Arizona basketball coach Tommy Lloyd: 'It's our job on the way out to honor' Pac-12 legacy

So how does Tommy Lloyd really feel about playing in the nation’s best college basketball conference starting in 2024-25?

About facing Kansas, not Oregon? Kansas State, not Washington State? Baylor, not Stanford? 

Actions may have to speak more than words, for the time being at least.

During a brief news conference Monday that was scheduled to preview the Wildcats’ upcoming exhibition tour to Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Lloyd declined to speak in detail about Arizona’s move to the Big 12 starting in 2023-24. It’s a move that could benefit the school — and the Big 12 – more in men’s basketball than any other sport but Lloyd refused to toss any dirt on the gravely ill conference that Arizona is leaving behind.

“The Pac-12 Conference has been great to the University of Arizona over the years and really helped establish it as one of the premier athletic departments in the country,” Lloyd said. “I think it’s our job on the way out to honor that. We’re 100% focused on having a great season in the Pac 12.

“Then, after the season, we’ll start looking forward to the Big 12 but we’re not going to be distracted by it.”

Lloyd then put a quick stop to follow-up questions about the implications and rivalries ahead, pointing to his out of conference scheduling. He did add Alabama and three Big Ten teams to the Wildcats’ 2023-24 schedule, after all, an indication he just might sort of enjoy the furious competition ahead in the new league.

“Listen: I’m telling you how I feel. I’m OK with it,” Lloyd said. “But I don’t have a thousand responses to it, and I’m probably not going to give you the quote you want for it. I love a good challenge. You guys see how we schedule. We’re not half-stepping into this deal.”

Lloyd did say he had “tons of respect” for the Big 12, and knew a lot of its coaches personally. He also had the first-hand experience of getting to the NCAA title game as a Gonzaga assistant in 2020-21, only to watch Baylor pummel the Zags 86-70 to win it all.

“Yeah, it’s going to be an awesome challenge,” Lloyd said. “But my job is to win basketball games with this year’s team, and that’s where I’m going to keep my focus. You guys can speculate all you want and good luck with that.”

The two players UA made available for interviews, seniors Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson, had even less to say. While both are seniors who could wade into professional basketball next spring, they also have their COVID-year exceptions available should they wish to return in 24-25 and play a Big 12 schedule.

But who knows if that will happen. Certainly, it wasn’t top of their minds.

“It really doesn’t affect us right now,” Larsson said. “So I’m not too worried about any of that.”

When asked how the news hit them last Friday, when Oregon and Washington headed to the Big Ten while Arizona, ASU and Utah flipped to the Big 12, Ballo took the mic.

“The Pac-12 is really neat. I’m glad we play for the Pac-12,” Ballo said. “We still in the league so we’ve got nothing but respect for the Pac-12 and also the Big 12 is a new challenge, so we’ll make the best out of it.”

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Full roster on hand

After playing for Spain in the FIBA U18 European Championships last month, freshman guard Conrad Martinez made it to Tucson in time for the Wildcats’ final few practices before they leave Wednesday for Israel, giving Lloyd a look at his entire 2023-24 roster for the first time.

Big men Motiejas Krivas (Lithuania) and Henri Veesaar (Estonia) earlier made it to Arizona after both played in the U20 European Championships, while Lithuanian freshman forward Paulius Murauskas arrived earlier in July. Transfers Caleb Love (North Carolina), Keshad Johnson (SDSU) and Jaden Bradley (Alabama) have spent most of the summer in Tucson, as has freshman guard KJ Lewis.

Murauskas “has really had a nice couple of practices back to back, which is fun to see, and all the other guys have made progress,” Lloyd said. “It’s a dedicated crew.”

Because they are taking the exhibition tour, the Wildcats have been allowed to hold 10 full-length practices, going through their ninth on Monday. They are scheduled to hold a final Tucson practice on Tuesday before heading to Phoenix on Tuesday night in advance of Wednesday flights to Tel Aviv.

The little boss

Lloyd joked that he is looking to trademark an “El Jefecito” nickname for Martinez, who is listed generously at six feet but plays with an unmistakable confidence.

“He’s a sparkplug and I think he showed well his first practice,” Lloyd said. “He’s a great little guy. Tons of energy. I’m really excited for him.”

Jersey numbers mostly set

While the Wildcats won’t be wearing their usual, customized in-season uniforms in the Middle East – instead wearing a standard white version of their uniform that can be bought via retail – they have settled on jersey numbers for 2023-24.

The only conflict was “0,” the number Courtney Ramey vacated. Both Bradley and Johnson wore it last season, but Johnson will wear No. 16 (numbers ending larger than five are now allowed) and Bradley will get the zero.

Love will wear No. 2, Lewis No. 5, Krivas No. 14, Murauskas No. 23 and Martinez No. 55.

Arizona’s returning players will stick with their same numbers: Filip Borovicanin is No. 1, Larsson is No. 3, Kylan Boswell is No. 4, Ballo is No. 11, Veesaar is No. 13 and Dylan Anderson is 44.