USC Basketball

The pressure of coaching men's basketball in the Pac-10 has driven another head coach away.

Tim Floyd has resigned as the head man of the USC Trojans basketball program.

Amid rumors, speculation and some shaky claims, Floyd submitted a very brief statement to USC athletic director Mike Garrett late Tuesday afternoon. In his letter, Floyd references diminished enthusiasm for the job:

"...I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal."

Small wonder Floyd has lost some of his fire.

When it comes to getting some love as a head coach, just about every school in the nation wanted Tim Floyd to lead its basketball program, with one notable exception: USC.

Both Arizona and Memphis courted Floyd after the end of last season. Both schools hoped he would take their basketball teams to the rarefied air of the NCAA Final Four.

Each school wanted Floyd big time.

Despite a lukewarm relationship with USC's Garrett, Floyd turned down generous offers from both universities that have long supported their basketball programs with lavish budgets and facilities.

Why?

Floyd wasn't interested in bouncing from one job to another, leaving student-athletes in limbo. That's just the kind of guy he is.

No question that Floyd was a competitor and dedicated his efforts to building a winning program. He was also in the unique position of coaching college basketball fueled by passion, not by money. His bank account is doing just fine thanks to a decent run in the NBA.

So why leave now?

Since Floyd isn't responding to phone calls, the only reasons offered to explain his resignation are speculative.

There are some issues that come into play contributing to Floyd packing his bags and going home to Mississippi.

The USC football program has been under investigation and scrutiny by the NCAA for quite some time. Allegations of paying young men to play for the Trojans date back to Reggie Bush. But the NCAA has yet to close the book on their snooping around. Either they are building a strong case or there's no case to be made. In the meantime, USC is as good as guilty in the press until they can prove their innocence.

In late spring of this year, Yahoo! Sports ran a fast break on the USC men's basketball program. They broke with news that an intimate associate of OJ Mayo witnessed Floyd paying $1,000 to secure Mayo's services for a year. Again, USC has been found guilty in the press until they can prove otherwise.

Add to the Mayo situation a recruit from whom USC revoked a scholarship. There were some sketchy issues surrounding the recruiting process of the star high school player. Rather than add yet another bit of fuel to the fire under the NCAA, USC just said, "No thanks."

There's more.

A bevy of players from his Trojan squad decided that their time at USC was over and declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft.

It's possible that Tim Floyd might have continued forward at USC if he had the support of school administration. That hasn't happened, and apparently Floyd didn't see things improving in the near future.

USC has always been a football school. Trojans basketball has long been little more than a nice diversion until spring football practice cranks up. After building a world-class basketball arena directly across the street from the heart of campus, USC basketball fans continue to be a rare bird.

Tim Floyd was leading a team competing at an elite level in the Pac-10, yet fans were staying away from home games in droves.

Enough was enough.

From the perspective of Cougar Nation, the news from the campus of USC is loud and clear. The Trojans remain a football school and willingly yield their desire to win a Pac-10 title to Washington State... or any other school in the conference.

Don't feel sorry for Tim Floyd, though.

He'll welcome some quiet and the friendly folks back in Mississippi.

Originally published on Examiner.com

If you like what you read here, check out my blog Ballin is a Habit.

Reports are flying from every major news outlet that Tim Floyd, the head coach of the USC Trojans, has resigned.

The Clarion (Mississippi) Ledger was the first to report it as they were able to obtain a letter from Floyd to USC athletic director Mike Garrett, which read:

As of 1 p.m. today, I am resigning as head basketball coach at the University of Southern California. I deeply appreciate the opportunity afforded me by the university, as well as the chance to know and work with some of the finest young men in college athletics.

Unfortunately, I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal.

I always promised myself and my family that if I ever felt I could no longer give my full enthusiasm to a job, that I should leave it to others who could. I intend to contact my coaching staff and my players in coming days and weeks to tell them how much each of them means to me.

I wish the best to USC and to my successor.

In his four years at the helm of the Trojans, Floyd went 85-50, reaching the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons. But, ever since Yahoo! Sports reported on May 12th that Floyd had paid Ronald Guillory—a runner for the Bill Duffy Associates sports agency and a known associate of OJ Mayo, everything Floyd had built has slowly started to disintegrate.

