The University of Southern California has hired Kevin O'Neill to be their next head coach. USC has made it clear that they want a coach who has had NBA experience. O'Neill was the head coach of the Toronto Raptors for one season and was the special assistant to the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies this past season. Tim Floyd, who was the previous coach of USC, resigned amid speculation that he would be in trouble for his wrongdoings regarding O.J. Mayo. Mayo has just completed his rookie season with the Grizzlies.
USC continues to make good decisions regarding their coaching in athletics. USC has Pete Carroll as their football coach, who has had experience as an NFL coach with the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. USC also hired Michael Cooper as the head coach of their women's basketball team. Cooper won championships as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and won championships as head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. Their previous coach, Tim Floyd, also had NBA coaching experience, coaching the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Hornets.
While USC is making a right decision hiring O'Neill, USC may not be a place O'Neill wants to go to. USC may find themselves in trouble in the future because of the incidents regarding the recruiting of Mayo. The NCAA may come down harshly on the basketball program, which would affect the recruiting for O'Neill. Tom Crean, head coach of Indiana University, was in the same predicament. He took the head coaching job at the school, but they were riddled with violations from Kelvin Sampson's recruiting violations. Crean struggled through this past year, losing a lot of players via transfer and Eric Gordon to the NBA Draft after his freshman year. O'Neill should prepare himself for the worst if it should ever present itself, although I don't think there will be any severe punishments handed down.
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