The hiring of Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd is sure to bring buzz surrounding the Arizona men’s basketball program as the Wildcats step into a new era.
It won’t be a job that comes without its challenges, as the program continues to deal with NCAA violations stemming from previous recruiting violations under Sean Miller.
Nevertheless, the prestigious program is still one of the top coaching destinations in all of college basketball. Although Arizona has lost a little bit of its luster over the last couple of seasons due to the dark cloud of NCAA allegations and discipline, Lloyd will look to turn that around.
In order to earn the position, he had to beat out many notable Arizona alums. Lloyd has an impressive resume while working under Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, and now he’ll look for his big opporunity in Tucson.
This move likely won’t come without some backlash from small circles of Wildcat supporters, however. Although Lloyd has a proven track record in Spokane, some were expecting an in-house hire.
Similar to the football program and the hiring of Jedd Fisch, only time will tell on whether Lloyd is ultimately the right choice. The jury is out, but Lloyd’s history of international recruiting, as well as how he has helped the Zags develop into the national limelight, won him the job.
He’s one of the best assistants in college basketball over the last decade. Here are some early reactions on the hire:
College Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman
ESPN College Basketball Insider Jeff Borzello
ESPN Analyst Dick Vitale
Sam Vecenie (Writer At The Athletic)
Karthik Venkataraman (Reporter, CBS Spokane)
Andrew Bell
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