Wikipedia

Tommy Lloyd

For the English footballer, see Tommy Lloyd (footballer). For other people with similar names, see Tom Lloyd.

Tommy Lloyd (born December 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach who is the current head coach at the University of Arizona of the Big 12 Conference.[1] His 61 wins in the first two seasons are the most for any head coach in NCAA Division I history.[2]

Tommy Lloyd
Lloyd with Arizona in 2021
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamArizona Wildcats
ConferenceBig 12
Record94–25 (.790)
Annual salary$5.25 Million
Biographical details
Born (1974-12-21) December 21, 1974 (age 50)
Kelso, Washington, U.S.
Alma materWhitman
Playing career
1993–1995Walla Walla CC
1995–1996CSU–Pueblo
1996–1998Whitman
Position(s)Small forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2000–2001Gonzaga (admin. asst.)
2001–2021Gonzaga (assistant)
2021–presentArizona
National
2024–presentUSA U-19
Head coaching record
Overall94–25 (.790)
Tournaments4–3 (NCAA Division I)
7–1 (Pac-12)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
Medal record
Head coach for  United States
FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place 2024 Argentina

In the summer of 2024, he was the head coach of the United States men's national under-19 basketball team at the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Buenos Aires.[3]

Playing career

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Born and raised in Kelso, Washington, Lloyd graduated from Kelso High School in 1993. During his senior year, he led the Hilanders to a 21–4 record and to the WIAA state 4A tournament, their first appearance in fifteen years.[4]

Lloyd began his collegiate career at Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla; his 52 points against Treasure Valley Community College still stands as the school's single-game record.[5] In his sophomore season, he averaged over twenty points per game and was selected to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (now Northwest Athletic Conference) Eastern All-Star team. After graduating from WWCC, Lloyd transferred to Colorado State University–Pueblo. After one year with the ThunderWolves, he returned to Walla Walla to play his senior season at Whitman College,[6][7] and graduated in 1998.

Lloyd played professionally in Australia and Germany.

Coaching career

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Gonzaga

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According to a 2020 story by ESPN journalist Jeff Borzello, Lloyd's journey to his assistant coach position at Gonzaga actually began while he was playing in junior college. At the time, Gonzaga was still recruiting in Walla Walla's conference. After watching Lloyd, Gonzaga coach Dan Monson told him that he would not be offered a scholarship, but that if he ever wanted to go into coaching, he should give Monson a call. He made the call to Monson after his Whitman career, but had to back out once receiving an opportunity to play overseas. After his playing career, he and his wife Chanelle spent several months backpacking on several continents before he decided to begin a coaching career. By that time, Monson had left for Minnesota immediately after Gonzaga's 1999 Elite Eight run, and his top assistant Mark Few had replaced him as the Zags' head coach. Few honored the tacit agreement Monson had made with Lloyd, and Lloyd joined the men's basketball staff as a volunteer administrative assistant in 2000, becoming a full-time assistant the next year.[8][9]

Lloyd soon became Gonzaga's key international recruiter. He began to develop a niche as an international recruiter early in his tenure on Few's staff. In Borzello's story, Few recalled that one area where he wanted Lloyd to develop was recruiting, telling him that in order to become an assistant at a top program, he needed a niche. Few told Borzello,

He loved traveling over in Europe. And I told him, hey, if you want to make it in this business, you gotta develop a niche, you gotta have something different than somebody else. There's so many guys in this business, you have to separate yourself. So he kind of figured out like, "Hey, I can figure out how to do this European thing and see if I can establish a network and trust, you know, some real expertise over there." And he's done that.[9]

Among the international players that Lloyd has played a role in recruiting are former Bulldogs Mario Kasun (Croatia), Ronny Turiaf (France), J.P. Batista (Brazil), Abdullahi Kuso (Nigeria), Robert Sacre (Canada), Kelly Olynyk (Canada), Elias Harris (Germany), Kevin Pangos (Canada), Przemek Karnowski (Poland), Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Rui Hachimura (Japan), Killian Tillie (France), Filip Petrušev (Serbia), Joël Ayayi (France), Martynas Arlauskas (Lithuania), Pavel Zakharov (Russia), and Oumar Ballo (Mali).[10][11][12][13] Lloyd has also been integral in developing NBA players for Gonzaga like Turiaf, Adam Morrison, Jeremy Pargo, Austin Daye, Sacre, Olynyk, Kyle Wiltjer, Sabonis, Zach Collins, Hachimura, and Brandon Clarke.

Lloyd had previously turned down numerous interview requests for head-coaching positions during his Gonzaga tenure. He was contractually guaranteed of becoming the Bulldogs' next head coach upon Few's departure. Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth said, "Tommy has it in writing from me and the [university] president that says, as long as he's here, when Mark retires, it's your job. He's got a document. I've got a document. The president's got a document. Our general counsel has a document. It's his job."[9] However, in 2021, Lloyd left Gonzaga for the head-coaching position at the University of Arizona.

