Tommy Lloyd has gone from one West Coast powerhouse to another and he’s embracing all the expectations that come with that type of a move.
Speaking Monday in his first ever appearance on the College Hoops Today Podcast, Lloyd was candid about what he feels is realistic during his first year as Arizona’s head coach after serving as Mark Few’s top assistant at Gonzaga for over two decades.
“I expect Arizona to be an NCAA Tournament team next year and a team that can win games in the NCAA Tournament,” Lloyd said on the College Hoops Today Podcast. “I want to see how the roster winds up, but I like the foundation. I think this team has the ability to win a lot of games and be really competitive. I feel great about the foundation.”
The Wildcats return five of their top nine scorers — Azuolas Tubelis, Ben Mathurin, Dalen Terry, Kerr Kriisa, and Christian Koloko — from last season’s team that finished 17-9 under Sean Miller. Arizona was ineligible for the postseason last year due to a self-imposed ban.
Lloyd has also added two potential starters in transfers Oumar Ballo (Gonzaga) and Pelle Larsson (Utah).
The 6-5 Larsson should have an immediate impact on the perimeter.
“He reminds me a lot of a guy we had at Gonzaga in Matt Bouldin,” Lloyd said of Larsson, who averaged 8,.2 points last season.
Arizona is currently 40th in the ROTHSTEIN 45.
