The University of Arizona and men’s basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd have agreed on a five-year contract extension that will keep Lloyd in Tucson until at least 2029, pending approval by the Arizona Board of Regents.
“Tommy has proven to be a championship coach, an exceptional leader and recruiter, and has reinvigorated Wildcat pride by transforming the University of Arizona men’s basketball program back into one of the top programs in the nation. We are thrilled that he will remain a Wildcat for years to come,” said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. “Thanks to the generosity of many in our community who love and support this university and are invested in its future, donor funds have been secured to cover the full cost increase of the extension.”
Donor funds have been secured to fully cover the increase in Lloyd’s university-paid compensation throughout the term of the extension. The five-year agreement includes total compensation of $5,250,000 in year one escalating to $6,000,000 in year five. Total compensation includes base salary and additional duties pay plus annual funding from agreements with Nike and Learfield.
Since arriving at Arizona in 2021, Lloyd has led the Wildcats to an 81-16 overall record, including going 43-11 in Pac-12 Conference play. He set the NCAA record for most wins by a head coach through his first two seasons with 61, while guiding Arizona to the 2022 Pac-12 regular season championship and back-to-back Pac-12 Tournament titles in 2022 and 2023.
Arizona has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for 52 straight weeks (including Feb. 5 poll) under Lloyd and inside the top 10 for 41 of those weeks (as of Feb. 12). Arizona Basketball reached the No. 1 overall ranking in the AP poll earlier this season for the first time in a decade.
“I am humbled and grateful to finalize a long-term extension here at the University of Arizona. I am energized by the support of our fans, our players, our alumni, President Robbins, the Board of Regents and our donors,” said Lloyd. “All of us are aligned on maintaining a highly competitive and nationally recognized basketball program that provides a great experience for the student athletes. We will continue to honor the Wildcat basketball heritage and give everything we have to make people proud to say ‘Bear Down!'”
In his first season, the Wildcats won the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen with Lloyd named as the National Coach Year by the Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association, as well as being named the Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year. The following season, the program earned yet another berth to the NCAA Tournament.
McKale Center continues its legacy as one of the top venues in the country during Lloyd’s tenure. The program led the Pac-12 Conference in attendance in each of his first two seasons as head coach and is on pace to lead the league this season as well. By leading the conference in attendance in 2023-24, Arizona will extend its streak as the Pac-12’s attendance leader for a 40th consecutive season. Lloyd’s teams have continued the program’s dominance at home on the court as well, winning 95% of home games during the last three seasons.
It has also been a record-setting time in the classroom for the Wildcats, having twice set a new program record for semester GPA. Most recently, the team posted a GPA of 3.159 in the Fall 2023 semester, the best team GPA in a semester in program history, overtaking the previous record of 3.14 in the Spring 2022 semester.
Lloyd’s coaching excellence at Arizona has also elevated his place at the highest international levels of basketball. He was recently named the head coach of the USA Basketball U18 National Team for the 2024 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup.
