Reasons for Optimism Regarding the Basketball Program
by Joey Kaufman on Oct 21, 2009 2:04 PM PDT
16 comments
Looking for reasons to be optimistic for the USC hoops prgram?
Sign me up; I’m officially a believer in Kevin O’Neill
LOS ANGELES – When it was announced on June 20th that Kevin O’Neill would become the 16th head basketball coach in USC history, I immediately began shaking my head. Questioning the sanity of athletic director Mike Garrett, who had hired a coach with a 171-180 career record, I hastily began drawing comparisons between O’Neill and former Trojan football coach Paul Hackett, another hiree of Garrett who turned the USC football program into a Pac-10 bottom-feeder in just three short seasons at the helm.
It may have been a relatively premature accusation, seeing that O’Neill had yet to pace the sidelines of Galen Center and coach an actual collegiate basketball game. But nevertheless, I was ready to rip into a man, who in all reality had done nothing at USC to warrant such criticism.
So, as I sit here three months later pondering about the upcoming hoops season, I also find myself questioning those once-held reservations regarding O’Neill. In short, I am beginning to think that this hire may in fact pay off in the long-haul for a program not known for much success on the hardwood. I don’t mean to sound overly optimistic, as O’Neill has yet to coach one game for the Cardinal and Gold, but considering his actions in four short moths on the job, there are plenty of reasons for Trojan hoops fans to believe that this New York native will one day turn USC into a legitimate West Coast powerhouse.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Conquest Chronicles' writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Conquest Chronicles' writers or editors.
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Yes Kevin is taking the Bull by the horns.
20 plus season coming
Paul D. Kelley
It's not about doing your job, But can you do it with a TENNIS BALL in your throat!
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 21, 2009 2:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Weird how he calls everything “great” except for location & players… hmmm
"Everything is in place," O’Neill added. "You have location, you have players, you have a great conference, you have a great university, you have great support, great facilities. There’s nothing here that says you can’t win. And that’s why I like this job and I think it’s a great job, and that’s what we intend to do here is win."
by impaulv on Oct 21, 2009 8:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Heh,
like where you’re living is that great.
The University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Chicago, Duke University, Notre Dame University, Cal Berkeley, and the University of Southern California… they’re all a location challenged, but where would you rather be in middle of January?
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 21, 2009 9:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Paully V is in asia how about that and he is there on our dime to boot, but I love him just the same.
Paul D. Kelley
It's not about doing your job, But can you do it with a TENNIS BALL in your throat!
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 21, 2009 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
oh yeah, and I totally love living in Korea where it’s colder than f*ck during the winter & a crazy dude living 60min away by air & war estimates saying I’d probably be dead in the first 24hrs. Thanks!
by impaulv on Oct 22, 2009 7:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fight on, KO!
Around .500 and 5th or 6th in conference this season, then +20 and top 3 in conference thereafter. What a tremendous job he has done thus far in bringing the program back from the abyss. Hope his auspicious beginning carries over to the court.
by DFWTrojan on Oct 21, 2009 9:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Hear, hear!
The results may not bear it out until 2011, but no one is going to outwork KO.
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 21, 2009 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okay lets bet dinner over it, Say lowerys
I say 20+
Paul D. Kelley
It's not about doing your job, But can you do it with a TENNIS BALL in your throat!
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 21, 2009 9:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Holy crap so.cal.
You say 20 or more this season?
by Locoweed 1.1 on Oct 21, 2009 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I really like this team and they have something to prove
I say this because:
1) I don’t feel that these kids will have to play iron man basketball anymore, KO will run and use as many as 9-10 players a game.
2) The parts are there and with experience the key who will step up and be leaders, Stepheson, M. johnson come to mind. Really think about it who has truly been the leader the last 2 years. I guess you could say Hackett was but not really, to emotional but was a hard nose player.
3) I don’t feel that TF ever let them be their own team it was always about him, no trust to controlling that has always been his way.
So the balls are rolling and the Cardinal and Gold game is at 2:00 sunday.
Player: coach Wooden how do ya bounce the ball
Wooden: ups and downs
Player: thanks you are a wizzs
by so.cal.native1952 on Oct 22, 2009 4:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
20 is a Possibility...
…but a lot has to go right. Stepheson and Vucevic would have to become a dominant 1-2 punch in the paint. Donte Smith would need to be capable of playing 30+ minutes a night. Dwight Lewis would need to become one of the conference’s most consistent scorers. And ya, nobody could get hurt.
However, the Pac-10 is pretty weak and the non-conference schedule is pretty easy as well. I don’t think they get twenty or more wins, but it’s not too crazy of an idea to throw out there either.
by Joey Kaufman on Oct 22, 2009 1:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
get back to me with more details but I’ll be back in the SoCal area after bball season for sure.
by impaulv on Oct 22, 2009 7:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
+20 Plus this Season?
I’m an admitted sunshine pumper when it comes to SC hoops, but I just don’t see 20 wins this season. If we finish around .500, it will have been an unbelievable job by KO and staff.
by DFWTrojan on Oct 22, 2009 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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