BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ & ADAM ZAGORIA
INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona has secured its head coach for the foreseeable future.
“I’m happy to announce I am staying at Arizona,” head coach Tommy Lloyd announced on Friday.
Lloyd’s new deal is expected to be is expected to be for five-years at an average of $7.5 million per year, according to ESPN, making him one of the five highest paid coaches in all of college basketball.
This new deal comes as rumors began to link Lloyd to coaching openings such as North Carolina.
“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,” Lloyd continued. “I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I am just a small part of something much bigger but on that same not I would also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean it’s a one-of-one and it’s an honor to even be considered for that job and the young kid from me, the college basketball junkie watching those games at home never would’ve thought something like that cpuld have happened to somebody like me.”
The deal will last through the 2031 season as Arizona tries to continue their hot stretch of basketball during Lloyd’s tenure.
“We’re thrilled to have Coach under contract and put this behind us and just focus on the national championship,” Arizona AD Desireé Reed-Francois told ZAGSBLOG. “We’re really excited that we have a contract in place. Coach is exceptional at what he does and we’re looking forward to the future.”
The Wildcats Final Four will face Michigan in the Final Four here Saturday.
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