Not enough time has passed to create a definitive database on Tommy Lloydβs head coaching system, but there are growing indications it is somewhere between 40 Minutes of Hell (for opposing defenses) and footballβs Air Coryell.
More to the point, itβs Gonzaga 2.0, and we shouldnβt be surprised.
Through Thursdayβs games, Gonzaga led the NCAA in scoring with 89.3 points per game. Arizona was second with 88.9.
Arizona was No. 1 in assists with 21.8 per game; Gonzaga was ninth with 18.2.
What triggers points and assists? Defensive rebounding. Through Thursday, Gonzaga was No. 1 at 31.5 per game; Arizona was No. 2 at 31.
After Arizonaβs 76-55 victory over Colorado on Thursday, Buffaloes coach Tad Boyle told reporters βwe got our tails kicked on the backboards; we got manhandled in the paint.β Lloydβs interpretation: βDefense triggers offense.β
Buffaloes center Evan Battey said: βThey had all five players touch the ball before shooting. We can learn from that.β
After 14 games, it is becoming clear that while at Gonzaga, Lloyd was the equivalent of todayβs highly-respected and well-compensated college football offensive coordinators. There is no such title or recognition for college basketball assistant coaches, but if you compare the two sports, Lloydβs effectiveness at Gonzaga would be similar to a young Lincoln Riley calling plays on the Oklahoma staff or a young Ryan Day as Ohio Stateβs offensive coordinator.
Lloyd is forever modest. At a Q&A press session earlier this week, he referred to himself as βsitting in my little old silo.β Thatβs a clever description for someone who grew up in rural Western Washington, far from the big city lights.
The light now shines on Lloyd and his 13-1 Wildcats.
After beating Colorado, Lloyd again avoided taking any credit. βThese games are great teachers,β he said. βA lot of times theyβre better teachers than what we do in practice. You can harp and say something in practice, but sometimes itβs maybe a little tougher for it to sink in. But you get in a game, you get footage, you get film, and you can show guys and sit down and really learn from it. This team has been really good all year at learning from film.β
Heβs not just rolling the ball onto the court and letting the talent of a Bennedict Mathurin dictate terms.
Nor is Lloyd over-coaching, as so many in his profession do. I was watching Thursdayβs Stanford-Washington State game and WSU coach Kyle Smith, who never sits down and stops shouting at his players to do this and donβt do that. Kyle Smith exhibits the anti-Tommy Lloyd in-game coaching behavior.
If your players donβt know what to do before the game, how are they going to learn with thousands of fans making noise, with an opponent in their face?
Lute Olson became a Hall of Fame coach for being one of the most accomplished practice coaches in history. He expected his players to know every variable of his offenses and defenses, and not to look to him, shouting in-game instructions.
The most telling compliment Iβve heard about Lloyd came from Olsonβs No. 1 assistant, Jim Rosborough, a frequent visitor at Arizona practice sessions who Lloyd has wisely embraced and contacts for counsel.
βThis is the best passing team Iβve seen since Ralph Millerβs 1970 club at Iowa,β said Rosborough.
He would know. Rosborough, a former Hawkeye basketball player, was a front-row witness to Iowaβs historic undefeated Big Ten season of 1969-70. The Hawkeyes are one of just four undefeated Big Ten teams from 1910-75.
According to the Kenpom.com analytics, Lloyd’s club is No, 1 in college basketball in assists per made basket at 67.1%. Only one of Sean Miller’s 12 Arizona teams ever finished in the top 30.
Assists arenβt a sexy statistic. But they are among the most defining for a teamβs success. Until now, the No. 1 assists team in Arizona history was coach Fred Enkeβs 1950-51 squad. Those Wildcats averaged 20.6 assists per game.
Many will disregard a team of 71 years ago, but that would be to miss the point. Enkeβs β50-51 Wildcats were the best basketball team at Arizona in the schoolβs first 75 years of existence. They finished 24-5, became the first UA team to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, upset No. 1 CCNY and won the Border Conference at 15-1.
That Arizona team was ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll and had the schoolβs first-ever true All-American, Tucsonan Roger Johnson, who was a third-team selection. That team won by passing the ball with more effectiveness than any team in school history until now.
What worked in 1951 works in 2022.
Except for Lloydβs first Arizona team and Enkeβs 1950-51 team, no Wildcat club has averaged 20 assists per game β not even Olsonβs No. 1-ranked teams of 1987-88 (17.3) and 1997-98 (19.3).
In Gonzagaβs last two games, the Bulldogs had 28 assists against BYU and 26 against Pepperdine. In Arizonaβs last two games, the Wildcats had 28 assists against Washington and 20 against Colorado.
Thatβs not just a coincidence. What Lloyd left at Gonzaga he has re-created at Arizona.
Photos: Arizona Wildcats put a nervy first half behind them in a 76-55 win over Colorado, Pac 12 basketball