Nevada Basketball: 5 coaching replacements for Eric Musselman

By Joey Loose | Apr 8, 2019

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack reacts against the Florida Gators in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 30: The Gonzaga Bulldogs show their dejection during the defeat to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

5. Tommy Lloyd (Gonzaga assistant)

Lloyd has never been a head coach and he’s never coached anywhere besides Gonzaga, but he certainly has the pedigree for a head coaching job like Nevada.

He’s been at Gonzaga since 2000 and has been a full-time assistant for eighteen years. Not only has he been an important member of Mark Few’s staff as he has built a national power in the west, but he’s worked as Gonzaga’s key international recruiter. Stars like Kelly Olynyk, Damontas Sabonis, and Rui Hachimura landed in Spokane in part due to Lloyd’s efforts.

His lack of head coaching experience shouldn’t be reason for concern, and the evidence is at nearby Washington. Mike Hopkins served under Jim Boeheim for more than two decades at Syracuse. He finally got a shot to run his own program instead of waiting for Boeheim to retire, and he got the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament this season.

Lloyd leaving Gonzaga might not be something that happens, but this could be the kind of opening that intrigues him. This Nevada program has seen great growth under Musselman and Lloyd is the kind of recruiter that can bring in talent to keep the Wolf Pack near the top of the Mountain West. Lloyd could stay at Gonzaga until Few retires, or he could jump at the chance to run a pretty solid program, one that wouldn’t even play Gonzaga on a regular basis.

This is an attractive opening for Lloyd, but it’s a challenge to expect him to leave Gonzaga, even for a high-profile Mountain West position.