Aiken’s status uncertain for Wednesday’s game
Arizona basketball coach Tommy Lloyd said Tuesday he didn’t know if reserve forward Kim Aiken would be able to play Wednesday against Northern Colorado after missing the past two games.
“It’s literally a day-to-day deal,” Lloyd said. “I’m hopeful we’ll have him back soon. But that’s about all I’ve got on that.”
Aiken did not show up at either of UA’s games against Wyoming or Illinois last week and the school has cited unspecified “personal” reasons.
Even though the Wildcats are now 9-0 and into the Top 10 of the AP Top 25, Lloyd said he hasn’t changed his approach of looking at his job like a multiyear situation and trying to squeeze as much as he can out of this team.
“It’s the same thing now,” Lloyd said. “We’ll try to squeeze everything we can out of this team and then we’re trying to build something that’s sustainable. That’s definitely my thought process on a daily basis, whether it’s how we approach practice or future scheduling or recruiting.
“I’ve got to do a great job with the guys we have now. They deserve it and they’re doing a great job. And then we’ve got to do the best things we can for the program moving forward.”
Lloyd told stories about the collection of Uber and Lyft cars the Wildcats tried to order in Indianapolis, saying his order was the only one that resulted in the driver showing up and then leaving when he found out the destination was Champaign, Ill.
But overall, the Wildcats effectively saved two hours by taking the rides instead of waiting for buses to arrive, and Lloyd said he thought that made a difference in their 83-79 win over Illinois the next day.
“I think so,” Lloyd said. “Because when you’re dealing with teenagers and young guys, one thing they don’t do good is to sit around. So just sitting on that plane, I think they would have gone a little bit stir crazy.
“So I think coach (Jack) Murphy made a great call in getting us moving and then once we got there we just said, `Hey guys, OK, stop. Like, we’re here. You AAU kids are used to riding in a car to Vegas and playing three games in a day. You European kids are used to riding on a bus six hours to a game and the six hours back right after, so this is nothing. Let’s just get a good night’s rest and try to find a way to come out and compete tomorrow.’ “
Lloyd and UA women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes have indeed communicated about the fact that both of their teams are still undefeated.
“She texted me. It was a very simple text and you guys know Adia,” Lloyd said. “It said ‘First one to lose buys dinner.’ So that’s where we’re at.”