Arizona

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Two weeks after the 2021 NCAA tournament ended, Lloyd was announced as a candidate for the vacant head-coaching position at Arizona, which had been led the previous 12 seasons by Sean Miller. On April 15, 2021, Lloyd was introduced as Arizona's 18th head basketball coach.[14] Coach Lloyd earned his first win in his first collegiate game as a head coach on November 9, 2021, beating Northern Arizona 81–52.[15] Two weeks after his first career coaching victory, he earned his first victory over a ranked opponent, No. 4 Michigan, 80–62 to win the Roman Main Event and start the season 5–0.[16] Also with his 5–0 start, Coach Lloyd became the first in division I history to win his first five games, win by an average of 30 points per game & beat an AP top-5 team. Arizona entered the top 25 AP Poll for the first time under Coach Lloyd at Number 17, on November 22, 2021.[17] On December 5, Coach Lloyd defeated his first Pac-12 opponent in his first Pac-12 game, the Oregon State Beavers, 90–65.[18] In the December 13, 2021 AP poll, Arizona reached the top 10 for the first time under coach Lloyd, coming in at number 8.[19] Coach Lloyd lost the first game of his career & season in Knoxville on December 22, 2021, 73–77 against no. 19 Tennessee.[20] On January 17, 2022, Arizona made it into the top 5 for the first time under Coach Lloyd, coming in at no. 3 in the AP poll. It was the program's first time in the top 5 since the 2017–18 season.[21] The AP poll's update on February 21, 2022, placed Arizona no. 2 in the nation, following only Lloyd's former team, Gonzaga. Coach Lloyd & the Arizona Wildcats would win their 1st regular season conference title under Lloyd & 17th overall as a program with a 91–71 win over USC. After defeating Cal in the final regular season game, 89–61, Arizona & Coach Lloyd became the first program & coach to win 18 conference games in one season. They earned the Number 1 seed in the 2022 Pac-12 tournament. Coach Lloyd & Arizona would go on to defeat Stanford 84–80 in the Quarterfinals, Colorado 82–72 in the Semifinals & UCLA 84–76 in the finals to win Arizona’s eighth conference tournament title overall & Coach Lloyd’s first. Following the end of the season Coach Lloyd won the AP Coach of the Year, NABC Coach of the Year & USBWA Coach of the Year.[22][23]

Before the 2022–23 season, Arizona had three players, Bennedict Mathruin (Pacers), Dalen Terry(Bulls) & Christian Koloko (Raptors) taken in the 2022 NBA draft. Arizona would begin the season 6–0, which included winning the 2023 Maui Invitational with wins over No.17 San Diego State & No. 10 Creighton.[24] The team also played in the Las Vegas Clash, a neutral site game against No. 14 Indiana, which Arizona won 89–75.[25] Arizona's last big non-conference matchup would feature a home game against No. 6 Tennessee, with Arizona winning 75–70.[26] Arizona & Coach Lloyd would end the non-conference part of the schedule with a record of 12–0. Lloyd would become the fastest coach to 50 wins, doing so in 57 games, with a 58–52 win over their rival No. 5 UCLA, it was Arizona's 5th win over a ranked team during the season.[27] Arizona would end the season losing to their rival in Los Angeles, 73–82, giving them an overall record of 25–6 & 14–6 in conference play. They would enter postseason play ranked No. 8 overall & the No. 2 in the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Arizona defeated No. 10 seed Stanford Cardinal 95–84, which was his 59th career win, the most of any head coach to start their coaching career.[28] Arizona defeated Arizona State in the Semifinals, 78-59. Arizona then defeated rivals UCLA 61-59 to win Arizona’s ninth conference tournament title overall, and the second title in a row. He became the first power conference head coach to win his conference tournament championships in his first two seasons as head coach.[29] Arizona earn a No. 2 seed in the South Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with a first round match up against Ivy League Champion and No. 15 seed Princeton. Arizona was upset 55–59, ending their season with an overall record of 28–7. His 61 wins through his first two seasons as head coach are the most in Division I history.[30]

Notable players coached

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  • Bennedict Mathurin (6th overall pick of 2022 NBA draft)
  • Dalen Terry (18th overall pick of 2022 NBA draft)
  • Christian Koloko (33rd overall pick of 2022 NBA draft)
  • Pelle Larsson (44th overall pick of 2024 NBA draft)

United States

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Lloyd became the head coach of the United States under-19 men's national basketball team in 2024.[31] Lloyd coached the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup in Buenos Aires, Argentina from June 3–9, 2024 alongside his assistant coaches Grant McCasland (Texas Tech University) and Micah Shrewsberry (University of Notre Dame).[32] The team won gold by going 6–0, winning by an average of 41.5 points.[33] With the win the team qualified for the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.[34]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Arizona Wildcats (Pac-12 Conference) (2021–2024)
2021–22 Arizona 33–4 18–2 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2022–23 Arizona 28–7 14–6 T–2nd NCAA Division I Round of 64
2023–24 Arizona 27–9 15–5 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
Arizona Wildcats (Big 12 Conference) (2024–present)
2024–25 Arizona 6–5 0–0
Arizona: 94–25 (.790) 47–13 (.783)
Total: 94–25 (.790)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Personal life

