Andy Enfield took some nice jabs at Steve Alford and Tim Floyd while speaking in front of USC Trojans boosters, according to some quotes shared in a Men’s Journal feature about the new USC coach.
Enfield is in his first year as head coach of the Trojans and is trying to build up the basketball program at a football school. The same way UCLA has to compete with USC’s tradition in football, Enfield has to compete with the Bruins’ tradition in basketball. But with Alford as the new head coach at UCLA, Enfield isn’t worried.
“I don’t worry about [UCLA],” Enfield told a group of USC boosters, per Men’s Journal. “I’ve made it to one Sweet Sixteen in two years, and he’s made it to one Sweet Sixteen in 18 years.”
That’s quite the zinger. It’s true, too. Alford’s only Sweet Sixteen appearance came when he was head coach at Southwest Missouri State, not even Iowa or New Mexico. Enfield reached the Sweet Sixteen at Florida Gulf Coast, which raised his profile and made him a candidate for many jobs.
Enfield got the USC job over several other candidates, including Floyd, who was the Trojans’ basketball coach until resigning in 2009. Floyd got in trouble for his star player OJ Mayo taking extra benefits, but he was considered for the Trojans’ vacancy.
Enfield zinged Floyd for being at UTEP now and for claiming that Enfield interfered with one of his recruits.
“Tim Floyd shows up every day at work and realizes he lives in El Paso, Texas,” said Enfield. “And he’s pissed off that he didn’t get the USC job two months ago. I told him, ‘Tim, if I could have all this power to somehow convince a family to do this, why the heck didn’t the kid come last spring, when I first got the job?'”
I liked this Enfield hire when it happened and like it even more now. USC is 4-1 under him but it’s too early to say how this will work out. I just know I love his attitude. Trojans fans just want him to back up all his talk.
