’s top programs, it also hasn’t won a national title since the Lute Olsen days.
Plus, the university is dealing with some enormous financial issues, including a $177 million budget shortfall.
And, the game is changing, of course, with the transfer portal and the potential for revenue-sharing with college athletes starting next year.
On the surface, there were reasons for Lloyd to leave his options open. But, as he told Blue Ribbon Yearbook in its preview edition, he wanted to get it done.
“Let’s just do it … so we don’t have to worry about the job market or looking at jobs. I want to be here,” Lloyd said.
He is now among the Top 10 highest-paid men’s basketball coaches in the country. The new offer was $5.25 million per year for five years, with Blue Ribbon reporting that booster money was covering more than $12 million to bridge Lloyd from his old deal to his new deal.
Even with the financial uncertainty, along with the changes in university president and athletic director, Lloyd says he loves everything about Tucson.
“Going into year four I feel great,” he said. “My love for Arizona has only grown and become galvanized. I love this place; I love the community. I love the legacy of our program, and I understand it’s an honor for me to represent it.”
The Wildcats went 27-9 last year, their final year in the Pac-12, with a 15-5 conference record. They’re changing conferences for the first time since the late 1970s, when they went from the WAC to what was then the Pac-8.
Arizona will face every team in the Big 12 at least once, a league that sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament, along with three teams to the men’s postseason NIT. The Big 12 has finished the season with the nation’s best average NET ranking for four consecutive seasons, cementing its status as the top league in the sport.
Earlier this week Arizona was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 men’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll, as the Wildcats received 179 points, with one first-place vote.
Arizona guard Caleb Love was the lone Wildcat selected to the All-Big 12 preseason team as a first-team selection.
