Arizona basketball and Tommy Lloyd are sticking together.
Lloyd announced that he’ll be remaining at Arizona during a press conference on Friday ahead of the No. 1 Wildcats’ Final Four semifinal with No. 1 Michigan on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Terms of the Deal
After continued speculation of his name fitting anywhere other than Arizona, the school has reached an agreement with Lloyd to keep their coach in Cactus State for the next five years, according to a report on Friday by On3.
Another report by CBS Sports, said Lloyd’s new contract could be worth as much as $7.2 million annually.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple (of) days. Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart.”
Lloyd touched on the UNC opening below:
Flirting with North Carolina?
Lloyd was at the center of North Carolina’s coaching search after the ACC school fired Hubert Davis following a 24-9 run and early exit at the hands of VCU in the NCAA Tournament.
UNC is easily the most-lucrative job in the country right now, and CBS Sports is reporting that Lloyd turned down some big dollars to remain the head coach of the Wildcats.
Lloyd boats a .792 winning percentage with 148 total wins since stepping into Arizona job in 2021. Together, Arizona and Lloyd produced two Pac-12 regular-season titles and their first Big 12 title this season as the No. 1 seed in the West Region.
Furthermore, Lloyd has been adamant about his focus on Arizona and the season at hand. Doubling down by rejecting the UNC offer made it clear his ambitions are in Tuscon.
Lloyd has carved out his own place at Arizona, and this new contract means he’ll be the guy there through the end of the current decade. The conditions of his contract aren’t entirely available yet, but it’s safe to say the Wildcats have checked some pretty big boxes to keep Lloyd where he is.
It’s also a key win for the Big 12 coaching circle, which keeps one of its up-and-comers within the league.
