On the day Tommy Lloyd was hired as Arizona's basketball coach in April 2021, he held a series of Zoom calls with former Arizona basketball names such as Miles Simon, Damon Stoudamire and Sean Elliott.
From the beginning, Lloyd got it. He wasn't a conquering hero. He was part of a family. He would protect, grow and cultivate what had been created 40 years earlier.
"I can't wait to wrap my arms around these guys and ask them to help me on this journey," Lloyd said that day.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd gets a hug as the team and staff celebrate their Elite Eight win against Purdue in San Jose, Calif., March 27, 2026.
At the recent Sweet 16 victory over Arkansas, "these guys" sat in the stands and cheered for the man who has promoted and cultivated what they had helped to create — Jud Buechler, Kenny Lofton, Matt Muehlebach, Pete Williams, Matt Othick, Steve Kerr and Tom Tolbert.
"It's been a joy to be with these guys," said Lloyd. The feeling is mutual.
From the beginning, Lloyd has been a connector. He has been a laid-back, positive force whose goal has been to spread joy in a basketball program that had become dark and cheerless. In a game that has had a disturbing evolution into one of angry, over-stressed coaches yelling at their players and the referees, Lloyd has remained composed and upbeat.
Who wouldn't want to pay him a gazillion dollars to give their basketball program a facelift?
Lloyd may not be a Wildcat for life, but, hey, he's only 51. He's got another 15 or 20 years to wrap his arms around a community that loves him back.
