USC Trojans Hire Kevin O’Neil as Head Coach

The search for a new head basketball coach at the University of Southern California is over. The Trojans have replaced the resigned Tim Floyd with Kevin O’Neil, a common name to college basketball fans because he’s been around the league. And when we say he’s been around, we really mean it.

K-O has been coaching college and professional basketball since the early 1980s, and his resume includes no fewer than 14 teams in that time. Most notably he’s been an assistant at Arizona, a head coach at Marquette and Tennessee, and has worked as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers. He also served as an interim coach with Arizona between 2001-2008.

Most of the commentary out there about this hire is negative. Greg Doyle’s article at CBSsports.com is somewhat representative of the general feeling on the matter. But why all the hate? At the Final Four Blog we’re going to give O’Neil a chance at least. He’s walking into a somewhat tough situation, and he has a chance to turn things around for the better. Good luck, Kevin.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Posted in General on June 22, 2009

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