Mike Garrett to "interview" Theus today.
by Paragon SC on Jun 18, 2009 5:30 AM PDT
in USC Basketball
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PrintBoth the LA Times and ESPN are reporting that USC AD Mike Garrett will be meeting with Reggie Theus today to discuss becoming the next head coach for USC hoops. That this is being reported to me signals that this is pretty much a done deal. Why announce you are discussing it when everyone knows you already made contact. This seems like a formality...the job is his if he wants it.
From The LAT...
Reggie Theus, former Sacramento Kings coach, will interview for the USC men's basketball job on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the program.
Theus will meet with Athletic Director Mike Garrett at USC. He is expected to accept the job if offered.
Pretty much a formailty to me.
From ESPN...
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Theus is scheduled to meet with USC athletic director Mike Garrett Thursday on campus.
Theus would fit Garrett's trend of hiring coaches with pro ties after hiring Pete Carroll from the NFL and basketball coaches with NBA ties including Henry Bibby, Rick Majerus and Tim Floyd in men's basketball and most recently Michael Cooper for the women's job.
Theus would also be a key hire in L.A. as a former actor and someone who possesses an engaging personality. Theus also has strong ties in the L.A. youth basketball community.
I'm not sure what the whole actor angle has to do with anything...but OK.
I haven't spent any time looking at Theus' record but I have read where some have criticized his time as an NBA coach. I am not going to get excited or disappointed until a hire is made and until I have read all the information out there.
Feel free to offer up your opinions...but I think this is pretty much a done deal.
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I wonder if SF Guy Landry knows theus
Paul D. Kelley
by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 18, 2009 6:09 AM PDT reply actions
He's a perfect match
Dixon would have been crazy to make this move (same goes for Robinson, Monty, etc) and Van Gundy was pie in the sky.
Reggie the turn around specialist, he da man for the job. I just hope Desmo approves ; )
I Like It!
Not sure I understand the criticisms of Theus. Here are a few that I have read:
- not a good defensive tactician
- AAU/prep hoops cesspool connections
- unimpressive academic pedigree
- big ego
Here are the positives that come to mind, having never met the man:
+ big-time recruiter
+ LA roots, Inglewood High to the NBA, every SoCal hoopster’s dream
+ big on discipline
+ confident
+ personable
+ great experience as a player and coach. played for Tarkanian, Jerry Sloan & Cotton Fitzsimmons. coached under Pitino & Larry Brown. head coach for NMSU and Sac Kings.
My biggest concern is his prep hoops/AAU connections, but I presume that SC did thorough diligence on his background and impressed upon him that the primary objective is to run a clean program. Theus will step in and save recruits, this year and next.
What’s not to like?
Not sure about this one for you guys
Although my not being impressed is more due to his on-court record. Two years at NMSU, 16-14 and 25-9, bolted to the Sacto Kings, where his two year record before getting fired was 44-62. He did a pretty good job at NMSU, but he has no record of sustained excellence or even mediocrity. His West Coast recruiting ties are probably not too deep despite the Inglewood connection given how little time he coached at NMSU and his being out of college coaching for the pst several years. His assistant coaching was with Pitino, which is obviously a good thing, but Pitino hasn’t done much IIRC recruiting So Cal recently, which is where USC really has to do the job.
I haven’t heard anything at all about his abilities as a game coach or his prowess coaching any particular aspect of the game. I think USC would have been better served looking for a younger coach from a mid-major with a good record of several years at the same institution. Of course, I could be totally wrong and he could be another Howland, but the record doesn’t suggest that kind of coach.
He stresses defense
which seems to be an MG priority (which made Theus run afoul of Kevin Martin and Spenser Hawes and sealed his doom in Sacramento). He supposedly has connections to the talent in Southern California, hopefully he’ll also be able to identify runners and other assorted cretins. He can sell recruits on the NBA experience. That’s a huge MG priority.
He’s also a native Southern Californian, which means he won’t have to lie every year, saying that he is not interested in any other job while playing footsie with Indiana, LSU, Arizona and Memphis.
I also don’t think you need to be a genius to coach in the NCAA. All you need is to be able to recruit and have the kids play hard, and you’ll win, maybe not a final four team, but good recruits and defense will get you to the NCAA tournament.
Theus doesn’t need to be a Howland. All he needs to do is make the NCAA tournament. For all of Timmy’s cutting corners and causing embarrassment for the University, he never seriously contended for a conference championship, attendance wasn’t much better than over at the Sports Center, he had to make deep runs in the Conference tourney to even qualify, and he won a grand total of three NCAA tournament games in four years.
And for his efforts alumni ponied up $1mil or so to keep him from jumping to Arizona, and DFW has built a shrine to his memory.
So by those standards, also long as Theus makes the NCAA tournament, he’ll be a god.
Desmo you might as well put your resume in so you will be satisfied, but you are wrong.
theus is ten times the coach that howland is because I know BEN and he is a first class chump on the court and off. Theus is more like a true person people can believe in him.
Paul D. Kelley
by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 18, 2009 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Whaaaat TF?
Theus is 10X the coach Howland is? Umm, it is rare that I ask this question, but here goes: Did you foregt to take your medication when you made that statement?
You seem better informed than me
so I’ll defer to your opinions regarding his off-court qualifications and his stressing defense. He could be a very good get. My take on the guy is limited to his lack of sustained achievement as a coach, although he did do pretty well at NMSU.
you're not making sense
my last post was directed toward Zoulou’s comments, so unless you’ve got multiple handles here, I’m not getting the “gotcha” moment.
so I hit the wrong one SORRY
Paul D. Kelley
by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 19, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions
The Timmy Temple
In honor of USC’s best basketball coach ever. Want to buy a Platinum level sponsorship, Zou? For an envelope of $1,000 cash, you get a brick with your name on it at the grand entrance to the temple and a signed copy of Louis Johnson’s new book – Tripping Timmy. You can come by and piss on your brick every day. How much pleasure would that give you???
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