By R.L. Bynum
Tommy Lloyd put an end to the speculation Friday, making it clear he isn’t leaving Arizona for the opening at North Carolina.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said, settling the question that had followed him throughout Final Four week during a Friday press conference in Indianapolis. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple days, and I really appreciate [school] President [Suresh] Garimella, [Chief Financial Officer] John Arnold and [Athletics Director] Desireé [Reed-Francois] for showing a real commitment to our program. Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place that always comes from the bottom of my heart.”
After the press conference, Arizona announced that Lloyd’s contract was extended through 2031.
Lloyd acknowledged the timing wasn’t ideal, especially with the sport’s biggest weekend underway, but he didn’t want the attention to drift too far from his team. At the same time, he understood the magnitude of what had been put in front of him.
“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that, because I’m just a small part of something much bigger,” he said. “But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. It’s a one of one, and it’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”
He reflected on how unlikely the moment would have seemed earlier in his life, when he was simply a fan of the sport.
“The young kid in me, the college basketball junkie watching those games at home, never would have thought something like that could have happened to somebody like me,” Lloyd said. “North Carolina is a first-class organization, and I appreciate them for the way they’ve handled this.”
There was even room for a bit of humor as he addressed some of the more far-fetched rumors tied to the job search, including one involving Michael Jordan.
“Michael Jordan, the phone call never did happen, so I’ll put that to rest,” Lloyd said. “But we all idolize MJ, and I don’t know how many hours I watched that ‘Come Fly With Me’ video, and my kid grew up watching the movie he made. It’s amazing that opportunity was even thought to be possible.”
In the end, though, Lloyd’s decision came back to where he feels he belongs. He invoked not just Jordan, but also Steve Kerr, tying his basketball influences to his current reality.
“With that being said, I made a decision,” Lloyd said. “Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, and I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat.”
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