Why Arizona must do whatever it takes to make Tommy Lloyd happy | Michael Lev

The powers-that-be at the University of Arizona must ensure that it doesn’t happen.

Whatever it takes.

Lloyd’s future in Tucson has become an unfortunate sideshow as Arizona returns to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years. This column was written and published online before Lloyd met with the media in Indianapolis. You think the North Carolina rumors might come up? Have you Googled “Tommy Lloyd” lately?

Besides UNC being one of the most prestigious jobs in college basketball — and Lloyd emerging as one of the top coaches in the sport whose best days are ahead of him — what is driving all this chatter?

If Lloyd was completely content at Arizona, he would have shot down the rumors more forcefully than he had before heading to Indy. If there was a 0% chance that he’d leave, his representatives would have put the word out through back channels and a prominent national media figure who operates in that world would have tweeted it to the rest of the world by now.

Heck, that might happen before tipoff Saturday night. These things often move swiftly.

From every indication, Lloyd wants to be here. He wants this to be his “forever job” (my phrase, not his).

Lloyd turned 51 in December. He easily could be here another 15 years. He’s on his way to establishing a legacy surpassed only by Lute Olson, whom Lloyd shouted out during his postgame address when the Wildcats clinched their Final Four berth (more on that in a bit).

From every indication, Lloyd is happy here — for the most part. The caveat: I’ve heard something is amiss between Lloyd and his boss, UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois. Whether it’s simply contract-negotiation friction or a substantial fracture, well, it depends on whom you ask.

What, exactly, is the cause of this apparent discord? I keep going back to an answer Lloyd gave to what I thought was a softball question on March 9, the day he was named Big 12 Coach of the Year.

The question: “What role has the administration played in your success as a coach in terms of resources, support, etc.?”

Lloyd’s answer: “Those have been ongoing. It hasn't been easy for anybody in that thing. I think we've gotten the program to the point where it's gonna be resourced at the level it should be. I'm not going to get into specifics of what that is or isn't, but it's been a tough road for everybody — for the coaches, for the administration."

Hmm. Lloyd sure seemed to be implying that a disagreement arose at some point over resources, didn't he? Whether that's revenue-sharing, NIL or some combination thereof, it's what coaches value above all these days.

They also want to feel supported. They want clear and continuous communication. They want what UA football coach Brent Brennan refers to as “alignment.”

I don’t get the sense that Lloyd and Reed-Francois are aligned at the moment. Subject to change.

Whatever is going on, I don’t think it’s about Lloyd seeking a raise for himself. It might just be about leverage. Lloyd’s representatives know they have it. And there’s no better time to use it.

The guy behind the guys

What you just read might make you feel a certain way about Lloyd. Or Reed-Francois. Or both. Business is business, as they say.

What’s funny is that I don’t believe Lloyd is motivated by money. At all. He’s all about two things, as I see it: Coaching ball and building a culture of positivity and togetherness.

The reason that he’s The Guy — the perfect fit for this program and our city — has much more to do with the latter than the former.

If you believe that a team is a reflection of its coach, then the 2025-26 Wildcats are the personification of Tommy Lloyd. Returning, established veterans blending with big-time, five-star freshmen. All working together — sacrificing their individual glory and suppressing their egos — for the greater good.

Before the Wildcats left Tucson, I asked Lloyd how he knows whether the parts will fit together when he’s assembling a team. He talked about tangibles such as height and physicality. He talked about recruiting to an on-court identity. He also said this:

“I think you look at the personalities. Will the personalities mesh? Will the team settle into a hierarchy that is effective and they all accept?”

No one knows for sure whether that will happen. But Lloyd sure seems to have an intuition for it. Is any skill more valuable in modern-day coaching, where one misevaluation — one misappropriated seven-figure check — can undermine an entire season?

Invariably, when asked about a player’s development or productivity, Lloyd will begin by saying, “He’s a good guy.” Lloyd clearly makes character a priority. His system of sharing the basketball and the glory wouldn’t work otherwise.

Of course, Lloyd downplayed his role in making all the pieces fit.

“I don't want to sit here and act like I was some maestro or genius, because it's not like that,” Lloyd said.

“I don't want you to make me out like I had some magical vision. If I did, I would do it every year.”

Lloyd has the most wins — 148 — of any Division I men’s basketball coach in their first five seasons. So it’s not like this season is a fluke.

This isn’t one of those situations that we see all the time in college football and basketball where a coach has one breakthrough season and leverages it into an undeserved and ultimately burdensome contract extension. Tommy Lloyd isn’t Jerome Tang.

Lloyd has earned whatever he’s going to get from Arizona (or North Carolina).

The cost of losing him is far greater than what it’ll take to keep him.

Meaningful connections

We’ve all been fooled by coaches who portray themselves a certain way in public that’s different from how they are in private. Who have hidden agendas. Who are literally here today and gone tomorrow.

Lloyd doesn’t strike me as duplicitous. What you see is who he is. He’s genuine. That’s why he’s able to connect with players — who see through coaches who aren’t — and the Tucson community.

Lloyd’s homage to Olson likely was something he thought about beforehand; no Oscar acceptance speech is completely off the cuff. But it didn’t strike me as phony — i.e., “this is something I should say because it’ll make me more popular.”

Lloyd truly reveres Olson and respects what he was able to accomplish here, and he knows that UA fans feel the same way. That’s why it hit just right. Again, Lloyd has that knack.

He also has a sideline demeanor that every young coach should try to emulate. There’s no ranting, no raving, no overcoaching.

Although he also tried to downplay the story he told of pulling back and letting the players figure out their own second-half adjustments vs. Purdue in the Elite Eight, it was a telling anecdote about Lloyd’s approach. Phil Jackson coached the Bulls and Lakers that same way: Getting on his players in practice while giving them the freedom to solve their own problems during games. That’s how you learn and grow.

Lloyd has everything you could want in a coach. It’s up to the UA to do everything it can to make him happy.

Any alternative is unacceptable.