FILE – Southern California head coach Andy Enfield reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona State, March 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. SMU is close to hiring Enfield to take over the Mustangs, who are moving next season into the basketball-rich Atlantic Coast Conference, according to a person familiar with the situation Sunday, March 31. (AP Photo/Raul Romero Jr., File)
USC men's basketball coach Andy Enfield is moving on after 11 seasons with the Trojans.
Enfield, 54, has been hired for the head coaching job at Southern Methodist University, USC announced Monday.
"On behalf of USC Athletics, I want to thank Andy Enfield for his 11 seasons of leadership and service to the university," USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement. "He elevated and established USC men's basketball as a premier program with a strong national presence. We are so grateful for everything Andy accomplished and we wish him, Amanda, Aila, Lily and Marcum all the best in this new chapter of their lives."
The search for a new head coach is underway, according to the statement. Enfield had a 220-147 career record with the Trojans and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The Trojans were 15-18 this season with Bronny James -- son of Laker Lebron James -- as a freshman, ending a run of four consecutive years winning more than 20 games.
"I am so excited to join the SMU family," Enfield said in a statement. "It is an incredible time for the university as we enter the ACC. The investments SMU has made in athletics, the support and alignment from leadership -- President (R. Gerald) Turner, (Athletic Director) Rick Hart, (SMU Board Chair) David Miller and others -- as well as the passion of the SMU fan base and community made this an incredibly attractive opportunity. We will make Mustang fans and the city of Dallas proud and cannot wait to get started."
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
SMU hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2017. That was only its third appearance since last winning a tournament game in 1988.
The ACC will have 18 basketball teams with SMU officially joining the league this summer along with Cal and Stanford from the Pac-12.
Three ACC teams made the NCAA Elite Eight this season. That included North Carolina State beating Duke in the South Region final Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which is just over five miles from SMU’s campus.
Rob Lanier was fired after two seasons as SMU’s coach on March 21, a day after the Mustangs lost 101-92 at Indiana State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. They finished 20-13, doubling their win total from last year, but were 30-35 overall under Lanier with a 16-20 record in American Athletic Conference games. Lanier has since been hired as coach at Rice.
USC is moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten this summer.
Enfield first captured national attention in 2013 as the coach at Florida Gulf Coast, guiding the school into the Sweet 16 with wins over Georgetown and San Diego State by playing a high-flying, up-tempo offense that often ended with thunderous dunks. That “Dunk City” run ended in North Texas with a loss to Florida in a South Region semifinal played at AT&T Stadium.
He parlayed that success into the higher-profile job at USC, where he developed Evan Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu and Isaiah Mobley into NBA draft picks.
The 54-year-old coach began his career as an assistant with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. He was also an assistant coach at Florida State for five seasons from 2006-11, a time when the Seminoles made the NCAA Tournament three years in a row.
