Curtis Loyd Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 5th Year Alma Mater: Southern Utah, 1994

Entering his fifth year at Arizona, assistant coach Curtis Loyd continues to be in integral part of the Wildcat staff, with both his enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence.

His primary responsibility is the development of the Wildcat post players. Since his arrival, Loyd has coached five All-Pac-10 posts at the UA, including two-year first team selection Elizabeth Pickney and, most recently, the 2003 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Shawntinice Polk. Under Loyd's tutelage, Arizona has established an aggressive inside game and has positioned itself as a basketball powerhouse.

Loyd is also the program's film exchange coordinator, as well as an academic liaison and the director of the Joan Bonvicini Hoop Camp.

Bringing with him some impressive credentials, Loyd came to Arizona in 1999 after a two very successful years as an assistant coach with the Colorado State women's basketball program. During his first season there in 1997-98, he helped the Rams to a second-round berth in the NCAA tournament and a 24-6 final record.

In 1998-99, his second at CSU, the Rams jump-started the year with a Preseason WNIT championship and kept the ball rolling throughout the season, earning national rankings as high as No. 5. They ended that year ranked seventh in the nation after making an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance and garnering school-record 33-3 mark. In Loyd's two-year tenure at Colorado State, the Rams garnered a 57-9 overall mark and sent a player to the WNBA.

Prior to his arrival at Colorado State, Loyd was an assistant coach with Fort Collins (Colo.) High School, which won its conference title in 1997. That followed on the heels of a three-year stint as a professional basketball player in Switzerland, where he received numerous awards and team accolades.

Loyd played two years of basketball for Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., where he earned NJCAA All-American and NJCAA All-Region Nine honors both seasons. Loyd was named the Region Nine MVP in 1991 after averaging 22 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a sophomore.

Loyd transferred to Southern Utah University from Northeastern JC in 1991 and helped the Thunderbirds to a 34-21 record during his two years there. After missing most of the 1992 season with a broken foot, he emerged as a starter in 1993, averaging 11.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Loyd was also a member of the Southern Utah track team for one season.

Loyd earned degrees in both physical education and sociology at Southern Utah in 1994. He received an associate's in physical education at Northeastern Junior College in 1991. Loyd and his wife, Holly, have three children -- daughters K-anna (12) and Mia (9) and son Hunter (5).