Tommy Lloyd, the longtime top assistant to Mark Few at Gonzaga, is slated to be Arizona’s next men’s basketball coach, sources told CBS Sports. An official announcement is expected soon.
Lloyd beat out three former Arizona players/current coaches in varying capacities: Pacific head coach Damon Stoudamire, Arizona assistant Jason Terry and Lakers assistant Miles Simon. Arizona alum Josh Pastner also interviewed for the job, sources told CBS Sports.
Gonzaga has had an agreement with Lloyd for years to be Few’s successor whenever Few retires, but Arizona is regarded as a top-10 job in college basketball and this opportunity is too good to pass up. For Lloyd, 46, it’s a chance he’s been waiting for and one he’s earned. Alongside Few, he helped build Gonzaga’s program into one of the best in the sport.
Lloyd landed the job after interviewing with Arizona president Bobby Robbins on Saturday. Discussions slowed for a few days while Arizona circled back on candidates before taking next steps. Things accelerated Wednesday, when Lloyd became the clear choice. This will be his first job as a head coach.
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Lloyd’s hiring comes a week removed from Arizona’s delayed firing of Sean Miller, who went 302-109 in 12 years. Miller coached the past three seasons under a cloud of controversy after a former assistant pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges that landed him in prison for six months.
Miller was terminated with one year left on his deal but only fired after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. Robbins, who made the decision to hire Lloyd, put a self-imposed 2021 postseason ban on the program. Arizona’s season ended in early March, but it took Robbins more than a month to fire Miller anyway.
The timing of Miller’s firing lining up with Gonzaga’s run to the national championship game led to speculation in college basketball circles for more than a week that Lloyd was Arizona’s top target all along.
Arizona still awaits likely punishment from the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP). Sources told CBS Sports that it’s considered unlikely those punishments will be determined before 2022. It’s possible Lloyd’s first season will not include any discipline from the IARP. It also remains to be seen how impactful Miller’s ouster will be to that process and whether it leads to any lighter punishments.