In a statement after he was hired as the new men's basketball coach at the University of Arizona on Wednesday, Tommy Lloyd said "While there are certainly potential obstacles ahead for our program, I embrace the challenge as we will build on the foundation in place to compete for Pac-12 and national championships.”
He wasn't kidding about the "potential obstacles."
Lloyd, 46, a long-time assistant at Gonzaga, faces a lot of challenges replacing Sean Miller as the Arizona Wildcats' coach.
None are bigger than the potential looming sanctions hanging over the program.
The school imposed a postseason ban on itself last season, making it ineligible for the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournaments, but the NCAA could still come done hard on the program
The Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe summed up the situation as follows: "If UA’s case is judged to be in the category of “Level I aggravated” — and the NCAA's Notice of Allegations listed far more aggravating than mitigating factors — the NCAA’s penalty matrix calls for a postseason ban of two to five years.