Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd watches the Wildcats defend a Zip offensive series in their game against Akron during the second half of their first-round game of the men’s NCAA Tournament in Seattle on March 21, 2025.
Tommy Lloyd‘s fourth Arizona recruiting class, blessed by five-star recruits, is generally ranked in the top five nationally. It’s a tribute to Lloyd’s work ethic and rising reputation in the game. It also reflects how times have changed. Lute Olson‘s fourth UA recruiting class, 1987, had just one player, point guard Matt Muehlebach of the Bay Area. How’d that turn out? Muehlebach went 64-0 at McKale Center in his UA career. It’s not always about gaudy numbers as it is commitment and improvement.
– UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois reorganized and re-staffed much of the UA’s marketing and fundraising departments in her first year. That was never more visible than last week when five-star recruit Brayden Burries announced on ESPN that he would attend Arizona at 9:51 a.m. At 10:27 a.m., I got a text and email from the UA athletic department that said “Lock in your seats today and don’t miss a moment of McKale Magic in ’25-26.” The UA followed a similar marketing campaign after NCAA victories over Oregon and Akron.
People are also reading…
Arizona football offensive line coach Charlie Dickey instructs his front line during a lull in action.
– Charlie Dickey’s football career began in 1983 when he became a starting offensive lineman at Arizona. He has made football his life’s work. Dickey last week was hired by Ohio State to be an assistant offensive line coach for the Buckeyes, which follows six years at Oklahoma State, 10 years at Kansas State, four years at Utah, one at Washington and 12 at Arizona. He also coached at NAU and Scottsdale Community College. Dickey holds a UA record that will probably never be broken: He played 1,230 consecutive offensive snaps as a Wildcat, never missing a down.
– Talk about a legacy: Arizona football coach Jim Young, who went 31-13 in four years (1973-76) at the UA, celebrates his 90th birthday this week. On Friday and Saturday, about 100 of his former players gathered at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort to help Young enjoy his birthday. Former UA defensive coordinator Tim Kish, now president of the Southern Arizona Chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame, arranged the two-day affair. Sweet. After being the head coach at Purdue and Army, Young returned to Tucson to coach Arizona’s offensive line in 1992-94, when the Wildcats went a combined 24-10-1, giving him a UA career of 54-23-1. No one has topped that.
Give former Arizona women's basketball coach Bonvicini her due | Greg Hansen