First, Daniel Hackett, Demar Derozan, Taj Gibson, (Gibson can still return to the Trojans as he has yet to sign with an agent) and later on Marcus Johnson all declared for the NBA Draft.

Then, Floyd's recruiting class started falling apart: Solomon Hill decided to go to Arizona, Noel Johnson backed out of his commitment, and Renardo Sidney was not allowed into USC.

We will be following this story as more information comes out, but according to FOXSports neither Taj Gibson nor the USC coaching staff knows anything about Floyd's decision.

To be completely honest, I really hope that Floyd was fired (UPDATE: The Dagger believes that Floyd was fired/forced to resign).

He got himself into this mess by allowing OJ Mayo and his handlers to take advantage of the situation. Now there is this shitstorm brewing around his program, and this shitstorm is only aiding in the decision of some very good college hoopers to avoid USC like the plague.

or him to walk away right now and leave USC—the players, the fans, and the administrators—in the lurch is cowardly.

You, coach Floyd, brought this on the program.

Not the guy that will be brought in to replace you.

Not the players still left on the team.

Not the fans who started to believe that the Trojans could be a basketball school.

Not any future recruit that will have to deal with any NCAA sanctions handed down.

You should be riding this out with your team and your university.

How does the saying go?

The Captain always goes down with the ship?

Terrible analogy aside, Tim Floyd hopped on the first life boat and left the rest of his crew on the USC ship to drown.

Demar DeRozan is a player that will grace the NBA draft with his ample amount of potential. DeRozan has ridiculous athletic ability and has already been compared to the likes of Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Rudy Gay.

The 6'7" slasher will be drafted clearly because of his driving ability, flashy ball-handling moves, and solidified mid-range jump shot, in addition to the superb upside that this Compton, California native possesses.

After just one year at USC, DeRozan will look to take his game to new heights. Not only did DeRozan average 13.6 points per game at USC, but also allotted career averages of 5.7 rebounds per game, nearly one steal per game, and went 52 percent from the field.

DeRozan managed to do all this alongside fellow draft prospect, Taj Gibson. Gibson and DeRozan led the Trojans to a Pac Ten title last year. 

At the NBA draft combine, DeRozan impressed all spectators with a 38.5 inch vertical leap. This was the second highest leap at the combine behind a 40 inch leap from Syracuse's Jonny Flynn.

DeRozan displayed his incredible ability to slash and keep his balance in traffic, along with showing his substantial skill set.

The 220 pound freshman's first step was exploited when he was inconsistent in both the lane agility drills, and when DeRozan was asked to beat his man off the dribble, as he was not consistently able to.

Even though he was not highly impressive at the combine, DeRozan's stock seems to be rising.

Rumors are circulating that the Oklahoma City Thunder could use the third overall pick on this future star.

"That would be great. It would feel good to be in a lineup like that. Kevin Durant's one of the best players in the league, and that would be an opportunity to help build a program from the ground up," DeRozan told HoopsWorld.

"I think we could put Oklahoma City on the map as a top team in the next few years. Playing with a star player would also really help my career. Playing with someone like Kevin Durant, who's been there and remembers what it takes as a rookie to get where you want to go, that would be great because he just did it. I'd love to play with Kevin and help him build his team up."

Those are bold statements coming from a soon-to-be rookie, but DeRozan is not crossing any lines whatsoever. 

Playing alongside Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook, the USC freshman's game would improve substantially.

DeRozan will be most efficient offensively as a slasher, Russell Westbrook's specialty.

He will also create contact slashing through the lane and often draw the foul—Jeff Green's specialty.

Finally, DeRozan's jump shot is an essential part of his game, however, his range needs to be expanded—Kevin Durant's specialty.

Ranging from his defense and intangibles, DeRozan needs work in other aspects of his game as well, which will come only by his adaptation to the NBA.

The third pick would not be wasted in picking DeRozan. If OKC does pick him, the parts of his play that round his game now will be improved and most likely expanded, along with the strengthening of the aspects of his game that are weak.

DeRozan will not be effective right away; however, somewhat relevant to Denver's JR Smith, he can begin his career by being an exciting spark off the bench. His latent upside will be exposed early on in his career and will make him a proven NBA star down the road.

If you like what you read here, check out my blog Ballin' is a Habit.

For a complete listing of NBA Draft prospects and their player breakdown, click here.

