USF deal with Steve Masiello falls through

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

What was once a “done deal” is no longer a deal at all.

On Tuesday, former Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello had agreed to be the next head basketball coach for the South Florida Bulls in what was reportedly a five-year deal, but according to the Tampa Tribune, a background discrepancy has killed the deal.

Eastman & Beaudine, a Texas-based search firm paid $60,000 by the University of South Florida to find their next head basketball coach, discovered the discrepancy late Tuesday night. Why was this deal even made public if a background check hadn’t even been completed?

The question now is: Where does Masiello go from here? He’s still one of the hottest young coaches in the industry but this is sure to hurt his prospects moving forward, no? It all depends what the discrepancy is.

Will Manhattan take their former 36-year-old coach back after he took them to their first NCAA Tournament in a decade? Will the players Did the Jaspers know about this discrepancy when they hired him and just look the other way?

For USF, it’s back to the drawing board as they’ll open up the search again, but it’s  likely they’ll get all their ducks in a row before announcing their next hire.

The story should play out in the next few days as more details are made available.