Tim Floyd and Andy Enfield got into a heated confrontation at a reception at Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Wednesday that also involved their assistant coaches, according to a report.
Sports Illustrated college basketball writer/reporter Seth Davis was at the reception and reported what happened. Keep in mind that Enfield is the current coach at USC, while Floyd is the coach at UTEP. Floyd used to coach at USC before being let go as part of the OJ Mayo fallout, but he was a candidate for the job that went to Enfield this offseason.
Over the summer, Floyd accused USC of tampering with one of his recruits — Isaac Hamilton — who had signed with UTEP but backed out and eventually enrolled at UCLA. Enfield insulted Floyd in a meeting with boosters, and the insult was recently publicized in a Men’s Journal article.
That all set the stage for what happened Wednesday. Here’s Davis’ tweets to describe the event:
Ugly incident at reception for Battle 4 Atlantis. Andy Enfield & Tim Floyd got into heated argument. USC & UTEP assts had to be separated.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 28, 2013
USC asst Tony Bland had to be restrained from going after UTEP asst Bob Cantu. USC asst Jason Hart also in the mix.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 28, 2013
Enfield's wife Amanda was standing next to him as Floyd was jabbing his finger towards Enfield's chest. Big crowd watched it happen.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 28, 2013
Alcohol was served but I do not believe that was a factor. I spent much on the evening with both men and was sitting w Cantu.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 28, 2013
Scout’s Lindsey Thiry later reported that the incident arose when Enfield approached Floyd to apologize for his Men’s Journal comments.
Here’s what Thiry says:
As Enfield began speaking to Floyd, according to our source, Floyd began yelling profanities in Enfield’s face, spitting, and jabbing him in the chest with his fingers.
Enfield’s assistants saw the altercation taking place from across the room and joined Enfield to try to diffuse the situation, at which point Floyd began yelling at USC assistant Jason Hart.
Thiry says former USC coach and current UTEP assistant Bob Cantu joined in, as did USC assistant Tony Bland, but both men were pulled away.
Eight teams are competing at Battle 4 Atlantis, but unfortunately USC and UTEP are not scheduled to meet. They could, however, end up playing in a consolation game on Sunday, so you know we’re all hoping to see that happen.
