Arizona international roster unites through basketball

While Lloyd was there, Gonzaga brought in players from every continent except Antarctica.

He never counted exactly how many countries he visited, but estimates there are at least 50. His favorite international trip was to Crete for the 2019 World School Championships. He was able to bring his family, including his son, Liam, who played at Grand Canyon University. this season, and her daughters Sophia and Maria.

However, his most difficult journey came during a trip to Paris when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted in 2010.

“I was stuck there for a week,” he said. “Lots of canceled flights, crowded trains, rental cars, and we survived. I have two men on that trip.”

Although Lloyd has deflected many of the job’s optimists over the years, he said Arizona’s performance was natural, particularly since the Wildcats’ roster was already full of aliens. He inherited six of the remaining Miller recruits: Mathurin, Koloko, Kressa, Billy Larson from Sweden (who speaks Swedish and English), and the Tuples brothers. He followed Ballou Lloyd to Arizona from Gonzaga, and trainer Adama Ball also imported him from France. He speaks French, English and Wolof.

Lloyd was familiar with the reserves in Arizona and credited him with helping him maintain them.

“It’s the one thing people don’t talk about in college basketball these days,” Lloyd said. “Last year in particular was the first year you got a job, and everyone was working for free. Everyone could transfer and play right away. There was no need to compromise. You really had to go in and re-enlist.”

It didn’t take full-court pressure to hang on to Mathurin, who was familiar with Lloyd’s work.

“I watched a lot of games when I was at Gonzaga, and just the guys that he brought in with his showmanship and style of play,” Mathurin said. “I feel like he has also fit in perfectly with me and the international players on my team.”

“It was easy for me because it was easy to understand and he understood me,” Azulas Toplice said. “So we’re always on the same page.”