NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2013 season

By Joey Loose | Jun 25, 2021

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks reacts in the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 18, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball Andy Enfield USC Trojans (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

3. Andy Enfield (USC)

USC has always been a football school, though the basketball program has had its chance to shine here and there over the years. They were looking for a new head coach because the program wasn’t exactly shining in 2013, having finished under .500 the last two seasons under former coach Kevin O’Neill. Looking to jumpstart the program, the Trojans hired a young coach with little head coaching experience.

Andy Enfield was a big name in the college basketball world in 2013, but it wasn’t just a fluke that made him popular. He had been a talented shooter in college and had been a shooting coach for the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. Enfield had spent time on the staff at Florida State before his first head coaching job: leading little known Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet Sixteen as a 15-seed. He jumped to USC just a few weeks after that run.

Enfield settled in at USC, leading the Trojans back to the NCAA Tournament in his third season after a quick rebuild. He’s won at least 21 games in five of his eight seasons at the helm, though the greatest success just came in 2021. The Trojans marched to the Elite Eight as a 6-seed in impressive fashion and Enfield has this program set up well for the future, especially if he can keep bringing such great talent to Los Angeles.

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