Arizona basketball's office space is stuck in the Lute Olson era

While coach Tommy Lloyd occupies a McKale office UA expanded for then-coach Sean Miller in 2014, the Wildcats have only four much-smaller offices for five assistant coaches and five other staffers — all largely in the same footprint as they were during the Lute Olson era, when men's basketball staffs were smaller.

During an informal preseason media session Wednesday with the UA assistants in their offices, it became clear that six staffers were sharing a corner office once occupied by associate head coach Jim Rosborough before it was slightly enlarged.

Those six include assistant coach Evan Manning, basketball operations director Austin Torres, video/scouting director Liam Lloyd, and graduate assistants Coleman Chennault, Evan Nelson and Brooks Debisschop.

Pangos is expected to replace Ken Nakagawa, who left for the G League’s Salt Lake Stars last month after basically spending his off-court time at UA working on his laptop in the basketball conference room or locker room.

“Early on, he had a desk here, but…” Manning said of Nakagawa.

The six-person corner office is connected in a row to offices for assistant coach TJ Benson and Brandon Chappell, while associate head coach Jack Murphy sits in a small office directly next to Lloyd’s.

Benson inherited his space from former assistant coach Riccardo Fois, and said he hasn’t changed much of anything since then. While Benson has managed to file away his two dozen pairs of shoes on some lower shelves, the area above Benson’s desk features a row of decades-old framed Sports Illustrated covers and signed basketballs.

“I don’t think Ricky ever did anything with this,” Benson said of the wall, then gesturing to a framed photo of Fois talking to former UA center Deandre Ayton on the Phoenix bench when Fois worked for the Suns. Former Wildcats Oumar Ballo and Christian Koloko star in other framed photos nearby.

“I love Ricky but he coached Deandre so I’m trying to put these (new ones) in,” Benson said. "They have to get bolted in but I don’t know. At some point, I’ll get it replaced.”