Andy Enfield to USC a Case of Mid-Major Sadness

Say it isn't so Andy; say it isn't so.

Please tell us you aren't going to chase after the money and glory at USC, that somehow winning at Florida Gulf Coast inspired you to turn that program into something greater than just a one-hit 1,000-GIF wonder.

Please tell us that all these reports are just wrong, that somewhere the fires got crossed, and while you interviewed for the job, you didn't take it. Perhaps putting your house on the market was just because you felt you needed a little more privacy in Ft. Myers after all the attention you have received over the last two weeks.

Perhaps you really are staying.

This doesn't have anything to do with your ability to actually succeed at USC. If you can take the style of play you popularized over the Eagles' first two games in the NCAA Tournament -- we will ignore the loss to Florida -- and get the type of recruits that go to Pac-12 schools to run it, there is no doubt that you can win, and probably win multiple conference titles.

This is more about leaving us, the mid-majors of the world, and making our game a little less bright. You have every right to make things better for your family or seek a greater challenge.

But we know there is some money there from your previous ventures. We also know that there is no greater challenge than trying to build something sustainable at a school like FGCU, a school that maybe has its singular chance of making the NCAA Tournament each and every season.

The Atlantic Sun isn't known for sending multiple teams to the Big Dance. But imagine if you could pull off a run of conference titles and appearances as Belmont did before leaving for the Ohio Valley? That would be a run of success that could mean more than the bigger paycheck and better exposure you might have in Los Angeles.

Let's not forget that you are competing against a certain team that has a bit of history behind it, and a greater share of the eyeballs out West. Trying to one-up UCLA will not be a simple matter.

And let's not forget the team that you leave behind in Ft. Myers, a group of players that bought into your system and saw that they could actually win. They believed in what you are selling. Some of those players are only there because of their belief in what you were building.

That is a legacy you could have continued for a long time, one that won't come so easily at USC. Do you think the celebration of your NCAA Tournament win will be as fun? Doubtful. The Chicken Dance has never been more awesome than when it was done by your boys in blue.

So Andy, please think twice before putting your name on that contract line. Even though we know you will do a great job, we just hope that you choose to fly with the Eagles a little while longer.