Stats: 13.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg (2.4 off), 52.3 percent FG, 64.6 percent FT, 16.0 percent 3PT, 1.5 apg, and 2.1 t/o's

Listed Size: 6'7", 207 lbs., 8/7/89 (19 years old)

About Him: Demar Derozan is a freak athlete. That much is obvious if you scroll down and watch the second highlight clip.

But if you watched Derozan play this season, he was far from ready for the league, and any GM that selects this kid needs to do so with the understanding that he is a clear cut work in progress (and based on what we have heard about Derozan, he is a good kid that does work hard—good sign for a project).

So what can he do now?

Other than jump out of the gym, well...not too much right now. By the end of the season, he became much more aggressive, especially going to the offensive glass (where he can let his tools take over).

But for someone with as much athleticism as Derozan has, he really didn't put down too many "Good God, that's possible?!?" dunks during the year. In general, Derozan just didn't seem to get it for the first half of the season.

A lot of that, I believe, had to do with confidence—no matter how good you are, it sometimes takes a while to prove to yourself what you can do on the court. A lot of it had to do with Tim Floyd finding the right times to get Derozan the ball.

But by the end of the year, specifically tournament time (he averaged 21 ppg and 9 rpg tallying two double-doubles, during the Trojan's run through the Pac-10 tourney, and set his season-high in FT attempts with seven), he finally put it all together and played like a future pro.

Offensively, Derozan can basically do two things—knock down a mid-range jumper and dunk. His ball-handling is very shaky to the point that he even struggles at times with the two dribbles that get him from the perimeter to the rim (he can't change direction either).

He doesn't have range beyond 17 feet. He can't catch-and-shoot when he is moving. His upper-body strength is not where it needs to be in order for him to finish through any kind of contact around the rim.

He is not a great passer (0.7 a:t/o) or decision maker, and does not have a high basketball IQ. But, like I said, his mid-range game is already pretty solid. He can knock down shots off the bounce. When he catches with his feet set, he is an above-average shooter from 15-17 feet.

A guy like that can develop into a pretty solid shooter if he puts in the work.

Another positive sign is how efficient Derozan is scoring the basketball. He averaged 13.9 ppg on just 10.5 shots, which is all the more impressive when you consider he made just six threes and 95 free throws this year (and also hit 56.2 percent from two).

While he might not have been shooting the ball enough, in general he wasn't taking bad shots, and he was making the ones he took.

On the defensive end, Derozan has a lot to learn. His fundamentals are not yet up to par, he sometimes falls asleep (especially on help side), and he never really showed flashes of being a playmaker on this end.

But one thing he did was play hard.

Like I said, for someone as raw as Derozan is—skills, fundamentals, and basketball basics can be taught. Effort, work ethic, and the heart to play hard (on both ends) cannot.

Comparisons: Best Case: Some combination of Josh Howard, Gerald Wallace, Vince Carter, and Jason Richardson; Worst Case: Desmond Mason and Rodney Carney

Bottom Line: Derozan has more potential than any other wing player in this class. If he works his tail off and develops within a team's system, he has enough raw ability that he can be a top 10-15 player in the league.

But that is a ways down the road, and it is always tough to keep working hard when you aren't getting minutes. As to what kind of player Derozan becomes, it is really going to depend on who drafts him and what they are looking for Derozan to be—do they want a scoring guard (a la VC), or do they want a slashing small forward (a la Gerald Wallace)?

Because of how risky (read: how raw) Derozan is as a prospect, he is probably going to fall somewhere in the middle of the lottery (6-12 range), but that is subject to change based on how the draft order shakes out.

Highlights:

According to sources at Yahoo! Sports a former associate of NBA star O.J. Mayo said USC basketball head Coach Tim Floyd gave money to help bring Mayo to USC.

In a story that broke on Tuesday night, Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo, told reporters that Rodney Guillory informed him that Floyd had given Guillory "a grand."

Johnson has reported this activity to the NCAA, as well as federal investigates, claiming he saw the money in the envelope that Guillory received.

What is truly sad about this whole situation is I highly doubt anyone is surprised that something shady took place in the recruiting of O.J. Mayo.

