Gonzaga’s Tommy Lloyd hired as Arizona head coach
Tommy Lloyd, who has spent the last 21 seasons coaching at Gonzaga under Mark Few, has been named the new head coach at Arizona, the school announced Wednesday. Lloyd was part of 20x NCAA Tournaments and 20x WCC titles during his time with the Zags, including a NCAA Runner-up finish earlier this month.
“We are thrilled that Tommy and his family are joining the Wildcat Family and reestablishing our men’s basketball program among the elite in the nation,” AD Dave Heeke said in a statement. “After speaking with a tremendous pool of candidates, and with so many in and out of the college basketball world, it became clear that Tommy has the passion, the experience, the knowledge, the coaching and recruiting acumen and the drive to lead us to championships. He has been a big part of the incredible rise and success of Gonzaga Basketball and is well-respected for his partnership with that program’s head coach, Mark Few.”
This is the first head coaching job for Lloyd, a WA-native who spent his entire coaching career at Gonzaga. He was considered the head-coach-in-waiting, but there is no indication that the 58-year-old Few will retire anytime soon.
“I am extremely grateful to President Robbins and Dave Heeke for the incredible opportunity to lead one of the country’s most storied men’s basketball programs,” Coach Lloyd said. “While there are certainly potential obstacles ahead for our program, I embrace the challenge as we will build on the foundation in place to compete for Pac-12 and national championships. I know how much Arizona Basketball means to the institution, its fans, its community and the state, and I cannot wait to get started. That works begin now. My family and I are excited to settle in Tucson and begin a new chapter.”
Arizona parted ways with former head coach Sean Miller earlier this month after twelve seasons with the program. He went 302-109 overall and reached the NCAA Tournament seven times, but missed the last three and was just 55-35 over that span. The school stood by Miller throughout an NCAA investigation into the program, only to let him go this offseason with just one year left on his contract.
credit to Gonzaga Athletics for the image
