Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd not interested in NBA after UNC interest

After major interest from the University of North Carolina, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd could eventually see the next step of that buzz, the same that was shown to his Final Four counterpart.

Michigan head coach Dusty May made the leap to the NBA after winning the national championship by joining the Dallas Mavericks, a followup to blowing the doors off the Wildcats in the Final Four.

Naturally, with Lloyd turning into one of the hottest coaching names in college basketball, it is logical to wonder if he would ever consider that jump.

“At this point, not really,” Lloyd said on CBS Sports’ Inside College Basketball Now with Jon Rothstein. “You never want to say never. And I would just say from this perspective, winning is hard.

“To have the hubris to think that I could walk in there and be successful — I don’t think that’s showing the respect to all the coaches that have tried and maybe struggled or failed at that level or the coaches that have had success. For me, I would definitely want to learn more about the NBA and the day-to-day stuff before I even went down that path.”

Lloyd considers May up for the task.

“With Dusty doing it, that’s exciting for him and I think Dusty is built for it,” he said. “I played against him a couple of times and he’s as sharp as any coach in the game today and I think he’s got a great perspective on things. I’m sure it’s going to be incredibly challenging and obviously he’s up for the challenge so I’m excited to cheer him on from afar.”

As far as the pursuit by the Tar Heels, who eventually took an unconventional route in hiring former NBA head coach Michael Malone, Lloyd reiterated his previous statements on how he couldn’t help but be enamored by the opportunity based on what the teenage version of himself would think of the mystique surrounding that program.

Lloyd, however, doesn’t like to move around too much. He spent over two decades at Gonzaga under Mark Few before waiting for the perfect fit, which turned out to be in Tucson.

“If you look at my history, I’m not a mover and shaker. … I’ve done one job interview and I’ve never filled out a resume until after I got the job,” Lloyd said.

“I really believe in compound return on your investment and that comes with time and relationships and so I feel like we have an opportunity to build something special here and I feel like I owe it to these fans this university to help recapture that and build upon those glory days,” he added.

Lloyd went on to say his family is now entrenched in Tucson, an area he said quickly turned into a hotspot for his family once a few started moving to the town.

“It’s a great fit with my family. … It all kind of blends together,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd will look to follow up on his historic five-year start by continuing to be the biggest threat in the Big 12 this upcoming season. While the conference saw tremendous roster overhaul with the transfer portal and players graduating, a slight drop-off that has the country’s best conference perhaps now trailing the Big Ten and SEC, Arizona’s opportunity to capitalize on that will be tricky.

The head honcho himself admitted to Rothstein there could still be more additions to the Wildcats’ roster, and that he’s still figuring out a “Plan A style of play” when it comes to how he will schematically design around the group.

It will be led by freshman guard Caleb Holt, a top-5 recruit who is one of the best the program has ever landed and a prospect who has a chance to go first overall in the 2027 NBA Draft if he has a good enough year. Beyond Holt, returning senior center Moteijus Krivas and sophomore wing Ivan Kharchenkov provide some continuity inside and outside. Krivas will make a run at Defensive Player of the Year, while it will be on the do-it-all glue guy Kharchkenov to expand his offensive game in Year 2.

The rest of the picture beyond that trio is what’s left to develop.

The lead guard spot alongside Holt will be either UNC transfer Derek Dixon or Washington transfer J.J. Mandaquit. The latter is the more traditional floor general in an undersized physique while Dixon is more of a combo guard like Holt. Neither really separated themselves at their previous schools, so while Dixon is reported as the starting point guard, the opportunity will be there for Mandaquit to push for the job if he shows enough command and skill of Lloyd’s offense.

That fifth starter spot is one that Lloyd will presumably leave open to competition, and he indicated to Rothstein it’s up in the air right now.

Four-star freshman forward Cameron Holmes brings the best tools as a well-balanced lefty who does a little bit of everything. If Lloyd wants to go with a bigger lineup, something he admitted to Rothstein, Nebraska transfer Ugnius Jarusevicius was productive two years prior at Central Michigan as a big before injuries derailed his big move to the Cornhuskers and he played only 11 minutes.

Like Lloyd did with Kharcheknov and has done many times in the past, his stellar track record recruiting internationally could come through once more. Endurance Aiyamenkhue is a mobile big and Maksim Brnovic has more on-ball tools with a 6-foot-10 frame.

Any of those four names showing out in the summer and a point guard emerging would not only give Lloyd more confidence that he’s got a concrete starting five but also help balance out the rest of the roster in the process. Regardless, Holt is the type of talent that could carry the entire team, and Lloyd will be confident with that no matter what.

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