Tommy Lloyd hasn’t had much turnover on his staff during the four years he’s been in Tucson. In fact, the coaching and support staff remained nearly identical until the 2024-25 season, when Riccardo Fois left for an assistant coaching gig with the Sacramento Kings. One of the mainstays on the staff was veteran assistant coach Steve Robinson, who announced his retirement after 42 years in late April. While Robinson’s replacement doesn’t have 40+ years of experience, he does bring recent Power Four and Big 12 experience to Tucson. Lloyd and Arizona announced on Monday that former Texas assistant coach Brandon Chappell will join the staff in the same role.
“It is exciting to welcome Brandon and his family to the Arizona Basketball family,” Lloyd said in a release on Monday. “He is a high-character person that brings energy and enthusiasm every day that makes those around him want to strive for more. He will fit in great with the culture that we have built, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Chappell spent the past three seasons in Austin at the University of Texas. During his stint with the Longhorns, Texas advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the three seasons, including a Big 12 Tournament Championship and Elite Eight appearance in 2023. He also helped recruit a number of top prospects to Texas, including four-star forward Nic Codie and four-star center signee John Clark.
Prior to Texas, Chappell spent a season at UNLV, and also made coaching stops at Lamar and Arkansas-Fort Smith. He began his coaching career in 2013-14 at Armstrong State (Division II), before serving as a graduate assistant at Northern Arizona University from 2014-16 under then head coach Jack Murphy, who has served as Arizona’s associate head coach since 2019.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Coach Lloyd for the opportunity to join the Arizona Basketball family,” Brandon Chappell said. “It’s an honor to be part of such a storied program with a championship tradition, passionate fan support and a standard of excellence that few programs in the country can match. I’m excited to get to work and help our student-athletes grow on and off the court. Bear Down!”