In case you weren't paying attention on a lazy Monday afternoon, let me be the first to inform you that USC kicked coach Kevin O'Neill to the curb. Assistant coach Bob Cantu will take over the team on an interim basis.
In my USC preview last week, I doubted that a .500, middle table finish in Pac-12 play would be enough for O'Neill to keep his job. Indeed, the Trojans were on pace for just that, having won two of their first four conference games. USC athletic director Pat Hayden must've been taking a longview of O'Neill's tenure, especially to fire him in the wake of a Saturday's road win at Utah.
Even though the timing is weird, the move makes sense to me. It's not as if there wasn't ample justification to fire KO (link hat-tip to @BupsJones). Attendance at Trojan home games was abysmal, and USC was coming in off of a 6-26 record in '11-'12. This move can really be nothing but good for the Trojan program, which is what scares me.
The only reason this news really peaks my interest is that USC has long been mentioned as a sleeping average-sized basketball program. Basketball will never be the focus in University Park, but their LA location alone could make them an enticing destination for recruits with the right coach. A good hire could be great for the Pac-12/bad for CU. The conference could use another hoops program on the upswing, but a revitalized USC would mean tougher competition for both recruits and wins in Boulder.
CU won't play the Trojans again this year (barring a post-season meeting in Las Vegas), and it's yet to be know what kind of impact this news will have on USC's performance going forward, so feel free to file this information away under "deep background."
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