That sound you hear is the door slamming on the Tommy Lloyd to UNC rumors. After weeks of playing coy, Lloyd made it official today saying he is staying at Arizona for less money (North Carolina apparently offered a top-two coaching contract) while also gaining more control. One of the sticking points for Lloyd appeared to be his relationship with the current Wildcats AD, Desireé Reed-Francois. Lloyd will now report directly to Arizona president Suresh Garimella instead.
So, with Lloyd out of the
picture where does that leave the Tar Heels?
Dusty May immediately jumps to the top of the wish list, though the monetary battle with Michigan will be much greater. However, despite his love for Ann Arbor, May has refused to comment on any coaching searches. In other words, he still hasn’t said no.
Outside of May, the other name that keeps popping up is Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan has made it clear that he will not consider any job before the NBA season is over, which is April 12. If he becomes the favorite, expect an even longer wait.
If those options end up not being viable for whatever reason, there are still great coaches like Ben McCollum at Iowa, Grant McCasland at Texas Tech (who is my preferred choice btw), and Mark Byington at Vanderbilt who may not be as exciting as the top tier names but would still bring winning and experience to Chapel Hill after succeeding at the highest levels in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, respectively.
What do you think the Tar Heels should do next? Let us know in the comments below.
