BREAKING...Kevin O'Neill is USC's next basketball coach

by Paragon SC on Jun 20, 2009 9:13 AM PDT in USC Basketball Comment 24 comments

I am seeing it on ESPN and I just saw Pete Carroll Tweet the news...

Unbelievable...

I will have more when it becomes available...

UPDATE I:

Here is the official press release (with Video with Mike Garrett).

Kevin O'Neill, who has 13 years of collegiate and NBA head coaching experience, has been named the men's basketball head coach at USC, Trojan athletic director Mike Garrett announced today (June 20).

"We're thrilled to have Kevin O'Neill as our men's basketball coach," said Garrett. "Kevin is the consummate coach. He knows his Xs and Os, he's an excellent recruiter and he is very in tune with the academic side of a player's collegiate experience. His 30 years of experience at the college and professional levels has prepared him well for this opportunity. I love his coaching philosophy and principles: he's a no-nonsense coach who is very detail-oriented and prepares his teams well. He stresses defense and I've always believed that defense wins championships."

Said O'Neill: "I'm very excited about this opportunity to coach at such a great institution as USC, with its tremendous athletic and academic tradition. I appreciate Mike Garrett's confidence in me. I will work my hardest to coach us to a championship level every single day. I can't wait to get started."

Feel free to add your comments...

UPDATE #2:

Hear is the write-up in the OCR.

Said O’Neill: “I’m very excited about this opportunity to coach at such a great institution as USC, with its tremendous athletic and academic tradition. I appreciate Mike Garrett’s confidence in me. I will work my hardest to coach us to a championship level every single day. I can’t wait to get started.”

He takes over for Tim Floyd, who resigned on June 9 after 4 seasons at USC. The Trojans won at least 20 games and made the NCAA tourney in each of the last 3 seasons, both school records.

O’Neill, 52, has worked in the basketball coaching ranks for 30 years, most recently spending the 2009 season as an assistant coach and special assistant to the general manager of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.

I am just not seeing how this is going to help us. If he wasn't good enough to keep the job after being interim coach for Lute Olson what makes anyone believe he would be good enough for us. But hey! He has some pro experience so we have got that going for us...You can hear them laughing from all the way in Tucson.

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Yup, there was no way MG wouldn't screw it up

Should have gave Gib Arnold a shot, if MG was so committed to mediocrity. At least there would be a shot that we could keep Derrick Williams.

At least Tim Floyd gave me a reason to be interested in USC basketball, albeit a negative one.

Now, there is reason whatsoever to care about USC basketball.

by Zoulou on Jun 20, 2009 9:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well we shall see, at least he is interested in the job that is a big plus at this time.

Paul D. Kelley

by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 20, 2009 9:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WTF was Garrett thinking?

We are OFFICIALLY irrelevant…just when I was starting to get into it and I really don’t like hoops but I can tolerate it.

Conquest Chronicles

by Paragon SC on Jun 20, 2009 9:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Not so concerned with his UofA experience

Olsen kinda went off the deep end that year: health, divorce, affairs, meddling in the program, no one other than Bobby Knight would have survived that.

My bigger concern is that outside of two years at Marquette 15 years ago, he never distinguished himself other than as “brainy,” well-respected assistant coach. And we know MG’s luck with “brainy” assistant types (cough PaulHackett cough).

by Zoulou on Jun 20, 2009 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That said

O’Neill is/was a fundamentally decent man. Back in the Hoop Dreams days, he did keep William Gates on scholarship after Gates blew out his knee in his senior year of high school. And he did keep Arizona on a somewhat even keel during Lute Olsen’s “sabbatical” in the 2007-2008 season. I do think USC fans don’t realize how tramatic that season was for the UofA program. Lute didn’t do anyone any favors.

Still, don’t see Kevin O’Neill filing the Galen Center.

Again, it all depends on recruiting. Apparently, MG believes USC recruits itself.

by Zoulou on Jun 20, 2009 10:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Great reference!

Epic movie! Good point on O’Neill having William Gates’ back. A decent, hard working man is my kind of man- regardless. I’m not sure about O’Neill’s performance as a coach, in all honesty- I’d have to “google” him sometime soon and peruse a load of potential links as to his professional resume’ and performance. What I do know of him is that he filled-in for Lute, thinking he was getting lined-up to take over the Arizona program and, if I’m not mistaken, when he was shown the door when Lute came back- I think he felt he was “played” in that situation. (that’s all just my perfunctory recollection of it all, I might be wrong?)

At any rate, Heisman Mike G probably didn’t have to agree to a pre-employment opt-out clause in the hiring contract for Coach Kevin O’Neill? Hey, if anything- Mike G can hold tight to his bargaining leverage I guess.

Whatever the outcome of O’Neill’s Trojan tenure, good luck to you Coach. You’re gonna need it. And welcome to the Trojan family.

