from Wilner...

...USC has not extended Andy Enfield, even though his sixth-seeded Trojans made the Elite Eight and Enfield has just two years left on his contract.

... his success is so deeply tied to the 2018 decision to hire assistant coach Eric Mobley a move that, however shady it appeared, was legal under NCAA rules.

Through his coaching and family ties, Mobley's employment secured for the Trojans the services of three 7-footers with NBA talent: Onyeka Okongwu (via AAU connections) and his sons, Isaiah and Evan.

In other words, hiring Eric Mobley directly contributed to the majority of USC's 47 wins the past two seasons.
Yes, that's recruiting in all its, um, glory...

Sounds like Wilner just wishes his good friends at Stanford could land an assistant like that.

Enfield isn't the first head coach to hire an assistant based on the guy's ability to deliver a recruit or two, and he won't be the last.

1) tradition
2) money
3) geography
4) gorgeous girls.




Now---let's talk about Cal.....No tradition for the last 50 years
no money of which to speak
Berkeley??
USC places a premium on gorgeous cheerleaders ( since 1950, every one of them has been drop-dead gorgeous. ). Do red-blooded football and basketball players pay attention to cheer-leaders????oh yes they do..Let's just leave it at that..Let's just say Cal has different priorities in that area....

can this change???yes..
Will it change???No.

HoopDreams said:

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from Wilner...

...USC has not extended Andy Enfield, even though his sixth-seeded Trojans made the Elite Eight and Enfield has just two years left on his contract.

... his success is so deeply tied to the 2018 decision to hire assistant coach Eric Mobley a move that, however shady it appeared, was legal under NCAA rules.

Through his coaching and family ties, Mobley's employment secured for the Trojans the services of three 7-footers with NBA talent: Onyeka Okongwu (via AAU connections) and his sons, Isaiah and Evan.

In other words, hiring Eric Mobley directly contributed to the majority of USC's 47 wins the past two seasons.
Yes, that's recruiting in all its, um, glory...

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For some reason USC's 2020 class with 5 star C Evan Mobley was only ranked 9th in the PAC-12, just ahead of Cal with 4 star Monty Bowser. It is their 2021 class that is ranked #1 in the PAC-12 and #13 in the nation and it has no Mobley family members.

Enfield is from the East Coast. Having a guy like Mobley with deep connections in SoCal AAU (11 years coach of the Compton Magic) and by all accounts a good big man coach (played center at Portland and has two kids with great fundamentals seems like a really smart move.

So who's after him for a HC gig?

As my SC buddy said recently, "Enfield better get busy finding another family with a pair of 14/15 year old sons who are 6-10 and a Dad who is available to be a full time assistant coach".

Expect Evan Mobely to enter the NBA draft, with a good chance his brother goes with him.

A lot of USC's hoops success can be attributed to assistant coach Jason Hart, one of the best recruiters in the country. He'd be somebody on my short list if Cal ever woke up and dumped Mark Fox.

"...his success is so deeply tied to the 2018 decision to hire assistant coach Eric Mobley..."

And all this time I attributed his success to his choice of life partner.

Maybe he can use some of those millions to fix his teeth.

Seriously though, hiring Mobley is the type of move savvy coaches make.

The teeth seem to be working for him just fine so far.

bearister said:

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And all this time I attributed his success to his choice of life partner.

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I'm waiting for Shocky to confirm this one.

cal alumnus: Here is the Cal vs USC record
Cal leads 136-124.

helltopay1 said:

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cal alumnus: Here is the Cal vs USC record
Cal leads 136-124.

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Exactly. So whatever the equation of tradition, money, location, girls is, Cal is ahead of USC.

So, USC basketball gets treated like it was the football program: Slap on the wrist? More likely barely touching the wrist
No post season ban. Maybe USC told the NCAA "hey without the Mobley's, we are not going to make post season anyway". The very light penalties: Note; the scholarship/visit reductions already happened!

• Two years of probation.
• A $5,000 fine plus 1% of the men's basketball program budget.

• A reduction of men's basketball scholarships by a total of two during the 2018-19 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
• A reduction of men's basketball official visits to 20 during the 2018-19/2019-20 rolling two-year period (self-imposed by the university).
• A reduction in the number of men's basketball recruiting person days by 20 during the 2018-19 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
• A three-year show-cause order for the former associate head coach. During that period, any NCAA member school employing him must restrict him from any athletically related duties unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply.

"

Hiring the father of talented players is not "savvy", just a transparent dodge around the rules. Simply laundry the payments to the players through the father; really savvy.

bearchamp said:

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Hiring the father of talented players is not "savvy", just a transparent dodge around the rules. Simply laundry the payments to the players through the father; really savvy.

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Uh legally dodging the rules to your advantage is literally as savvy as you can get in my book. Not sure what your definition of savvy is.

cal alumnus: 136-124 is practically a dead heat. A team with a 'better basketball tradition" would have a much better win-loss record after 260 games. You missed my point.

In addition, when I speak of "tradition," I'm speaking of the entire athletic tradition of thge two schools beginning roughly around 1960. ( roughly the year Cal announced that they 'were going to de-emphasize the major sports--i.e. football and basketball) A record off 136-124 after 260 games is a wash.

helltopay1 said:

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cal alumnus: 136-124 is practically a dead heat. A team with a 'better basketball tradition" would have a much better win-loss record after 260 games. You missed my point.

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But you claimed USC had better tradition, prettier women, etc.

yes I did...Not even close. "tradition" means all sports..Everyone knows USC cares about sports..Sometimes they cheat...sometimes they don't..They usually don't have to. built a basketball facility on campus a few years ago. Rich USC males usually marry stunning female beauties..Hence, the gorgeous girls on campus. Cal??let's just leave it at that..