INDIANAPOLIS — North Carolina needs a head coach and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd continues to come up as a candidate.
As the Wildcats readied to hit the court at Lucas Oil Stadium ahead of the Final Four, Lloyd is facing questions about his commitment to Arizona.
“Listen, I’ve got my full focus on this team. Nothing is distracting me. That’s just how I’ve decided to approach it. I’m excited. I thought we had a really good practice today. I’m excited to play and for our practice tomorrow,” Lloyd said Thursday. ” … I’m a simple guy. I am kind of just one thing at a time. I’m not a multitasker. You can ask my wife. I’m 100 percent locked in on Arizona basketball right now, and I’m excited to see what this team can do.
“I have a real strong belief in this team, and this team deserves my full attention, so that’s what I’m giving them.”
Lloyd was linked to the opening at Villanova last spring but held firm on his commitment to Arizona. North Carolina fired Hubert Davis last month, and Lloyd and Michigan’s Dusty May have been heavily discussed as possible hires by the Tar Heels.
Even though May is coaching in the Final Four for the second time in four years, he downplayed the notion that North Carolina could be a “dream job” for college basketball lifers. May said he’s already exceeded his wildest dreams about what was possible in coaching, because his so-called dream job was a big high school job in the state of Indiana.
May said this week he’s happy at Michigan.
He guided FAU to the Final Four in 2023 but sensed Michigan would find its way to Indianapolis as far back as November.
“To be honest, it felt a lot different than it did at FAU. This felt like something our guys expected, and even our fan base, it felt like they expected it a little bit, as well, and so did I because of the guys we have wearing a Michigan jersey,” May said. “All along, it’s just kind of felt like mission has not been accomplished yet.”
–Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media
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