For the first time since the Sweet 16 loss to Houston in the NCAA Tournament, Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd held a news conference on Thursday.ย
Lloyd, who nearly swept Coach of the Year awards, led the Wildcats to a 33-4 record and a Pac-12 championship outright in his first season at Arizona.ย
So, what now?ย
UA guard Bennedict Mathurin declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday, while others, such as Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry, continue to mull their decisions. The only guaranteed losses with Arizona's personnel are Mathurin and graduate transfer Justin Kier. The Wildcats currently have one player signed for 2022, two-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year Dylan Anderson from Phoenix, albeit there's a possibility commits from 2023, like five-star point guard Kylan Boswell and four-star wing KJ Lewis, could reclassify and join Arizona for the upcoming season.ย
Lloyd, on the one-year anniversary of his hiring, provided updates on the current state of the UA program; here's what he had to say:ย
Recapping Year One
โItโs been a little bit of an adventure. Itโs been humbling. โฆ Iโm excited to do it again.โ โ Tommy Lloyd on his first season at Arizona pic.twitter.com/5Sx1z5Vl1r
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Scholarships
โEverything is in flux. Weโll see.โ โ Tommy Lloyd on Arizonaโs scholarships for the 2022-23 season pic.twitter.com/CnRFnMtX3w
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Seeing the talent unfold throughout the summer, season
โAs it played out, I knew we had something.โ โ Tommy Lloyd on his first season at Arizona pic.twitter.com/zlVRKOlTQr
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Bringing toughness for 2023
Tommy Lloyd says one of the goals for the summer is to create toughness for physical matchups like the ones Arizona had against TCU and Houston. โEasier said than done.โ pic.twitter.com/I8qchhXiFI
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Mathurin's future as a pro
Tommy Lloyd on Bennedict Mathurin declaring for the NBA Draft: pic.twitter.com/39u0OmBfeL
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Promoting Mathurin
Tommy Lloyd on what he tells NBA scouts/execs about Bennedict Mathurin: pic.twitter.com/GUeQZVJPeC
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Adding Anderson for next season
โHe fits our culture. Stylistically, I think heโs gonna be a really good big here.โ โ Tommy Lloyd on Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year and 4-star forward Dylan Anderson pic.twitter.com/YQxa9jrTrh
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) April 14, 2022
Messages to Koloko for decision
Tommy Lloyd on his message to Christian Koloko regarding his decision to stay at Arizona or declare for the NBA draft:โโChoose wisely. These are big decisions that will impact the rest of your life.โโKoloko is projected as a late first-round to early second-round pick. pic.twitter.com/FqTSoEFPyM
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) April 14, 2022
Kerr Kriisa getting a driver's license
โThis is what I know: I think Kerr is a better shooter than a driver.โ โ Tommy Lloyd on Kerr Kriisa getting his driverโs license ๐๐ฏ pic.twitter.com/OtR27GREYv
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) April 14, 2022
Heckling and updating
This Tommy Lloyd-@BrucePascoe exchange was easily my favorite part of the press conference. ๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/F68sz4mPaM
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) April 14, 2022
