Arizona Basketball: Looking at potential coaches to replace Sean Miller

With Arizona Basketball facing a new era following the firing of Sean Miller, we look at some potential candidates for the Wildcats. 

Well, it is a day I’m sure not many expected anytime soon, however, it is nonetheless a new era of Arizona Basketball as the Wildcats have parted ways with the long-time head coach, Sean Miller.

Already, the search for a new head coach is underway, and there are plenty of names, rumors, and conjecture out there for the Wildcats.

Arizona Wildcats

With many candidates’ names popping up, we take a comprehensive look at some of the early, potential candidates to take over for Miller. With that said, here we go…

Tommy Lloyd

Age: 46
Position: Assistant Head Coach
School: Gonzaga
Alma Mater: Whitman

Resume:

Gonzaga (Admin Assistant) – 2000-01
Gonzaga (Assistant/Associate Head Coach) –2001-Present

Pros:

He is an up-and-coming coach who has risen through the ranks and may finally be ready to take over a program of his own. He is one of Gonzaga’s strongest recruiters, and some think he has had a major hand in helping the Bulldogs get over the hump these past few years. If you’re going to take a risk on an assistant, Lloyd seems like the right one.

Cons:

He has no head coaching experience and for Lloyd potentially stepping in at a place like Arizona to be a first-year head coach is one hell of a move that will come with a lot of pressure and a lot of demand. For the Wildcats it is very much a boom or bust approach here that could be very risky.

Damon Stoudamire

Age: 47
Position: Head Coach
School: Pacific
Record: 71-77 (.467)
Alma Mater: Arizona

Resume:

As a Player:

Arizona – 1991-95
Toronto Raptors – 1995-98
Portland Trailblazers –1998-05
Memphis Grizzlies – 2005-08
San Antonio Spurs – 2008

As a Coach:

Rice (Director of Player Development) – 2008-09
Memphis Grizzlies (Assistant) – 2009-11
Memphis (Assistant) – 2011-13
Arizona (Assistant) – 2013-15
Memphis (Assistant) – 2015-16
Pacific (Head Coach) – 2016-Present

Pros:

Considered to be more of a potential up-and-coming coach, Damon has done some good things at Pacific where it is a rather difficult place to win at. He’s well-respected, has deep ties to Arizona beyond just being a player, and there’s the potential he could be an Adia Barnes type for the Men’s program.

Cons:

Outside of his lone winning season at Pacific, his record just isn’t all that impressive. I mean, if it wasn’t for him being a former alumnus, would he be getting pushed hard to be the head coach of Arizona?

Josh Pastner

Age: 43
Position: Head Coach
School: Georgia Tech
Record: 249-148 (.627)
Alma Mater: Arizona

Resume:

As a Player:

Arizona – 1996-00

As a Coach:

Arizona (Assistant) – 2002-08
Memphis (Assistant) – 2008-09
Memphis (Head Coach) –2009-16
Georgia Tech (Head Coach) – 2016-Present

Pros:

A good but not great head coach, many always thought Josh was the coach in waiting to take over for the great Lute Olson. His path, however, has taken him all over except as head coach of Arizona, where he has seen moderate success. Perhaps this is the opportunity he is looking for.

Cons:

Again, he’s a good but not great coach. He essentially got pushed out at Memphis, a place with high expectations, for not winning enough, and in his 12 seasons as a head coach, he has been to the NCAA Tournament just five times, never getting past the Round of 32. Are we to believe he would have better results than Miller in the tournament?

Jason Terry

Age: 43
Position: Assistant Head Coach
School: Arizona
Alma Mater: Arizona

Resume:

As a Player:

Arizona – 1995-99
Atlanta Hawks – 1999-04
Dallas Mavericks –2004-12
Boston Celtics – 2012-13
Brooklyn Nets – 2013-14
Houston Rockets – 2014-16
Milwaukee Bucks – 2016-18

As a Coach:

Texas Legends (Assistant General Manager) – 2019-20
Arizona (Assistant) – 2020-Present

Pros:

A dark horse pick, perhaps Terry could be just what the Wildcats need to right the ship so to speak. After all, he has a great pedigree as a player, is well-liked, and is a young, hungry guy that could be on the cheaper side for Arizona.

Cons:

He has no head coaching experience and has minimal coaching experience period. Just because Terry was a beloved player that helped deliver a title many years ago, doesn’t mean he’s equipped to suddenly become a head coach.