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I was fast asleep here on the east coast when my phone started buzzing with texts and alerts about the hiring of Andy Enfield as USC's new basketball coach.
Here is the official announcement.
"Andy has been successful in every area of his life," said Haden. "He has been a success on the court as a record-setting player, in the classroom as an Academic All-American, in the corporate world with successful businesses, in his personal life as a husband and father, as an NBA assistant and shooting coach, as a collegiate assistant at Florida State and most recently as a head coach with his Sweet Sixteen team at Florida Gulf Coast.
"Andy's success this season at Florida Gulf Coast was not a flash in the pan. He has a consistent and proven record of success for more than 15 years in college and the NBA. He is a respected teacher who develops his players on the court and sees them excel in the classroom, he is a noted shooting coach, he is a relentless recruiter and he has integrity and great character. Those in the basketball world have known of his abilities for a while. His brand of basketball--an up-tempo offense and a stingy defense--is fun for players to play and fans to watch. He is an excellent fit at USC who will resonate well with our players, our fans and our community."
I have my issues with Pat Haden, but I will give him props for hiring a coach that has the fan base excited!
There have been some comparisons on the boards to Pete Carroll. Enfield appears to have the same happy go lucky attitude that PC had and from what I have seen the guy likes to have fun like PC did.
It has been a long time since there was this sort of buzz with the hoops program.
I won't go as far to say that this is a home run hire...I want to see who Enfield hires as his assistants and I want to see how he recruits. I certainly don't expect a final four next season but I would like to see how Enfield will guide this team.
Congrats to Pat Haden for a making a hire that just about everyone supports and is excited about.
Welcome Coach Enfield!!