As many of you know, Arizona basketball has lost an assistant coach in Steve Robinson, who has retired after 42 years of coaching with a career that has stops at Radford, Cornell, Kansas (twice), Tulsa, Florida State, North Carolina and Arizona. The experience is going to be tough for coach Tommy Loyd to replace on his staff.
I took the time to go over five possible replacements for Robinson with a list that is focused on recruiting, experience, development of talent and connections. Now, this isn't limited to these four names, but to me these are the best fits for the job and for Lloyd and the program.
Rodney Terry (Texas)
Yes that's right, Rodney Terry the former Texas head coach is on my list and would be a home run hire for Lloyd to fill the spot on the staff. Terry spent three seasons as the Longhorns' head coach going 62-37 making the NCAA Tournament every single season and went as far as the Elite Eight in his first season after taking over for Chris Beard near the beginning of the season.
The addition of Terry would give the Wildcats a high-level recruiter in Big 12 country, who is familiar with the state of Texas and a coach with a ton of coaching and game planning experience. Right now, he is free and isn't locked in at any program. His uptempo style of play fits with what Lloyd and his program is all about and helps strengthen recruiting ties in the Wildcats' new conference.
Brandon Chappell (Texas)
If Terry is out of reach for Arizona but Lloyd still wants strong recruiting ties to the state of Texas, another name to consider if former Longhorn top assistant Brandon Chappell, who was hired by Beard originally has become one of the more important recruiting assistants for UT during his time with the program.
However, now that Sean Miller is taking over as Texas head coach, Chappell is available at the young age of 41 giving the Wildcats a hungry and eager assistant on the staff that can recruit with anyone nationally.
Riccardo Fois (Kings)
The former Gonzaga and Arizona assistant coach Riccardo Fois left Tucson for the Sacramento Kings after spending eight seasons under Lloyd between the two programs. However, after going to the NBA during the 2024 season, the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown and replaced him with Doug Christie.
So, there is no telling if Christie would keep Fois on his staff making his time with the organization uneasy at this point. If he was to comeback to Arizona, Lloyd would be getting one of the top developmental coaches back on his staff.
David Blatt (Cavs)
If you remember, David Blatt was the coach that first got Cleveland back to the NBA Finals to second time around with Lebron James. Since then, he has coached overseas and was even rumored to be an advisor for Lloyd a few years back. But, that didn't come together at that time for the two sides.
I took the time to go over five possible replacements for Robinson with a list that is focused on recruiting, experience, development of talent and connections. Now, this isn't limited to these four names, but to me these are the best fits for the job and for Lloyd and the program.
Rodney Terry (Texas)
Yes that's right, Rodney Terry the former Texas head coach is on my list and would be a home run hire for Lloyd to fill the spot on the staff. Terry spent three seasons as the Longhorns' head coach going 62-37 making the NCAA Tournament every single season and went as far as the Elite Eight in his first season after taking over for Chris Beard near the beginning of the season.
The addition of Terry would give the Wildcats a high-level recruiter in Big 12 country, who is familiar with the state of Texas and a coach with a ton of coaching and game planning experience. Right now, he is free and isn't locked in at any program. His uptempo style of play fits with what Lloyd and his program is all about and helps strengthen recruiting ties in the Wildcats' new conference.
Brandon Chappell (Texas)
If Terry is out of reach for Arizona but Lloyd still wants strong recruiting ties to the state of Texas, another name to consider if former Longhorn top assistant Brandon Chappell, who was hired by Beard originally has become one of the more important recruiting assistants for UT during his time with the program.
However, now that Sean Miller is taking over as Texas head coach, Chappell is available at the young age of 41 giving the Wildcats a hungry and eager assistant on the staff that can recruit with anyone nationally.
Riccardo Fois (Kings)
The former Gonzaga and Arizona assistant coach Riccardo Fois left Tucson for the Sacramento Kings after spending eight seasons under Lloyd between the two programs. However, after going to the NBA during the 2024 season, the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown and replaced him with Doug Christie.
So, there is no telling if Christie would keep Fois on his staff making his time with the organization uneasy at this point. If he was to comeback to Arizona, Lloyd would be getting one of the top developmental coaches back on his staff.
David Blatt (Cavs)
If you remember, David Blatt was the coach that first got Cleveland back to the NBA Finals to second time around with Lebron James. Since then, he has coached overseas and was even rumored to be an advisor for Lloyd a few years back. But, that didn't come together at that time for the two sides.
