USC Open

[Lorcan]

Mark Trakh retires at USC. That’s a big opening for someone to take advantage of.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

Campbell, who might have been a front runner just went to Sac State. His associate coach Aarika Hughes went to LMU as head coach.

Kate Paye interviewed before as did Karl Smeszko. I thought it was weird that Smeszko was not linked to any of the openings this season. Perhaps he was already in the pipeline for USC? Andy Enfield is his former colleague.

 

[Go/huskies]

The coach that land this job sure won’t be short on talent if the players stay, hopefully they can find someone decent.

 

[willtalk]

I am glad he retired. Thought he would do better, but he is just a good recruiter and not really a good coach.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

USC's assistant coach Erin Grant just was announced as a new assistant at Arizona with Cal's April Phillips. Those are great hires. It also suggests that this has been in the works for a while.

 

[ochoopsfan]

They could always bring The Wynns back

 

[kat0189]

Goestenkors i think was beat out by Cynthia Cooper "that time" (when they hired back in 2013ish)...maybe ?

 

[WestsideWaltz]

I think the runner up to Cooper was Courtney Banghart.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I'm telling ya, the USC job is a lead balloon. Seems like it should be a peach, but nobody has done much there for a long time. I'm definitely surprised by this announcement, didn't see it coming. With the way this year has gone, I'd expect a mass exodus. Maybe Jordyn Jenkins will be ready to come home...

 

[DefenseBB]

I'm telling ya, the USC job is a lead balloon. Seems like it should be a peach, but nobody has done much there for a long time. I'm definitely surprised by this announcement, didn't see it coming. With the way this year has gone, I'd expect a mass exodus. Maybe Jordyn Jenkins will be ready to come home...

Well, wasnt the issue the fact the AD did not want to pay even the lowly PAC12 pay Scale? Maybe a revelation has occurred and they are willing to pay even the PAC12 rates now.

What I am surprised at is the timing of this “announcement” which itself seems awfully subdued. Something seems quite off on this all the way around including how this thread wasn’t posted “USC Open” which has a very ambiguous title.

The PAC12 seems very “family orientated that almost always a Stanford affiliated candidate has to be interviewed- I think it’s in the bylaws

I hate to contradict you here but I think that position is better than the UW job given the talent and location. But you’re right as it all comes down the the AD support or lack there of...I hope this gets more notice and discussion here.

 

[WestsideWaltz]

USC has a new AD since Trakh was hired.

 

[triaddukefan]

I'm telling ya, the USC job is a lead balloon. Seems like it should be a peach, but nobody has done much there for a long time. I'm definitely surprised by this announcement, didn't see it coming. With the way this year has gone, I'd expect a mass exodus. Maybe Jordyn Jenkins will be ready to come home...

 

[nwhoopfan]

View attachment 67005

Need some work on your geography. That's almost as far away as LA. Okay, not really, but definitely not "home." ?

 

[nwhoopfan]

I hate to contradict you here but I think that position is better than the UW job given the talent and location.

They both should be really good jobs. And both have been an uphill battle for the most part. At least at UW, Neighbors showed a coach could be successful there. I think if you look back over a period of time, UW has been more up and down while USC has been consistently mediocre in their results.

 

[nwhoopfan]

So I've recalled that Trakh seemed to lose his team at the end of this last season. They got shellacked 3 games in a row against UCLA and the Oregon schools, that was the end of the regular season. All good teams, but USC was talented enough to be at least somewhat competitive. 2 were at home. Lost by 27, 25 and 42. Looked like the team had given up. They did bounce back to beat ASU in the first round of the Pac 12 tourney, but then got destroyed by Stanford by 39. Maybe Trakh decided it wasn't worth coaching a team that didn't put out any effort, or maybe he was encouraged to leave?

 

[WestsideWaltz]

USC columnist Scott Wolf thinks he was forced out. At his last press conference, Trakh said he was looking forward to the next three years.

USC Women’s Basketball Coach Mark Trakh “Retires”

Mark Trakh, who coached USC women’s basketball for two different stints from 2005-09 and 2018-21, announced his retirement today. “This is a perfect time for a transition in the Trojan basket…

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