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Tommy Lloyd and his wife Chanelle built a new house in Spokane in 2018, with a "video game system covered in Gonzaga paraphernalia in the basement." They have two daughters and two sons, including Liam, who plays basketball at Northern Arizona University. During the construction of their former home, the family lived in the childhood home of Bulldogs legend and Hall of Famer John Stockton.[9] Since becoming coach at Arizona, Lloyd has become an avid pickleball player.[35] His favorite band is Beastie Boys.

Awards, records and achievements

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NCAA

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AP Coach of the Year (2022)

NABC Coach of the Year (2022)

USBWA Coach of the Year (2022)

2nd most wins in three seasons with 88 (Brad Stevens)[36]

Most wins in first two seasons with 61[2]

2nd most wins in first seasons with 33 (Bill Guthridge)

Pac-12 Conference

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Longest home court winning streak to start career with 26[37]

First power conference coach to win his conference tournament in his first two seasons[38]

First and only Pac-12 coach to win 18 regular season conference games[38]

Fastest coach to 50 wins (57 Games)[27]

Arizona

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First Arizona coach to win 20 games in first three seasons[39]

References

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  1. ^ "Arizona expected to hire Gonzaga's Tommy Lloyd".
  2. ^ a b "Arizona advances to Pac-12 semis with win over Stanford".
  3. ^ "Lloyd Named Head Coach of 2024 USA Basketball U18 National Team".
  4. ^ "WIAA Tournament History: School Information". Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Walla Walla Community College Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Walla Walla Community College. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  6. ^ "Whitman Adds Talented Newcomers to Solid Corps of Returning Starters". Whitman.edu. 22 November 1996. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  7. ^ Jim Bucham (2 February 2010). "Kelso grad Lloyd a key component of Zags' success". The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  8. ^ Coach Bio: Tommy Lloyd - GONZAGA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
  9. ^ a b c d Borzello, Jeff (February 26, 2020). "Gonzaga's Tommy Lloyd helped construct — and is heir to the throne of — a remarkable hoops dynasty". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "Karnowski blossoming into Gonzaga's next standout foreign big man". Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  11. ^ "International pipeline of big men helps fuel Gonzaga's success". USA Today. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  12. ^ "Next international wave will set up Zags for a while, says GU's Lloyd". December 9, 2015.
  13. ^ "Gonzaga lands promising French recruit". April 27, 2017.
  14. ^ "Arizona Names Tommy Lloyd as Men's Basketball Head Coach". Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  15. ^ "Arizona opens Lloyd era with 81-52 win over Northern Arizona".
  16. ^ "Arizona dominates No. 4 Michigan 80-62 to win Roman Main Event".
  17. ^ "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 3". AP News.
  18. ^ "#11 Arizona Surges to 90-65 Win at Oregon State". Arizonawildcats.com.
  19. ^ "Arizona Wildcats climb 3 spots in AP rankings after win at Illinois". Arizonasports.com.
  20. ^ "No. 19 Tennessee hands No. 6 Arizona first loss 77-73".
  21. ^ "AP Top 25 Poll, week 11". Associated Press News.
  22. ^ "Arizona's Tommy Lloyd wins AP men's coach of the year". Associated Press News.
  23. ^ "NABC Coach of the Year Awards". NABC.
  24. ^ "Aloha Arizona! Wildcats Win Maui Jim Maui Invitational!".
  25. ^ "No. 10 Arizona tops No. 14 Indiana 89-75 in Vegas clash".
  26. ^ "No. 9 Arizona outlasts No. 6 Tennessee in physical 75-70 win".
  27. ^ a b "No. 11 Arizona locks down No. 5 UCLA to snap Bruins' 14-game win streak".
  28. ^ "Arizona Basketball | Tommy Lloyd on having most wins all-time in first two years as a coach | March 9, 2023".
  29. ^ "First power conference head coach".
  30. ^ "NCAA Record for most wins in first two seasons".
  31. ^ "2024 USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Coaching Staffs Announced".
  32. ^ "2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup".
  33. ^ "USA Basketball Captures Seventh Straight Gold Medal at the 2024 FIBA Men's U18 AmeriCup".
  34. ^ "2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup".
  35. ^ "March Madness Confidential: Arizona Head Coach Tommy Lloyd plays pickleball".
  36. ^ "NCAA Tournament notebook: Sweet 16 win would tie Tommy Lloyd for most victories in 1st 3 seasons".
  37. ^ "Seen and heard: Tommy Lloyd extends historic home winning streak, Kylan Boswell shines".
  38. ^ a b "Tommy Lloyd Bio".
  39. ^ "Tommy Lloyd confident in winning formula".
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