Tommy Lloyd was restless in a Lithuanian hotel room, unable to sleep after a summer trip opening loss.
The 99-88 defeat to the Lithuanian “B” Team on Aug. 19 had him questioning if he had just set up the Wildcats for a confidence-deflating trip. And then — after questioning his own preparation and the lack of physical play by the Wildcats — he had a sudden epiphany.
“This is what I learned: It’s okay to lose once in a while,’’ said the reigning Naismith National Coach of the Year.
The healthy assessment is exactly what all coaches should adhere to when taking summer trips.
Still, the competitive coach inside did what he does best: challenged his team.
“I just told our guys that this is a great opportunity to have a collective response,’’ said Lloyd. “We got bullied on the glass, we were sloppy on defense, we missed layups. I said, ‘No one’s in trouble because the games don’t count. But we need a collective response.’’’
Lloyd said he was taken aback by what happened next.
Arizona stepped up 24 hours later and defeated the Ukraine Senior National Team 107-85 — a team that has to train in Latvia due to the ongoing war with Russia — and then defeated the Lithuanian Senior National Team on Aug. 22 to conclude the trip 2-1.
“I was so encouraged to see our guys respond to the adversity,’’ said Lloyd, who made sure to say that it doesn’t compare to the sacrifices the Ukrainians go through on a daily basis.
Arizona didn’t have its potential starting four-man in RJ Godfrey, a fifth-year transfer from Clemson, who is trying to get eligible through the court system. But they do have the potential to field a Big 12 title rotation in the interim.
Returnees Ivan Kharchenkov and Mo Krivas (on a minutes restriction on the trip) were still trouble and will likely be the 1-2 punch consistently leading this crew in the box score (30 and 15 points, respectively, in the final game of the trip).
North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon was dishing and leading this team while freshman Caleb Holt got the necessary reps to get rid of any incoming jitters. Bryce James’ confidence was boosted by starting, but the name to remember came off the bench in the double-figure scoring of Nebraska transfer Ugnius Jarusevicius.
Cameron Holmes is yet another heralded freshman who got needed touches on this trip, too. Washington transfer guard JJ Mandaquit didn’t play due to a foot injury, but expect him to be in the rotation as a lead guard.
This team has depth, regardless of the Godfrey situation, and this visit to the Balkans should be a launching pad.
Why? Well, Arizona and Lloyd have plenty of momentum.
The Wildcats reached their first Final Four since 2001 before losing to eventual national champion Michigan. Arizona won the Big 12 in another banner season in the conference. Lloyd was the coach of the year. And he actually broke his own contract extension during Final Four weekend, rebuffing an overture from North Carolina.
Lloyd announced a five-year, $7 million a year extension. The deal was approved in April.
“Momentum is a dangerous thing to think about,’’ said Lloyd. “You’re always trying to build the strongest foundation for your program and you want to be opportunistic to take advantage of situations.
“You’re not always going to have momentum so what do you do when you don’t have it? How do you recover after tough losses, difficult blows? For me, I haven’t thought about how we capitalize off of last year. We did the best job we could in putting together a competitive roster. We want to continue to build our identity and our values and make sure what it means to play basketball at Arizona.’’
No one should be shocked by Lloyd’s decision to stay put. His mentor Mark Few has never left Gonzaga. Don’t mess with happy has been his motto, and Lloyd had no reason to consider uprooting his family.
His son and daughter live in the neighborhood with their own families. He has put down the roots necessary to ensure Arizona continues to be a major Final Four contender every season, let alone a Big 12 favorite.
“Contrary to popular opinion, you can grow deep roots in the desert,’’ said Lloyd. “We just love it here. It’s flattering to be approached by a school here and there. I’ve never been a mover and a shaker. The more years you spend somewhere the more the relationships get deeper and eventually you can find that sweet spot and get a return on your efforts. Hopefully we’re building toward that here at Arizona.’’
That shouldn’t even be a question. Lloyd’s record thus far in Tucson has been stellar.
Look at what Lloyd has done since being plucked from Few’s bench in 2021:
Year one: 33-4, 18-2 and first place in the Pac-12. A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Sweet Sixteen appearance. He ended his rookie season by winning three National Coach of the Year awards.
Year two: Finished with 28 wins, a No. 2 seed, won the Pac-12 tournament and 28 wins..
Year three: Won the Pac-12 regular season, a No. 2 seed, reached the Sweet Sixteen after winning 27 games.
Year four: Won 24 games, 14 in its inaugural year in the Big 12 and reached the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four seasons.
Year five: 36 wins, Big 12 regular-season and tournament champs, Final Four berth and Naismith National Coach of the Year.
Throughout it all, Lloyd has a deep appreciation for the Arizona past. He has connected well with the players who played for Lute Olson and coaches that followed. He knows and embraces the rich history of Arizona and wants the winning and loyal culture to continue.
But he has put his own spin.
Few gave Lloyd the freedom to travel the globe. The initial intent was to recruit, but it also turned into a graduate school of basketball coaching. Lloyd sponged up the knowledge of FIBA basketball after the traditional red meat of Bob Knight’s motion offense, Dean Smith’s four corners and Jim Boeheim’s zone defense.
“I had to look at the game through a different lens,’’ said Lloyd. “So I started watching a bunch of FIBA basketball. It’s the most similar to high-level NCAA basketball. I think it’s closer to that than the NBA. It’s been a great learning tool for me and I’ve developed a lot of great relationships over the years. I just value and respect FIBA basketball.’’
That thirst for learning has never faded. Neither has his ability to trial and error the best way forward for each team. That’s why the reflection on that night in Lithuania last month was a good reminder that pausing, reflecting and resetting can always be beneficial.
And with this edition of the Wildcats doing just that, it may prove to be the beginning of another banner season.
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