Just before the trip to Lithuania, the association “Lithuanian Basketball” interviewed Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd.
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The strategist led the USA youth team last summer, which triumphed at the FIBA U19 World Championship.
“We have great respect for our opponents and take nothing for granted. Countries like Lithuania, France, Germany, Serbia, Spain, and Canada have created very strong basketball programs,” said Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd in an exclusive interview.
T. Lloyd won the prestigious “Naismith Coach of the Year” award in 2026. This is the highest personal recognition that NCAA college coaches can receive.
The Wildcats, led by T. Lloyd, won 36 out of 39 games in the 2025–2026 season, setting the best record in the team’s history.
Arizona players won the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament. In last season’s NCAA “March Madness,” the Wildcats reached the top 4 teams.
Arizona players will meet the Lithuanian reserve basketball team coached by Mindaugas Lukošius at the Jonava arena this coming Wednesday.
On Thursday, August 20, Arizona players will visit Kėdainiai, where they will test their strength against the Ukrainian national team.
On August 22, the Arizona Wildcats will face the Lithuanian men’s national basketball team led by Rimas Kurtinaitis at the Alytus arena.
– Coach, in 2025 you became the FIBA U19 World Cup champion with the USA team. What does winning the world champion title mean to you?
– Coaching the USA U18 and U19 teams the past two summers has been a huge honor for me. FIBA basketball has played an important role in my development as a coach. I have watched many FIBA basketball games and analyzed many great foreign coaches and teams.
Back in the early 2000s, I started attending FIBA European and World Championships, and I have always really enjoyed these tournaments. So this time, coming not as a scout but as a coach of one of the teams and being part of the competition was a very fun experience.
– Does the USA still dominate world basketball? If so, which countries do you think are closest to the Americans?
– I think the USA basketball organization is still the strongest in the world. However, the competition has definitely become much greater. We no longer go to tournaments thinking everything will be easy – that we will just come and take the gold medals.
We have great respect for our opponents and take nothing for granted. Countries like Lithuania, France, Germany, Serbia, Spain, and Canada have created very strong basketball programs. We believe FIBA basketball has an interesting future ahead, and we accept this challenge.
– What thoughts do you have preparing for the trip to Lithuania?
– First of all, I think – what kind of coach would be crazy enough to agree to play against men’s national teams when his team only has players under 22, and most of our guys are just 18 or 19 years old? (smiles)
Seriously, this is a great opportunity for our team to get to know another part of the world, a different basketball style, and face very strong opponents. It will be a great start to our new team’s journey.
– The University of Arizona has a strong Lithuanian connection. What do you think about the Lithuanian players who have played or are still playing here?
– Lithuania is a country I love very much. I have a special connection with Lithuania. Over many years, I have really enjoyed spending time here and have met many great friends in Lithuania.
Arizona’s connection with Lithuanian basketball players is very strong and dates back to the time of Robertas Javtokas. Recently, the Tubelis brothers, Paulius Murauskas, now Ugnius Jaruševičius and Motiejus Krivas have played here. We can also mention Maksimas Brnovičius, who was in the Kaunas Žalgiris system last year.
I really enjoyed coaching all these guys. Each of them is not only a talented basketball player but also a great person. By the way, former Lithuanian national team player Marijonas Petravičius also lives in Tucson.
– What do you generally know about Lithuanian basketball – both its rich history and current situation?
– Lithuanian basketball caught my attention back in 1992 and the “Other Dream Team” era. I have always been fascinated by how such a small but extremely proud and basketball-dedicated country can be one of the most important forces in world basketball.
Of course, the opportunity to bring in Domantas Sabonis and later coach him only strengthened my connection with Lithuania. The Sabonis family has become very close personal friends of mine, and I always enjoy spending time with them.
One of the best memories is the 2015 European Championship final in Lille, which I watched together with Arvydas and Ingrida. Lithuania lost painfully to Spain, but that did not stop us from celebrating after the game because the silver medal guaranteed Lithuania a place at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. I clearly remember how proud Arvydas was that Lithuania qualified for the Olympics for the seventh consecutive time.
