USC Pins "Hoop Dreams" On Kevin O'Neill

By OLSEN EBRIGHT and GENE JOHNSON

Updated 12:09 AM PST, Sun, Jun 21, 2009

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USC has a new men's basketball coach: Kevin O'Neill.

O'Neill, 52, has worked in the basketball coaching ranks for 30 years. He was head coach for five years at Marquette University in Milwaukee, before moving on to three-year coaching stints at the University of Tennessee and Northwestern University in Chicago. While at Marquette, he was featured in the 1994 Oscar-nominated documentary, "Hoop Dreams."

In the pro ranks, O'Neill served as the Toronto Raptors' head coach in 2004. His most recent stint was as interim head coach at the University of Arizona for part of the 2008 season, when coaching legend Lute Olson took a leave of absence for personal reasons.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity to coach at such a great institution as USC, with its tremendous athletic and academic tradition. I appreciate Mike Garrett's confidence in me. I will work my hardest to coach us to a championship level every single day. I can't wait to get started," O'Neill said.

"We're thrilled to have Kevin O'Neill as our men's basketball coach," said USC athletic director Mike Garrett in a news release. "Kevin is the consummate coach. He knows his Xs and Os, he's an excellent recruiter and he is very in tune with the academic side of a player's collegiate experience. His 30 years of experience at the college and professional levels has prepared him well for this opportunity," Garrett said.

Former head coach Tim Floyd resigned June 9 after he allegedly provided cash for O.J. Mayo, Sports Illustrated reported.