Totally cool, totally under control, the former-USC basketball coach is totally unfazed by the swamp donkey that is trying to blindside him with a food court chair.
USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill compared himself to former coach Tim Floyd today. ``I'm a different guy than Tim (Floyd). These guys will tell you that. I'm a little bit of a different guy than a lot of people. My wife will tell you that.''... more »
A look at something a bit different in the midst of all the preseason and training camp hoopla from Football Regardless of how anyone feels about Tim Floyd, his 4 year tenure at USC was one of the most sucessful in the history of SC hoops. The three conecutive NCAA tournament sppearances had never been accomplished, and Floyd achieved... more »
From the beginning, I've championed Kevin O'Neill for his work ethic. Now maybe those two commitments he got today would have come if Tim Floyd was the coach or maybe one of them wasn't that highly touted. But the fact is he's secured two commitments in his first couple days of recruiting, so he's working and getting some results.... more »
When Tim Floyd stepped down as the head coach of the USC men's basketball team amid another pay-to-player scandal, he didn't just leave a vacant position, he left a black hole. Hackett and DeRozan were always expected to go. Taj Gibson was already flirting on the edge of the precipice, and it sucked him right in. Marcus Johnson, who petitioned for a fifth year of eligibility, tried his best to leave but wasn't picked up in the draft. Now it's unclear whether he'll play next year.
First the players, then the recruits. A projected top-five class took a nose dive out of the top-25 with the rest of the division sopping up the fallout from the Trojan Chernobyl. Lamont Jones, Derrick Williams and Solomon Hill jumped ship, only to be plucked from the frigid water by Arizona. Renardo Sidney and USC had a mutual(?) parting of ways, after the scandal-wary Trojans smelled some fishy connections. Evan Smith, 6-6, a small forward from Oaks Christian, is the last holdout from the class. Smith lacks star power but should be a solid contributor...that is, if he holds out for good.
But there's a bright star on the horizon. Remember 2010 recruit Dwayne Polee Jr.? The 6-7 forward who committed to USC before he had ever played a high school game? Word on the street was that Polee was wavering on his commitment, getting sucked into the dark-matter at the center of the post-Floyd universe. Well good news. LA Times reported today that the Westchester forward and his mother met with new USC Coach Kevin O'Neill, and he still remains committed to the Trojans. So there's hope for the future. At least until the results come back from the NCAA investigations...
Follow the Jump to see the Polee highlight video from '08-09. Kid has got some hops.
Although new USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill said he will bring back Tim Floyd's assistant coaches, that does not mean everyone else on the basketball staff will return. ``Some things could change,'' O'Neill said.... more »
Intern Michael Schwartz, is a USC student and a writer for the school’s paper, the Daily Trojan. USC hiring Kevin O’Neill to replace Tim Floyd this week wasn’t exactly a headline grabber; the move mostly elicited a collective raising of the eyebrow from most of the media. Then again, dreams of landing a Jamie Dixon-like coach were far fetched.... more »
Was at an alumni event in Long Beach tonight. Kevin O'neill spoke briefly. He is a lot younger looking in person. And his wife is "quite attractive" to quote Jim Alexander and a bunch of the others in attendance; however, we missed an opportune in person viewing due to unfortunate seating selection. Any photo submissions that do more justice will be rewarded.
As for the coach himself we are optimistic. Even though he'd never toured the campus prior to being announced head coach, he's had USC's back (even Tim Floyd's) for a while. Video after the jump.
With Jeff Van Gundy out of the picture and Reggie Theus scheduled to interview for the basketball position today, there will be a lot of focus on the former Sacramento Kings coach. He was mentioned to us as soon as Tim Floyd resigned as a candidate. But it is important to note it is still early in this search... more »
ESPN is reporting that the USC is pursuing Reggie Theus, P.J. Carlesimo, Brian Shaw and Jim Boylen, the head coach of the Utah Utes, as a replacement for Tim Floyd. The Trojans would like to find a someone that has either been a head coach or assistant in the NBA. Pitt coach Jaime Dixon is no longer an option.
There's a defense emerging for Tim Floyd's resignation from his friends. It goes something like this: Floyd could not reclaim his reputation following the allegation he paid $1,000 to Rodney Guillory and even though he considered the charge outlandish, there was no way to disprove it. With the allegation (and NCAA investigation) paralyzing the program and tainting him personally,... more »
• Trojans speak! Three years in, Southern Cal finally issued its first public statement on the ongoing investigation into the Reggie Bush/O.J. Mayo illegal benefits scandals, sending athletic director Mike Garrett and another administrator online to say nothing in particular. "Video statements" from the pair produced the following revelations: • "We have no idea how long this investigation will continue."... more »
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