TUCSON, Ariz. - After leading the USA Basketball U18 Junior National Team to the gold medal at the FIBA U18 World Championship in Switzerland over the summer, Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was named USA Basketball Junior Coach of the Year as announced by the organization on Wednesday (Jan. 7).  

Lloyd, who is in his fifth season as the head coach at the University of Arizona, led the Americans to a 7-0 record and the ninth gold medal for the USA in the event's history. The red, white and blue won the seven games by an average of 39 points and set the U.S. record for points in a U19 game with their 140-67 win over Jordan.  

Joining Lloyd on the U19 team with USA Basketball this summer was current freshman standout Koa Peat, who averaged 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.  

The gold medal was the second for Lloyd with USA Baskeball after he guided the Americans to the top of the podium at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires.  

Lloyd's record as head coach of the Wildcats is 127-33, good for a .794 winning percentage, with the 127 wins putting him in a tie for 10th in NCAA history for wins by a head coach in his first five seasons. He was also the fastest to 125 wins in Arizona history and has the Wildcats at 15-0 on the season and ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25.  

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