The Arizona Wildcats have officially hired longtime Gonzaga assistant head coach Tommy Lloyd as their new Head Coach. This move comes after the Arizona program decided to move on from former Head Coach Sean Miller. Lloyd has been a part of some of Gonzaga’s best rosters and helped bring in a handful of five-star recruits lately. The Bulldogs just came off a phenomenal season where they fell just short in the National Championship game.
BREAKING: Arizona is set to hire Gonzaga Coach-in-Waiting Tommy Lloyd, sources told @stadium.
HUGE upside. Terrific recruiter, has had major coaching responsibilities with Mark Few, and helped build the Zags program into what it is.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 14, 2021
The Arizona program has been struggling since the infamous FBI investigation revealed misconduct at Arizona and a handful of other schools. That combined with less than stellar performances forced the program’s hand with Miller and the current coaching staff. It became clear that the program and Miller himself both needed a clean break and fresh start away from each other. The Lloyd contract with Arizona will be five years long according to the school.
Lloyd has long been considered the best recruiter of international prospects coming into college basketball. When asked about that he responded with the following. “There was never a master plan, it was just one day at a time. One phone call, one relationship, one recruit. And then once you start having success, more opportunities present themselves.” This is widely being considered a home run hire by the Arizona Wildcats. Lloyd has long been viewed as a top assistant that deserves a shot as a Head Coach. The Gonzaga assistant was seemingly content staying with the program until this year. He will finally get a shot at being the man in charge.