This is not the first time USC has been accused of wrongdoing in its recruiting practices. Remember, the school is still under investigation for its actions when dealing with 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

Mayo was one of the hottest recruits coming out of college a few years ago, and his high school career was marred with tons of missteps. Any time a kid attends four separate high schools, chances are something is up.

To make matters stranger, Mayo reportedly contacted Floyd first and insisted he was ready to play for USC, which is the opposite of how the recruiting process should go down and would negate the need for Floyd to pay to bring Mayo to USC.

Perhaps the most important fact in this whole situation is, once again, USC finds itself under the microscope for recruiting and player violations.

At some point, enough has to be enough. The Trojans are obviously delving into shady tactics with their recruiting efforts in all their athletic programs.

What will it take for the NCAA to actually step in and say something, or are they too scared to touch the golden boy that is USC?

Just 24 hours ago, ESPN and other sports outlets were reporting that Tim Floyd was leaving USC for the University of Arizona.

Amazing how much changes in one day.

Now comes the official word: Floyd isn't going anywhere. Floyd will remain at USC after three straight 20-win seasons. For USC fans this is good news because under Floyd the Trojans have been the most consistent they have been in over a decade. Not to mention Floyd has another stellar recruiting class headed to L.A., including McDonald's All-American Renardo Sidney.

When Floyd originally took the job at USC he told the program, fans, and players that it would be his last coaching job and he would like to end his career as the Trojans' coach. A few hours ago Floyd looked like another coach backing out on his word and proving yet again why coaching in general has become a joke.

Some local Los Angeles media outlets are claiming that at USC's banquet dinner on Tuesday night Floyd told the players who were considering the jump to the NBA to stay because they had "Final Four" potential and he wanted to stay at USC for good. Could this have been a main reason why Floyd stayed? I would think so.

Now Trojans' fans can only hope that players like Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett, and even Freshman sensation Demar DeRozan will listen to Floyd and come back for next season. If so, is it too premature to think the Trojans may indeed be the PAC 10 favorites next season?

As for Arizona...the search continues. Names like Xavier's head coach Sean Miller are rumored, even Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon is rumored to be on the Wildcat's short list.

If I were Arizona there is one coach who hasn't coached in a few years that I would call to help rebuild their program, and no it is not Bob Knight. The very same guy I am about to mention would have also been my top choice for USC's replacement had Tim Floyd chosen to leave USC.

Drum rolls... Arizona, call ESPN and ask to speak to Steve Lavin! Yes, Steve Lavin. You are going to have to cough up major bucks for Miller or Capel or Dixon so you might as well buy Lavin out of his deal with ESPN and name him your new head coach.

Why you ask? I'll tell you why. When Lavin took over the UCLA program in 1996, he had to completely rebuild a program that was coming off recruiting violations from Jim Harrick. Not only did Lavin turn them around, he actually built them up into "UCLA" again.

His team made six straight tournaments. He and Duke's head coach, Coach K, are the ONLY two head coaches to lead their teams to five straight Sweet 16 appearances.  In those appearances he made the Final 4 once and Elite 8 once. Seven of the players Lavin recruited are currently still playing in the NBA. He was also the assistant coach at UCLA in 1995 when they last won a national championship.

Coaching at Arizona you need to be able to recruit California and keep Arizona players in state... Lavin is capable of doing both. He has charm, knowledge (Assisted for Purdue's legendary Coach Gene Keady), and he has the ability and experience to make Arizona relevant again.

Plus, the dry desert air would keep that slicked back hair as shiny as ever!

NOTE: This article was written hours before Tim Floyd turned down the job and opted to return to USC. The author is now praying that Arizona can get someone competent to coach the Wildcats. Come on Livengood!

If the rumors are true that Tim Floyd is leaving USC to become the head men’s basketball coach at Arizona, fans in Tucson should not be worried. Sure, Floyd is no John Calipari, but once the “other” Wildcat job opened up, it was simply unrealistic to expect Calipari to choose Arizona over Kentucky, one of the few schools with a better basketball pedigree.

While rumors swirled about candidates ranging from Jeff Capel to Mark Few to Rick Pitino to Tom Izzo, it seems that Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood has settled on Tim Floyd.

In the immediate future, Floyd may be able to bring with him sorely-needed recruits for Arizona, who have been without a semblance of a recruiting class for two years and could see its roster gutted by defections.

