INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Friday he’s remaining with the Wildcats after being mentioned as a potential candidate to fill the coaching vacancy at blueblood program North Carolina.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple days.”
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The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn’t release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday.
Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis.
Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they’ve handled this.”
“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 said.
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“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. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”
Lloyd’s comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan in Saturday night’s national semifinals in a matchup of the two 1-seeds in Indianapolis.
Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he’ll “never respond to any job speculation.”
“I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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