Arizona must be ready with these Tommy Lloyd replacements if he leaves for UNC

Most major media outlets are reporting that Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd will or should be one of the candidates North Carolina considers as a replacement for Hubert Davis. Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois likely has a short list available for head coaches for each of the Wildcats' programs.

Three names stick out for Reed-Francois to potentially target in the unlikely event that Lloyd emerges as the leading candidate at North Carolina. Mark Few of Gonzaga, T.J. Otzelberger of Iowa State and Josh Pastner of UNLV.

At 63 years old, Few would arguably be a risk to hire. Few was Lloyd's boss and mentor for 20 years at Gonzaga. Few spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga in the 1990s, before succeeding Dan Monson as head coach in 1999. Few has remained Gonzaga's head coach since 1999.

In 27 seasons as a head coach, all at Gonzaga, Few has 773 wins and 156 losses. Few has built Gonzaga from a mid-major into a major program in the West Coast Conference. Some have speculated Few could be on the short list at UNC. The question is if Few wants to take on the challenge of a major program late in his career.

Reed-Francois connection with Otzelberger

Reed-Francois hired Otzelberger in 2019 at UNLV from South Dakota State. She liked the way that South Dakota State competed in a first-round loss to Ohio State. Per Mike Grimala of the Las Vegas Sun, "The list, as Reed-Francois describes it, is an ongoing collection of thoughts and notes about people she deems as having professional potential."

Prying Otzelberger away from Iowa State will be difficult. Six years before being hired as the head coach at South Dakota State, Otzelberger finished a seven-year stint as an assistant under Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg. Otzelberger also met his wife, the former Allison Lacey, during his first Iowa State stint.

Otzelberger was 29-30 in two seasons at UNLV before being hired by Iowa State. In five seasons with the Cyclones, Otzelberger has a 124–52 record and is in the Regional Semifinals for the third time in five seasons. The past shared history with Reed-Francois and Otzelberger can only help Arizona.

Pastner was a walk-on on the Arizona 1997 NCAA Champions. Graduating in 2.5 years, Pastner served as a de facto assistant coach as a player. Following his playing career, Pastner spent six years as an assistant at Arizona. Lute Olson told Pastner to get experience elsewhere as a coach.

After one season as an assistant at Memphis under John Calipari, Pastner was hired to replace him when he left for Kentucky. At 31 years old, Pastner became one of the youngest head coaches nationally. Pastner had 167 wins and 73 losses in seven seasons as the head coach at Memphis.

Georgia Tech hired Pastner as head coach in 2016. In seven seasons at Georgia Tech, Pastner led the Yellow Jackets to 109 wins and 114 losses. Georgia Tech was the 2017 NIT runner-up and won the 2021 ACC Tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

Pastner spent two seasons as an ESPN analyst after being fired by Georgia Tech in 2023. UNLV finished with 18 wins and 17 losses in its first season under Pastner this year. Pastner was one of the names Arizona fans wanted to be considered before Lloyd was hired in 2021.

Having a list of names as potential head coaches is something every good athletic director does. Possession of that list does not mean a coach's job is in jeopardy or that they might leave. If Lloyd decides to become the head coach at North Carolina, it appears that Reed-Francois would be ready.