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Andy Enfield hired by USC

The coach that made the "Dunk City" Eagles the first No. 15 seed in Sweet 16 history has been hired by the USC Trojans as their new head coach, the school announced on Monday.

Rob Carr

The USC Trojans have hired Florida Gulf Coast coach Andy Enfield to fill their vacant head coaching position, the school announced on Monday evening.

Andy Enfield became the first mid-major coach to cash in on his team's success in the NCAA Tournament, as he takes over from Kevin O'Neill and interim coach Bob Cantu a USC team that finished the year 14-18 and has missed the NCAA Tournament the past two years. According to Andy Katz, the Trojans signed Enfield to a six-year contract worth more than $1 million per year.

We've got our first quote from Enfield, too.

"In meeting with [USC athletic director] Pat Haden, I was very impressed with his vision for the men's basketball program. I am looking forward to bringing an exciting, up-tempo style of play to USC and building the men's basketball brand into one that the fans and basketball community will enjoy and respect."

Haden said of Enfield: "He is a respected teacher who develops his players on the court and sees them excel in the classroom, he is a noted shooting coach, he is a relentless recruiter and he has integrity and great character."

Enfield took over for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the beginning of the 2011-2012 season, and it took him just two years to lead the Eagles to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Enfield wasn't done, as he took his "Dunk City" show on the road as the nation rallied around the first No. 15 seed to make the Sweet 16. Unfortunately, that journey ended that round, as they fell to the Florida Gators.

Enfield began coaching in the NBA in 1994, but only has two years of head coaching experience, all at Florida Gulf Coast. His career record as a head coach is 41-27.

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