SAN ANTONIO — The night between the first and second-round games of the men’s NCAA tournament in sunny San Diego, Tommy Lloyd carved out some time for dinner. He brought his family and invited the Bakamus brood, from his mentor, Bill, to Bill’s son, Rem, now the director of player development on Lloyd’s coaching staff at Arizona.
In 24 hours, Lloyd’s team would play Texas Christian for a spot in the Sweet 16, hoping to continue a full-season, full-scale revival of a proud program that spent recent years swimming in scandal. As a result, in roughly 36 hours, Lloyd would be named one of four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award, while becoming only the third head coach in Division I men’s basketball history to take over a program and secure a No. 1 seed in his first year. (The others: Bill Hodges, Indiana State, 1979; Bill Guthridge, North Carolina, ’98. And Lloyd matched them without Larry Bird and Vince Carter, respectively.) But the dinner group didn’t talk much about the Wildcats, their remarkably low expectations before the season, their 33–3 record or even basketball.
Instead, the diners caught up on life and children and new adventures, while the kids scurried about and another particularly relevant tournament game tipped off on nearby televisions. It featured Gonzaga—of course—against Memphis.
Lloyd didn’t just know the Zags well; he loved them, having recruited many of their stars, developing Drew Timme, Andrew Nembhard and the rest. Lloyd had spent two decades in Spokane, his seat on the bench right next to Mark Few, building a power as unlikely as any in the history of college basketball. Last season, the Bulldogs nearly went undefeated, winning every game except the national championship against Baylor. But nine days after a slice of history slipped away in a blowout, Lloyd did what few beyond those close to him expected. He left, for Tucson, having known that night—in Indianapolis, watching Baylor, losing the game he most wanted to win—what lay ahead.
At that dinner, two worlds he had separated all season happened to converge. Of course Lloyd wanted the Zags to win, because of his connections, the deep bonds he had developed, what that place meant to him. Still, perhaps a loss wouldn’t have been that bad, because it would have eliminated a fellow No. 1 seed.
Regardless, as Gonzaga mounted a second-half comeback and Timme embarked on a Timme-like takeover, Lloyd eventually rose from his seat. He did not yet know the winner. But he had film to watch, a critical game to prepare for and a championship to win. “He hasn’t looked back once,” says Bill Bakamus, the sentiment wholly believable with context.
Exhibit A: the Wildcats’ whirlwind 2021—22 season, Lloyd’s first with any team other than Gonzaga since Y2K. It’s also his first season, ever, at any level, as a head coach.