Jordan Hill is almost certain to go pro, as he has been projected as a Top Five pick by Chad Ford of ESPN. Chase Budinger, while not as much a certainty as Hill, is more likely than not to declare as well. Point guard Nic Wise has been rumored to have his eyes set on Europe and immediate paychecks, as his weak knees require him to make the most out of what will be a shortened career.

Adding these three possible major departures to the constant rumors of transfers out of the program and two little-used graduating seniors could put Arizona in a downward spiral without immediate recruiting help. This help could come with the hiring of Tim Floyd.

Former Arizona commit Solomon Hill had been rumored to have narrowed his choices down to Arizona and USC, Floyd’s current school. Should Hill decide to come to Arizona, and possibly convince another undecided senior or two to follow, Arizona should be in good shape.

Floyd’s biggest recruiting challenge, however, will be to convince Nic Wise to stay in Tucson for his senior season. The Wildcats will be lost next year without him, as they could barely put five Pac 10-caliber players on the court, yet still advanced to the Sweet 16 due in large part to their supreme point guard play.

Should he somehow convince Budinger or Hill to follow suit, Arizona will be a major contender next year, and Floyd would likely ask to have a statue built of him next to the new Richard Jefferson Practice Facility.

When analyzing this hire, it is important to focus not only on the short-term benefits but also the long-term health of the program. The men’s basketball program is the cash cow for the University of Arizona athletic department, and Livengood cannot afford to let it suffer.

He knows this fact, and if the reports are true that Floyd will indeed be the next head coach at Arizona, Livengood has succeeded.

The Arizona position should constitute Floyd’s idea of his “career job.” The program is without question one of the best in the history of college basketball, although a step below the royalty that is Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA.

Floyd won’t be looking for his next job in two or three years, and that will only enhance his ability to recruit top-notch talent to Tucson. If he could recruit at Idaho, New Orleans, Iowa State, and USC, imagine what he can do at a national powerhouse like Arizona.

Although Arizona is not currently a top-tier team, its history and program are, and it only needs a man at the helm such as Tim Floyd to turn it around. As public opinion of Arizona seems to have dwindled in the four years since the Wildcats last made the Elite Eight, Floyd should be able to wake up the sleeping giant that is Point Guard U and return it to prominence.

Numerous media outlets are reporting that Tim Floyd is likely to be announced as the next coach at the University of Arizona. The announcement could come as early Thursday.

Floyd leaving USC for Arizona could be seen as poetic justice for long time Arizona fans, especially after U of A football coach Larry Smith left Arizona for USC following the 1986 season.

Floyd has led the Trojans to the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons. This past season, the Trojans won the Pac-Ten Tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid. USC finished 22-13, and advanced to the second round before losing to Midwest Regional Champion Michigan State.

Floyd has posted an 85-50 record during his four seasons in Los Angeles. He led the Trojans to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history. Floyd could be just what Arizona is looking for. His previous college stops include Iowa State, New Orleans and Idaho.

At Iowa State, Floyd posted a similar record of 81-49. He led the Cyclones to three straight 20-win seasons for the first time. Floyd first burst on to the scene at New Orleans, by going 127-58 in six seasons. He led the Privateers to two NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure.

At USC, Floyd was able to raise their national profile. He recruited superstar O.J. Mayo, who became the third overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. Demar Derozan could become another freshman lottery pick in June.

With the cupboard bare at Arizona, Floyd could be just what the Wildcats need. A pair of Floyd's recruits at USC could follow him to Arizona. Reynardo Sidney and Solomon Hill both gave Floyd oral commitments, but had yet to sign letters of intent.

Sidney is a 6'9", 265lb C/F who would give the Wildcats an inside presence with the likely loss of Center Jordan Hill to the NBA draft a year early. 

Solomon Hill is 6'6", 215lb, and ironically, originally committed to Arizona. He would fit perfectly at small forward. If Floyd can bring in those two, it shouldn't be difficult to convince starting point guard Nic Wise to return for his senior season.

The only other options for Wise would be to declare himself for the NBA Draft, where he would likely be a second round pick, or to transfer. If he does decide to move on to another school, Wise would have to sit out 2010. 

With the spring signing period coming up, and other coaching moves happening, Arizona might be able to salvage a decent recruiting class.

The Announcement could come as early as today.

Let the Tim Floyd era at Arizona begin.