University of Arizona Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke today announced Tommy Lloyd as the next head coach of the Arizona men’s basketball program. Lloyd has been an assistant coach at Gonzaga University for the past 20 seasons, helping to recruit and develop 19 All-Americans and 15 West Coast Conference players of the year and contributing to five straight 30-win seasons and a pair of appearances in the National Championship game.
Lloyd will receive a five-year contract, pending Board of Regents Approval.
“We are thrilled that Tommy and his family are joining the Wildcat Family and reestablishing our men’s basketball program among the elite in the nation,” said Heeke. “After speaking with a tremendous pool of candidates, and with so many in and out of the college basketball world, it became clear that Tommy has the passion, the experience, the knowledge, the coaching and recruiting acumen and the drive to lead us to championships. He has been a big part of the incredible rise and success of Gonzaga Basketball and is well-respected for his partnership with that program’s head coach, Mark Few. We are looking forward to what’s next, and we welcome Tommy, Chanelle and their children, Liam, Sophia Marie and Maria Alexis to Tucson.”
Lloyd, 46, served as an administrative assistant at Gonzaga for Few during the 2000-01 season before being promoted to assistant coach prior to the 2001-02 season. In his 20 seasons in Spokane, the Zags posted a record of 578-109 (.841) and reached the NCAA Tournament every year, going as far as the title game twice, the Elite Eight twice and the Sweet 16 four times. Gonzaga was also ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history in 2012-13 and then again ascended to the top spot in 2016-17, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.
“I am extremely grateful to President Robbins and Dave Heeke for the incredible opportunity to lead one of the country’s most storied men’s basketball programs,” said Lloyd. “While there are certainly potential obstacles ahead for our program, I embrace the challenge as we will build on the foundation in place to compete for PAC-12 and national championships. I know how much Arizona Basketball means to the institution, its fans, its community and the state, and I cannot wait to get started. That works begin now. My family and I are excited to settle in Tucson and begin a new chapter.”
During his tenure, Lloyd and the Zags have won 19 West Coast Conference regular season titles and 15 WCC Tournament championships with the help of 87 all-WCC honorees, including nine newcomers of the year and six defenders of the year.
“I want to thank Dave Heeke for his leadership in this process and the many basketball experts, coaches and former players who provided us with invaluable advice,” said President Robert C. Robbins. “Ultimately, Tommy rose to the top, and I am confident in the future of our men’s basketball program with him at the helm. With our women’s basketball program’s incredible run to the NCAA championship game just a week ago, and now with Tommy Lloyd taking the reins of our men’s program, I can proudly say Arizona Basketball is in good hands.”
Coach Lloyd was instrumental in the Zags signing and developing NBA players, including two-time NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis, Rui Hachimura, Kelly Olynyk, Zach Collins, Adam Morrison, Brandon Clarke, Kyle Wiltjer, Austin Daye, Robert Sacre, Ronny Turiaf, Jeremy Pargo and Elias Harris.
Lloyd has used his knowledge of the European game to help Gonzaga players earn professional contracts overseas while also helping to cultivate recruiting relationships that have led to the signing of international players such as Martynas Arlauskas (Lithuania), Joel Ayayi (France), Oumar Ballo (Mali) and Pavel Zakharov (Russia). Also included among his former players are Japanese National Team member Hachimura; Polish National Team member Przemek Karnowski; Lithuanian National Team member Sabonis (the son of Naismith Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis); Canadians Kevin Pangos, Olynyk and Sacre; Germans Harris and Mathis Mönninghoff; JP Baptista of Brazil; Frenchmen Turiaf, Killian Tillie and Mathis Keita; Filip Petrusev of Serbia; Guy Landry Edi of the Ivory Coast; and Addullahi Kuso of Nigeria.
The Zags have had one of the most potent offenses in the nation over the last 20 years, joining North Carolina and Duke as the only three schools in the country to average more than 80 points per game. Gonzaga also leads the country in overall field goal percentage (49.6%) and three-point field goal percentage (37.9%) in that span.
A 1993 graduate of Kelso High School in Washington, Lloyd went on to attend Walla Walla Community College for two seasons and was an All-Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges All-East Region selection in 1995. Following his graduation from WWCC, he finished his career at Whitman College, earning his degree in biology and a secondary teaching credential. He played professionally in Brisbane, Australia in 1997 and Dusseldorf, Germany in 1999.
Lloyd and his wife, Chanelle, were married in 1997 and have three children – Liam, Sophia Marie and Maria Alexis.
Tommy Lloyd named Head Basketball Coach at Arizona
