Twenty-five years ago, then-Gonzaga University coach Dan Monson got a call from a junior college coach he knew.
“We've got a great kid who's finishing up playing overseas,” Monson recalled Walla Walla Community College coach Jeff Reinland telling him. “He needs a graduate assistant slot.”
Monson hired Tommy Lloyd on Rhineland's recommendation. Monzon then left Gonzaga and was immediately hired as Minnesota's next coach.
Two weeks later, Monson received a call from former assistant Mark Few.
“Did you promise Tommy to work as a graduate assistant?'' Few people asked. “What's he doing? He's just wandering around here.”
Of course, that man named Tommy later became Few's right-hand man. He wasn't just the best international recruiter in college basketball. He was also a versatile coach who influenced the prospects of elite transfers and high school admissions, and was instrumental in game planning and player development.
Three years ago, Lloyd took over at Arizona, winning 86 games, winning two Pac-12 titles and two conference tournament crowns. His Wildcats will face Monson's Long Beach State team today in an NCAA Tournament first-round game that doubles as a full-circle moment.
“Tommy was one of the greatest minds in the game and became a great coach,” Monson said.
