DALLAS — SMU has named Andy Enfield as the next head coach of the Mustangs men’s basketball team. Enfield comes to Dallas after spending 11 years as the head coach at the University of Southern California.
SMU is making the coaching change just months before becoming a member of the ACC, which has long had strong men’s basketball programs. The ACC will have 18 basketball teams next season, with SMU moving into the league along with Cal and Stanford from the Pac-12.
“[Enfield] has a strong track record of building winning teams on the court and in the classroom and pursuing championships with integrity. We believe he is a game changer for SMU Men’s Basketball,” said athletic director Rick Hart in a statement released by the school.
“I am so excited to join the SMU family,” Enfield said in the statement. “It is an incredible time for the university as we enter the ACC. The investments SMU has made in athletics, the support and alignment from leadership … as well as the passion of the SMU fan base and community made this an incredibly attractive opportunity. We will make Mustang fans and the city of Dallas proud and cannot wait to get started.”
Enfield’s Trojans were 15-18 this season, ending a run of four consecutive years winning more than 20 games. His overall record at USC was 220-147, including a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
SMU fired head coach Rob Lanier last month after two seasons, a day after the Mustangs lost 101-92 at Indiana State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. They finished 20-13, doubling their win total from last year, but were 30-35 overall under Lanier with a 16-20 record in American Athletic Conference games.
SMU hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2017, which was only its third appearance since last winning a tourney game in 1988.
SMU will hold an introductory news conference at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Miller Event Center.
Enfield first captured national attention in 2013 as the coach at Florida Gulf Coast, guiding the school into the Sweet 16 as a 15th-seed with wins over Georgetown and San Diego State by playing a high-flying, up-tempo offense that often ended with thunderous dunks. That “Dunk City” run ended in North Texas with a loss to Florida in the South Region semifinal played at AT&T Stadium.
He parlayed that success into the higher-profile job at USC, where he developed Evan Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu and Isaiah Mobley into NBA draft picks.
The 54-year-old coach began his career as an assistant with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
