FORT MYERS, Fla. — There are still signs of what former coach Andy Enfield accomplished at this southwest Florida university that changed campus life forever.
Memories of Florida Gulf Coast’s NCAA tournament run remain fresh among students. Blue-and-green “Sweet 16” T-shirts — yours for only $22 — remain for sale in a bookstore at the Cohen Center. A 2014 green Ford Mustang labeled “DUNK CITY” — yours for only $38,125 — remains parked outside Alico Arena as evidence of how crazed this Cinderella tale became across the region and country.
But five days after the No. 15 seed Eagles’ clock struck midnight with a loss to No. 3 seed Florida in the South Regional, and two days after Southern California hired Enfield with a reported six-year deal worth $1.5 million a year, there’s also proof here that money speaks volumes. Certainly, Enfield’s West Coast promotion is good for the coach and his family. It shows how our culture rewards viral fascinations and a sexy style of play that comes with a clever moniker fit for billboards. We live in an age of whiplash gratification, the Internet GIF, the chase to become a trending topic on Twitter.
Enfield, 43, was smart to strike when his “Dunk City” stock was hot. He played the game. He won.
USC? That’s another story. A $1.5 million-a-year deal is a healthy chunk of change to offer someone who finished 41-28 in two seasons at FGCU. Enfield has a promising background — he served as an assistant at Florida State and under Mike Dunleavy (Milwaukee Bucks) and Rick Pitino (Boston Celtics) in the NBA — but this hire seems like a grab at the Hot Thing instead of the Sure Thing. It seems unwise.
“They were saying the same thing two years ago,” FGCU athletic director Ken Kavanagh told FOXSportsFlorida.com on Wednesday. “I’ve been asked numerous times over the past two or three weeks, ‘What was the final factor in our hire two years ago?’ I keep relaying that if you look closely at his resume and what he’s done, it has been a resume of continued successes, and he has done it at levels that people would probably say, ‘Well, he’s not good enough to do that.’ ”
“The proof has been in the pudding,” Kavanagh continued. “I think if you look at some people who have been successful over the years, they don’t always have to come from the biggest schools to start that tremendous career. I think there are a lot of great coaches that have come through the ranks other than being at a star school.”
Yes, Enfield proved to be a star with the Eagles this year. With apologies to Louisville, his former team will be the story of March Madness 2013. No matter what happens in Atlanta this weekend, FGCU’s legacy will live beyond a singular “One Shining Moment.”
The acrobatics of senior guard Sherwood Brown, sophomore guards Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson and others will be replayed for years, alongside NC State’s upset of Houston in 1983, Christian Laettner’s shot against Kentucky in 1992 and Princeton’s toppling of UCLA in 1996. The memory of FGCU’s Sweet 16 run will be preserved on YouTube and on our television screens for the distant future … or until we meet the next March darling.
It’s obvious USC tried to become relevant by adopting Enfield’s fame as its own. The Trojans finished an uninspiring 14-18 this season (9-9 in the Pac-12 Conference) and haven’t won an NCAA tournament game since 2009.
A tweet from USC’s athletic department announcing Enfield’s hire included the hashtag, “DunkCityUSC.” The label’s attempted snatching angered some at FGCU — “There’s only one Dunk City, USA. It’s here in southwest Florida,” Kavanagh told reporters Tuesday — but the episode shows the appeal in this era to be cool and marketable at any level. It shows the urgency to be memorable in a crowded landscape at any level, especially in the land of Lakers and Lob City.
As a result, little about Enfield’s abrupt departure surprised some Florida Gulf Coast students Wednesday. It shouldn’t have. The coach made about $150,000 at FGCU this season. USC was willing to pay for an instant crack at relevancy.
Mission accomplished. For Enfield, this was a rare chance to turn fame into fortune on the court, after he enjoyed success in the business world.
“I’m not upset about it,” said Joseph Mukuvi, a freshman chemical engineering major, as he stood outside Alico Arena. “Everybody came over here to make money. You can’t get mad at him, because he was offered a lot of money. Some (students) were surprised, but they don’t really understand how being offered a lot of money can persuade somebody to do something else.”
“Why would it be a shock?” said Charles Brock, a junior finance major, as he shot a 3-pointer on a court near Alico Arena. “It’s all about money here. Seriously, if you were offered $1.5 million a year, would you take it or would you take a championship? I’d take the mil.”
“I think he’ll do all right,” said Katie Gropp, a freshman elementary education major, as she waited for an order in a bagel shop at the Cohen Center. “It sounds like, from what I’ve heard, he has a lot of coaching experience. If he does well (at USC), good for him. I think he deserves it after everything he has done for us. It’s sad to see him leave, but at the same time, it’s a lot of money to turn down. You can’t really blame him for leaving.”
No, you can’t blame Enfield for making the most of his March sprint into the national consciousness. For USC, well, skepticism is excused.
“I think the dollars were so much that it became a no-brainer,” said Kavanagh, who added that there had been “productive discussions” between him and Enfield about a new contract before USC’s offer. “I think that was good for him. If it was a situation where the dollars weren’t nearly to the extent that they were … I think it would have been difficult.”
Instead, the money was too good to refuse. Oh, the madness.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