Fight On!

Comer4tide to Nico2.0: "How come I've never heard of any of your random songs?"
Todd to Comer: "Because if you had, he wouldn't listen to it. BOOM. Roasted."
Nico to Todd: "Shouldn't you be off voguing somewhere?"

by BixBeiderbecke on Jun 20, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Clearly Garrett got lucky with Carroll....

….because he seems to have no clue about hiring a coach otherwise. O’Neill has a decent record, but I have a hard time believing he’ll be a good recruiter and has enough excitement to draw fans in.

by Signal to Noise on Jun 20, 2009 10:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That's the rub . . .

Recruiting and excitement to a program that has even less city-wide interest than the Clippers.

As I’ve said before, MG seems to believe that USC recruits itself. The arrogance is astounding.

by Zoulou on Jun 20, 2009 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Garrett never really even hired Carroll

Carroll was not Garrett’s first, second, or even third choice back in 2001. MG wanted Mike Belotti of UO, Sonny Lubick of Colorado State, and Mike Riley from the Chargers. All 3 turned down the job. Then, it was Daryl Gross, who suggested to Garrett that they take a look at Carroll. Talk about a guy falling into one’s laps after all else had failed. MG really got lucky that Gross found PC and that his top 3 turned down the offer.

by Joey Kaufman on Jun 20, 2009 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thought that Riley

couldn’t get out of his contract with the Chargers, but wanted to interview for the USC job.

by frak on Jun 20, 2009 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are correct about Riley

Paul D. Kelley

by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 20, 2009 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Correct!

Funny how quickly you can twist things to embellish a negative connotation against the mighty Trojans.

by DFWTrojan on Jun 21, 2009 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sample's Fingerprints All Over This

I think Sample demanded an ethical, squeakly clean guy. O’Neill has a masters in education and is known for being clean. He is also a defensive mastermind, purportedly, and some of his Marquette teams led the nation in defensive FG%. He is know for rebuilding, actually resurrecting would be a better word, troubled programs. Marquette, Tenn, Northwestern were all loser programs and he turned them around.

I think this is a stop-gap measure and a signal that we are expecting severe NCAA sanctions. O’Neill is a good coach, but not a great fit for SC. Expect mediocrity, but a more stable, clean program. Maybe Dixon in 2-3 years. I would have preferred giving Gib Arnold a shot, or Theus, Shaw, or Monson. Fire Mike Garrett!

by DFWTrojan on Jun 20, 2009 10:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Have to agree with you Tex,

El Presidente was pulling the strings. Theus thought he was getting the job, but Garrett must have been told to make another run at Dixon. Reggie got po’d and bailed out.

No one should forget that El Presidente’s model for USC is Stanford, so the nebbish O"Neal will fill the bill until the program is clean. When O’Neill proves is mediocrity again, he can hand over a clean program to Robinson, Monty, or Dixon. I’m betting on Robinson.

I’m very unhappy about this but I understand, sort of. Like our esteemed leader says, we are “OFFICIALLY irrelevant.” The big question is: Do I renew my seats out of loyalty, or cancel in protest?

by Locoweed 1.1 on Jun 20, 2009 3:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nebbish O'Neill

Ha, good diction, Loco. See Para’s Rocky Top fanpost. He actually might be a good solution in a bad situation. I can get behind a team that plays hard and plays good defense.

by DFWTrojan on Jun 20, 2009 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I'm calming down a bit

It’s frustrating because Reggie was ready to take the job and he could have been great. That said I’m surprised that (as reported) he flipped out when MG called Dixon again, or maybe the word came down from on-high that Reggie didn’t fit the mold.

We will never know how the decision was made, but Nebbish O’Neill the Dispoz-a-Coach knows his basketball, isn’t stupid, and will run a tight ship. He will also come cheaply, and will probably set himself up in a downtown LA condo, living and breathing USC basketball 24/7; but can he recruit? His best friends are Prozac and low expectations. Maybe he surprises all of us and makes something out of this mess.

Of note: One of my season ticket holding amigos called earlier to tell me he’s not renewing. Instead he’s buying a piece of someone’s Laker season tix, the economy being slow people are willing to split/share because the scalpers are only paying face value.

by Locoweed 1.1 on Jun 20, 2009 6:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't believe the stupid questions that 71 asked you on BN, and I think he is a lawyer

Can you imagine him defending someone all the time muttering dam that PC and USC they cheat.

Paul D. Kelley

by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 20, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 20, 2009 11:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

by so.cal.native1952 on Jun 20, 2009 11:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Massive sanctions on the way?

I can’t think of any other explanation for this. The Dispoz-a-Coach will pilot our smoldering hulk of a program through the crap storm, then he gets canned with no hard feelings.

by Locoweed 1.1 on Jun 20, 2009 12:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

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