Kevin O'Neill is new USC coach

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It's a safe hire at this point. O'Neil is a solid defensive first coach with a good X's and O's reputation and has been around for awhile but he doesn't exactly light the world on fire in terms of recruiting and personality. Reggie Theus might be flashy and good on the recruiting trail but there's questions about his coaching ability and he's more of a risk, considering what USC is going through, than O'Neill.

Of course I fully expect USC Basketball to get hammered for not just the O.J Mayo deal but as punishment for Pete Carroll's football program. I don't see the NCAA risking the "only game in town" when it comes to football and the second largest television market in the nation to make a point of the football Trojans. I think USC will get a slap on the wrist like Oklahoma football did over the Rhrett Bomar situation and their basketball program will pay the price.
 

Our thoughts are lining up on the USC situation Truth. It just seems that their AD is ready to concede that basketball gets hit hard if they can salvage the slap on the wrist for the football program. Tough situation to attract any coach, O'Neill's reputation seems to be that of a mercenary/highest paycheck type of guy, and he'll endure the muck for a few years. I also thought Theus was a curious name to be associated with USC-my instinct was the type of players he was attracting to New Mexico State were propelling them towards renegade program status. Not the type of guy you would want to bring in when the NCAA is breathing heavy.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Our thoughts are lining up on the USC situation Truth. It just seems that their AD is ready to concede that basketball gets hit hard if they can salvage the slap on the wrist for the football program. Tough situation to attract any coach, O'Neill's reputation seems to be that of a mercenary/highest paycheck type of guy, and he'll endure the muck for a few years. I also thought Theus was a curious name to be associated with USC-my instinct was the type of players he was attracting to New Mexico State were propelling them towards renegade program status. Not the type of guy you would want to bring in when the NCAA is breathing heavy.
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I read the comments of a Kings beat writer for the Sacremento Bee and he basically said that Theus is a charming guy and very personable-so much so that he almost felt sorry for ripping him apart for his crappy x's and o's during his ill-fated tenure with the Kings.

O'neill is the type of coach that can slog it out with lesser talent because he's sound strategically but he's not going to be winning many of the recruiting battles against the likes of UCLA. This is probably one of those "caretaker" jobs. I'd be interested in knowing the terms of his contract. I'm willing to bet it's not very long..maybe 4 years with some rollover clauses and incentives for Academic performance and tournament appearances.

As to the NCAA situation: I agree with you totally but I don't think Theus is a "bad guy". You have to take some chances on kids in jobs like that you normally wouldn't at higher profile programs. It's a risk/reward thing and due to the money and the emphasis on winning the AD's, the fans and the school presidents put on coaches in exchange for that compensation coaches often are willing to take those higher risks.
 



Couldn't happen to a scuzzier Athletic Dept. I still remember getting ripped on this board for questioning Floyd's actions at USC, everybody else was just excited for the talent they had on board.
 

USC basketball is a mess ... but they just put themselves in a much worse hole with the all-time king of a-holes, Kevin O'Neill. It makes me grateful we got Dan Monson after our "problem".
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I like the hire

For the situation USC is in, I think this hire makes sense. The guy's proven he can coach at major programs (couple NCAA's at Marquette, took Northwestern to NIT. ... no small accomplishment), and by all accounts he's a straight shooter and not a cheater. Yes, it appears he can be an a-hole quite frequently, but let's be honest, a lot of these successful coaches got where they are because they are a-holes. O'Neill, like Bobby Knight, could care less if people think/know he's an a-hole. I'm sure a lot of these head coaches are huge a-holes, some choose not to reveal it for public consumption.

At minimum, O'Neill should be able to steer USC through its troubled waters while maintaining a competitive program. Maybe not at the level Floyd was taking it, but (presumably) at least without all the apparent NCAA issues.
 



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