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I also had the privilege to coach Kevin Pangos and Nigel Williams-Goss, who later left a strong mark at Kaunas Žalgiris. So I have followed Žalgiris from afar for many years. I know these guys really enjoyed representing Žalgiris in the EuroLeague.
– You worked at Gonzaga University for more than 20 years. What are your memories of Domantas Sabonis and Martynas Arlauskas?
– Domas is simply a special person. He is one of those people you wish everyone had the chance to meet. He is not only a great player, an incredibly hard-working and competitive basketball player, but also a better person.
I can say the same about his brothers and sister. I really enjoy spending time with Žygimantas, Tautvydas, and Aušrinė. Their parents raised wonderful people.
I haven’t been in contact with Arla (Martynas Arlauskas, – author’s note) for the past few years, so I hope to meet him during this trip. He came to Gonzaga as a promising freshman, but things on the court did not go as successfully as we hoped. I wish it had ended differently.
However, I can say one thing about Arla – you could hardly want a better teammate. In all situations, he behaved very honorably, and his teammates loved him. I am glad he is playing well now, and I hope his career will be long. I am sure that even after finishing playing basketball, he will successfully realize himself in any chosen field.
– What makes the University of Arizona basketball program special?
– Arizona basketball has a wonderful history and legacy. In a way, we are similar to Lithuania. Our city Tucson is not the biggest, we are in the southwestern USA, near the Mexican border. It is not necessarily the place you would first think of when talking about basketball powerhouses.
But, like in Lithuania, our people’s passion is basketball. This program was created by the legendary Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. Thanks to his work, the foundation of our fans’ support remains very strong to this day.
Being the coach at Arizona is a huge honor because you understand that everything here is much bigger than yourself. When you get the opportunity to represent such a legacy that means so much to so many people, you also get a wonderful chance to serve them. Therefore, my main goal is to nurture and protect the legacy of Arizona basketball.
– Three Arizona players were selected with high picks in the recent NBA draft. What does this say about your program’s success and player development?
– One of the most wonderful things about working at Arizona is the opportunity to help players achieve their dream of playing in the NBA.
Last year, three of our guys were selected in the NBA draft – Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Jaden Bradley, and Tobe Awaka signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls. I am very happy for them.
But we do not make getting into the NBA our only goal. We always emphasize the right things both on and off the court and dedication to the team.
We want players to gain great experience at Arizona. And if at the same time we win many games and some of our guys fulfill their NBA dreams, I think that is a great result for everyone.
– Which of your current players should Lithuanian fans pay the most attention to? What aspects of your team’s play might they like the most?
– Obviously, Lithuanian fans will first be drawn to Motiejus and Ugnius. Krivas has become a very important player for us. He is a great defensive player, fights well for rebounds, and is reliable on offense. I think he will take a big step forward this season.
Ugnius is recovering from a back injury that caused him to miss last season. Now he looks healthy and is making good progress on the court. He has to adjust to a slightly higher level, but so far he is handling it well. I can’t wait to see him in real games – it will be an important part of his development.
I don’t know how many opportunities Lithuanian fans had to see Maksimas last season because he mostly played for Žalgiris-2 and youth teams, but he is a real talent and a very interesting player. I think he has a great future ahead.
Fans might also be interested in Ivan Kharchenkov and Caleb Holt. Ivan is from Germany and grew up in the Munich Bayern system. Caleb is an American who won three FIBA gold medals with USA youth teams. Both these guys also have a very bright future in basketball.
– How are you preparing to adapt to the differences between NCAA and FIBA rules?
– We have already started talking about the small differences in rules and playing style, but we don’t want to get too caught up in it.
This is the beginning of our team’s preparation for the upcoming season, so I don’t want certain differences to distract us too much. I want the team to focus on good basketball, which works anywhere in the world.
– What do you generally expect from the trip to Lithuania?
– First of all, Lithuanian basketball fans – I love you! And if you are looking for a team to support in the NCAA, choose us!
We hope to experience something special and create memories that all participants of this trip will cherish for a long time.
Of course, we want to be competitive on the court, but this time that is not the most important thing. A coach rarely has the opportunity to shift focus away from the final result and concentrate on the experience itself. That is exactly what we intend to do during this trip.
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