Mike Woodson will step down as IU basketball coach after the 2024-25 season. Athletic director Scott Dolson is currently searching for the program’s 31st head coach.
Inside the Hall will examine many of the candidates being discussed for the job over the coming days and weeks. Our eighth profile takes a look at Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd.
Previously: Dusty May, Scott Drew, Mick Cronin, Greg McDermott, Buzz Williams, T.J. Otzelberger, Ben McCollum
Tasked with restoring a storied program upon his hiring in 2021, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd has been a consistent winner since.
Lloyd — currently in his fourth year with the Wildcats — boasts a 107-30 record with a 60-18 mark in conference play. The 50-year-old has long been regarded as a strong recruiter, particularly with international players.
A native of Kelso, Washington, Lloyd’s playing career took him overseas to Australia and Germany before he transitioned to coaching. He joined Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga in 2000 as an administrative assistant and he was promoted to a full-time assistant coach the following year.
In 20 seasons at Gonzaga, Lloyd became one of the most prominent assistants in the country. He continuously declined interviews for potential head coaching jobs. According to an ESPN article from 2020, Lloyd’s contract included a guarantee that he’d become the Bulldogs coach whenever Few decided to retire.
Thanks largely to Lloyd’s efforts, Gonzaga compiled its first No. 1 ranked recruiting class in 2012-13. Among the NBA players to come through Spokane, Lloyd was instrumental in bringing in stars such as Rui Hachimura, Domantas Sabonis, Brandon Clarke, Zach Collins, Kelly Olynyk and Adam Morrison.
Lloyd also brought in Oumar Ballo, who transferred to Arizona before joining Indiana this season. Though Lloyd was instrumental in constructing Gonzaga’s dynasty, when Sean Miller was fired from Arizona following the NCAA tournament in 2021, Lloyd jumped for one of the most coveted jobs in the sport.
Almost instantly, Lloyd found success. The Wildcats went 33-4 in his first season, marking the second-most wins in NCAA history for a head coach in his first season. Lloyd was named Pac-12 coach of the year and the Associated Press coach of the year. Arizona won both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles, though its season ended in the Sweet Sixteen.
The following year, in 2022-23, Arizona finished second in the Pac-12 and again took home the conference tournament title. Despite advancing to the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed, the Wildcats were dramatically upset by No. 15 seed Princeton in the first round. Even so, his 61 wins through two seasons set a new NCAA record.
Last year, Lloyd guided Arizona to a second Pac-12 regular season championship in three years. Caleb Love earned conference player of the year honors and both Ballo and Pelle Larsson were named to all-conference teams. The Wildcats earned another No. 2 seed for the NCAA tournament, though they fell to Clemson in the Sweet Sixteen.
This season has been much of the same for Lloyd. Arizona is currently tied for second behind Houston in the Big 12 standings and leads the conference in scoring. The Wildcats — who have been defined by pace and efficiency under Lloyd — rank No. 18 nationally in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com.
It’s easy to see why Lloyd might be an attractive candidate for Indiana. After two decades as one of the top assistants in the nation, Lloyd has quickly built an impressive resume with the Wildcats. Hardly having any hiccups in his first stint as head coach, it’s worth wondering if Lloyd could mirror that success in Bloomington.
However, after signing a five-year extension recently, it could also be worth questioning his interest in leaving for another job. Lloyd had a hefty buyout of $12 million in his original contract, which could be an obstacle in pursuing him.
It would be worthwhile for the Hoosiers to do their due diligence on Lloyd, especially given his prowess as a recruiter. But given the recent contract extension, Lloyd could be content staying in Tucson for the long haul.
(Photo credit: University of Arizona Athletics)
Category: Coaching search
Filed to: Tommy Lloyd
