Andy Enfield wanted by USC and Minnesota

Andy Enfield is one of the hottest coaching names in college basketball, so it’s no surprise to hear that two major programs are interested in him.

According to reports, both USC and Minnesota are targeting Enfield. Enfield, 43, led Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in the school’s first ever tournament appearance.

Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel reported Saturday that the Trojans are targeting Enfield to fill their vacancy. USC fired Kevin O’Neill during the season and had assistant Bob Cantu take over on an interim basis. The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Enfield is expected to interview with the Trojans this week, and that USC would like to hire a coach this week.

Minnesota TV station KSTP reported Saturday that the Golden Gophers reached out to Enfield and that the pursuit was in the “phone call phase.” Minnesota fired coach Tubby Smith after losing in their second game in the NCAA tournament. They reportedly have been turned down by VCU’s Shaka Smart, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg and former NBA coach Flip Saunders.

There has been no word yet about progress in USC or Minnesota’s search.

Another potential name to keep in mind for the Trojans is Ben Howland. FOX Sports analyst Marques Johnson threw out the suggestion that the former UCLA coach could show interest in the USC job since he already is so familiar with coaching in Los Angeles. Howland may have heeded his advice; the LA Daily News’ Scott Wolf reported Friday that Howland informed wealthy USC donors that he is interested in the job. If that’s the case, then USC should have some strong options when it comes to their next hire. Minnesota, on the other hand, may not be able to get the type of prominent coach they desire.

We shared a report last week that said the Eagles were scrambling to find funds to give Enfield a raise so he would stay at the school. Their efforts likely will not be enough to keep him. Quite frankly, I wish UCLA had hired him instead of Steve Alford.