INDIANAPOLIS – Tommy Lloyd isn’t going anywhere.
Amid speculation that he could leave Arizona for the vacant North Carolina job, Lloyd and the Wildcats came to an agreement on a five-year contract extension Friday, and he broke the news of the deal during his media availability ahead of Saturday’s Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple days.”
North Carolina reportedly offered Lloyd a contract that would’ve paid him in the top two of coaches in the country, but he opted to remain at Arizona.
Lloyd, who will earn a base salary averaging $7.5 million, previously declined to address the situation, other than to say he was focused on his current team and winning a national championship.
“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger, but on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place,” said Lloyd, the longtime Gonzaga assistant who is 148-35 in five seasons at Arizona. “I mean, it’s a one of one. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.
“North Carolina is a first-class organization, and I appreciate them for the way they’ve handled this. Michael Jordan, the phone call never did happen, so I’ll put that to rest.”
Part of the contract includes a stipulation that Lloyd will now report to the school’s president, Suresh Garimella, rather than athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois.
There has reportedly been tension between Lloyd and Reed-Francois.
“I made a decision,” the 51-year-old Lloyd said, “that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr, and I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat.”
Bryce James, the younger of LeBron James’ two sons, is redshirting this season for Arizona.
Lloyd believes the 6-foot-5 guard has a lot of potential.
“Watching him practice yesterday I was like, wow, the progress he’s made — he probably doesn’t even realize how much better he’s gotten in the last six, seven, eight months,” the Arizona coach said.
“His body has changed. A lot of his fundamentals and techniques have really sharpened up. Once our season wraps up and everyone gets a little bit of a break, I’m excited to get back in the gym because I think there’s another big jump in him.”
