On Monday it was announced that Andy Enfield was leaving USC to become the new head men’s basketball coach at SMU. In 11 years at the helm in LA Enfield accumulated a 220-147 record and took the Trojans to the NCAA Tournament five times, including an Elite Eight run in 2021. This season was very disappointing for them and Enfield decided to move on. So with USC men’s basketball now looking for a new head coach as they move to the Big Ten, let’s take a look at some possible candidates in the USC coaching search.
USC Basketball Coaching Search
Eric Musselman – Arkansas Head Coach
There is uncertainty surrounding the Muss Bus in Fayetteville. He has not yet been given a new contract, though Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said that they “very much want him to be an Arkansas Razorback.” His tenure at the school started off really well, with three straight tournament appearances. In all three they made it to the second weekend and that includes two straight Elite Eight runs. This season was extremely disappointing for the Razorbacks but that shouldn’t diminish the previous success.
Musselman has tons of experience in different levels of basketball and in many different places throughout the country. That includes an awesome stint as Nevada head coach. He has also had stints as the coach of the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, and he played at San Diego in the 80s. That’s just some of his experience. He was rumored to be connected to the openings at Louisville and SMU and is now rumored to the USC job as well. Whether or not the Trojans can lure him away from a place where he has enjoyed such success remains to be seen. But he’ll probably be at the top of the list in the USC coaching search either way.
What’s been rumored/expected for more than a week is now official: Andy Enfield has left USC for SMU. USC figures to look into Eric Musselman, Buzz Williams, Jamie Dixon, Jerome Tang, Niko Medved and Mark Pope, among others.
Here’s the newser on Enfield:https://t.co/1DdgJqHOfq
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 1, 2024
Niko Medved – Colorado State Head Coach
Niko Medved has done a good job everywhere he’s gone. He started as a head coach at Furman and rebuilt their program, eventually leading the Paladins to just their third 20-win season since 1980. He then spent a year at Drake before moving to the Mountain West. Now as the head coach of the Rams, he has led them to two NCAA Tournament appearances in the last three years and has made them into one of the more notable mid-major programs.
Medved comes with 30 years of coaching experience. He also has connections to the Big Ten. He went to Minnesota and was an assistant coach there for a couple of years. Those connections could be useful with USC moving to the Big Ten.
Mark Pope – BYU Head Coach
Mark Pope is an interesting one. It would be significantly more likely in my opinion if BYU hadn’t just joined the Big 12 and had immediate success. The Cougars had a very impressive season and were significantly better than anyone thought they would be. He did a good job in his four years as the head coach at Utah Valley. After leaving the Wolverines for BYU he didn’t miss a beat. With that, his stock has risen and continues to do so, especially after this season.
Yes, Pope does only have two NCAA Tournament appearances. But his teams have won 20 or more games in six of his nine seasons as a head coach. For the right price he could potentially be convinced to leave the state of Utah and head to SoCal.
Leon Rice – Boise State Head Coach
Leon Rice has been really consistent as the head coach at Boise State. In his 14 years there the Broncos has 11 20-win seasons and five NCAA Tournament appearances. They’ve made the Big Dance three years in a row for the first time in the history of the program. He is also the first coach in Broncos’ history to win 20+ games in two of his first three seasons. Before taking over at Boise he was one of Mark Few’s assistants at Gonzaga for 11 years.
The one major knock on Rice is that he has never won an NCAA Tournament game. But the two-time Mountain West Coach of the Year has had lots of success out west and has done so consistently.
