Dunk City is coming to USC.
Just two days after UCLA hired Steve Alford as its new coach, crosstown rival USC answered by hiring Florida Gulf Coast coach Andy Enfield.
Enfield reportedly agreed to a six-year deal worth approximately $1.5 million annually. He was making $152,000 at Florida Gulf Coast.
The news was first reported by Pete Thamel of SI.com.
“Andy has been successful in every area of his life,” USC AD Pat Haden said. “He has been a success on the court as a record-setting player, in the classroom as an Academic All-American, in the corporate world with successful businesses, in his personal life as a husband and father, as an NBA assistant and shooting coach, as a collegiate assistant at Florida State and most recently as a head coach with his Sweet Sixteen team at Florida Gulf Coast.” To read more of this story, click here
USC point guard Jio Fontan has suffered a torn ACL, according to an MRI he underwent Thursday.
“Tore my ACL,” the former St. Anthony star told SNY.tv by text.
Typical recovery from an ACL tear is at least 4-6 months.
The senior guard from Paterson, N.J., flew back to the U.S. Wednesday from Brazil after injuring the knee during the second quarter of USC’s 81-70 loss to Mogi das Cruzes on Tuesday in Sao Paulo.
Fontan transferred from Fordham and became eligible mid-semester last season, averaging 10.5 points and 3. 9 assists over 24 games.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And like ZAGS on Facebook
USC point guard Jio Fontan is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his left knee Thursday in Los Angeles, according to reports.
“Hoping my knee isnt that bad smh,trying to stay positive and not stress,” Fontan Tweeted Thursday.
The former St. Anthony star flew back to the U.S. Wednesday from Brazil after injuring the knee during the second quarter of USC’s 81-70 loss to Mogi das Cruzes on Tuesday in Sao Paulo.
USC is calling the injury a sprain.
Baxter Holmes, who covers USC for the Los Angeles Times, Tweeted, “Just asked USC Coach Kevin O’Neill how bad Jio Fontan’s knee injury is on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst. His answer: ‘Ten.’”
A call to Fontan’s father, Jorge, was not immediately returned Thursday.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
And like ZAGS on Facebook
USC reinstated head coach Kevin O’Neill on Sunday, two days after he had been suspended.
“Effective immediately, I am reinstating Kevin O’Neill as our men’s basketball head coach,” USC AD Pat Haden said in a statement. “Coach O’Neill and I have talked numerous times these past few days. He has continued to express his regret and embarrassment over the incident that led to his suspension from any remaining games of the Pac-10 Conference Tournament.
“… Further, he understands that he let them down as their role model and leader. He has apologized to his team, as well as to me, our administration, our fans and the Pac-10.” To read more of this story, click here
NEW YORK — Jio Fontan and Tyshawn Taylor have been talking smack on the phone and in text messages for several weeks now.
With Fontan set to make his debut Saturday for Southern Cal (6-4) against Taylor and No. 3 Kansas (9-0) at Allen Field House (noon, ESPN), the chatter is running high between the two old friends and former St. Anthony teammates.
“I told him that’s a terrible place for him to come back,” cracked Taylor, Kansas’ junior point guard from Hoboken, N.J.
Said Fontan: “I’ve been calling him telling him how we’re going to beat them and he’s been calling me telling me how they’re going to blow us out.” To read more of this story, click here
De’Andre Daniels will visit USC Saturday and UCLA Sunday, but beyond that his plans remain unclear, according to Derrick Taylor, his coach at Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft.
“I don’t know,” said Taylor, who was waiting to meet Friday with Daniels and his father. “I have to talk to his dad.”
Taylor said Daniels, who appears to be reclassifying to 2010 from 2011, will visit the California schools this weekend “because they’re both local.”
Taylor said Kentucky and Texas were also involved, but wasn’t sure who else the family was considering. Daniels recently decommitted from Texas.
The 6-foot-8, 180-pound Daniels is ranked the No. 3 shooting guard in the Class of 2011 by Rivals, and Taylor compared him to a young Scottie Pippen.
“I think he has a chance be an impact player,” Taylor said. “He’s improving as fast as anybody I’ve ever seen. Year to year he’s making gigantic leaps. He still has much more to go because he has a thin, young body. He shoots it well. He’s very skilled. He can handle, he can pass it. He’s a big, big rebounder. He rebounds very well. He’s a shot-blocker because he’s so long.
“I call him a poor man’s Scottie Pippen-type. He’s long and rangy on the wing and he’ll defend it. He’s a willing defender.”
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.
Jahii Carson has four official visits in mind — and one of them is St. John’s.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Carson out of Mesa (Az.) High said he plans to take officials to Arizona, Washington, Oregon State and St. John’s.
He plans to leave one official open and said he would probably take it to Alabama or North Carolina.
He has already visited UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona and Arizona State unofficially. To read more of this story, click here
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — That Oakland Soldiers are one of the most star-studded outfits on the summer recruiting trail.
With guards Nick Johnson, Josiah Turner and Jabari Brown and 6-9 bigs Kyle Wiltjer and Brandon Ashley (2012), the Soldiers drew everyone from Roy Williams to Gary Williams to Ben Howland at last week’s Peach Jam.
“Before the game I notice who’s in the building. But when the game starts, I’m all about the game,” Wiltjer said.
Wiltjer missed at least one game at the Peach Jam with painful migraine headaches that forced him to visit the emergency room. To read more of this story, click here
Despite the huge penalties levied by the NCAA against the Southern California football team Thursday, Jio Fontan and his teammates on the basketball team are somewhat relieved.
“It’s a little weird because as far as basketball-wise, things went pretty decent I guess. Of course we’d rather have no sanctions at all. But we understand we did wrong and we know we had to have some penalties,” Fontan, the Paterson, N.J. native and former St. Anthony star who transferred to USC from Fordham, said late Thursday night during a phone interview.
In January, USC implemented self-imposed sanctions on the basketball team in the wake of the O.J. Mayo scandal, but no additional penalties were levied Thursday. To read more of this story, click here
By ALEX KLINE
Shabazz Muhammad, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Bishop Gorman in Nevada, has picked up another offer. This one is from the national champion Duke Blue Devils. Muhammad, who reclassified from the 2011 class into 2012, is ranked 8th in the country in that class by Rivals.com.
About a week ago, the sophomore predicted Duke would offer him soon. As of now, his offers include “Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky, USC, Texas, and Memphis.”
**UPDATE: Muhammad expects to get a formal offer from North Carolina in mid-June, per sources.
Rodney Purvis ’13, a 6-3 point guard from Upper Room Christian in North Carolina, is making To read more of this story, click here
