Calling him "a first-class individual" who "knows the ins and the outs of championship-level basketball," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd announced Thursday that he has hired veteran assistant coach Steve Robinson to the Wildcats' staff.
The news comes more than a week after multiple media reports confirmed by the Star said the former Kansas and North Carolina assistant would be joining the Wildcats' bench in Lloyd's first year.
The 63-year-old Robinson replaces Jason Terry, who left the UA last month for a job in the G League. Lloyd indicated when Terry left that he would pursue a veteran assistant, and Robinson certainly fits the bill. Robinson won three national championships and made eight Final Four appearances as Roy Williams' trusted assistant at both North Carolina and Kansas.
"That experience will be an invaluable asset to our team and our program," Lloyd said in a news release. "We look forward to welcoming Coach Robinson and his wife, Lisa, to Tucson and the Arizona Basketball family."
Robinson played collegiately at Radford, and coached at his alma mater for three seasons before moving on to Cornell. He joined Williams at Kansas in 1988, and stayed there for seven seasons before being named head coach at Tulsa. He ran the Golden Hurricane program for two seasons before being named head coach at Florida State. He spent five years in Tallahassee before he was fired.
Robinson went back to Kansas for one year as an assistant before following Williams to North Carolina in 2003. He stayed with the Tar Heels until this spring, when Williams retired. Robinson was not retained by new coach Hubert Davis, who instead packed his bench with former UNC players.
Robinson said in a news release that he was thankful to Lloyd "for this opportunity to join his staff at a place with the history and tradition like the University of Arizona."
"We have gotten to know each other over the years, and I know relationships are very important to him, so I can't wait to start building those relationships on and off the court with the rest of the staff and the young men in this program," he said.
Robinson joins a new-look coaching staff that includes returning assistant Jack Murphy and two support-staffers, TJ Benson and Jason Gardner, who have collegiate experience. Lloyd has moved to hire former Phoenix Suns player development coach Riccardo Fois as his third assistant sometime this month, pending the hiring process that includes his work visa status as an Italian citizen.
