Not a multitasker: Lloyd focused on Zona, not UNC

INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said he’s not a «multitasker» amid rumors tying him to the North Carolina opening as his team prepares to play Michigan in the Final Four on Saturday.

«I’m a simple guy. I’m kind of just one thing at a time. I’m not a multitasker,» Lloyd said Thursday at his pregame news conference when he was asked about the vacancy. «You can ask my wife. So, I’m 100% locked in on Arizona basketball right now, and I’m excited to see what this team can do. I have a real strong belief in this team and this team deserves my full attention, so that’s what I’m giving.»

Last month, North Carolina fired Hubert Davis, creating a vacancy for one of the top jobs in collegiate sports. Lloyd, along with Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan and Michigan’s Dusty May, has been touted as a top candidate for the job. That UNC’s brass has not selected a candidate by now has only magnified the speculation that their primary target is still coaching in the Final Four.

On Thursday, Lloyd’s buyout reportedly dropped from $11 million to $9 million. The Tar Heels also owe Davis $5 million-plus and have committed tens of millions to Bill Belichick and the football program. That’s before the salary the next coach would demand. Lloyd already makes $5.3 million per year. The top five highest-paid coaches in the country make between $6 million and $9 million.

Lloyd has been one of the fastest-rising coaches in recent college basketball history, reaching the Final Four in just his fifth season at the helm following a long stint as Mark Few’s top assistant at Gonzaga.

Michigan and Arizona are first and second, respectively, in KenPom’s rankings and widely viewed as the two best remaining teams. The Wildcats have an eight-man rotation that includes Big 12 player of the year Jaden Bradley along with projected first-round picks Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, both of whom are freshmen.

Lloyd’s indirect response to a question about his future is not unfamiliar. After his Kansas team lost to Syracuse in the national title game in 2003, former North Carolina head coach Roy Williams famously said, «I could give a s— about North Carolina right now,» when asked about the opening that was created after the team fired former player Matt Doherty.

But Lloyd is not changing his tune as his team prepares to compete for the program’s first national title since 1997.

«Listen, I’ve got my full focus on this team. Nothing is distracting me,» he said. «And that’s just how I decided to approach it.»