Coach Andy Enfield returns to the location where he broke out on the national stage, leading the No. 25 USC Trojans into Fort Myers, Fla., for a matchup with Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday.
Enfield coached at Florida Gulf Coast from 2011 through 2013, guiding the Eagles to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in his second season. They were the first No. 15 seed ever to reach the second weekend of the tournament, a feat matched only last year by Oral Roberts.
Tuesday’s matchup, christened the “Dunk City Reunion” in a nod to the high-flying 2012-13 Eagles’ nickname, sees Enfield bringing in an opponent coming off its own remarkable postseason run.
USC (2-0) reached the Elite Eight of last season’s NCAA Tournament, a first for the Trojans since 2001. Despite losing Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Player of the Year and No. 3 NBA draft pick Evan Mobley in the offseason, USC has opened 2021-22 strong with wins over Cal State Northridge and Saturday at Temple.
Saturday’s 76-71 win — the 200th of Enfield’s career — showcased USC’s depth with all five starters scoring at least nine points. Chevez Goodwin set the pace with 19 points and eight rebounds.
“He’s a relentless player,” Enfield said of Goodwin in his postgame press conference. “He gives great energy every possession. He’s probably the most relentless player we’ve had in a long time just because of his effort.”
For Florida Gulf Coast (1-1), Tuesday marks the second consecutive meeting with a team that played into the second weekend of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles lost Saturday at Loyola University Chicago, 89-77, despite a career-high 34 points from a Duquesne graduate transfer Tavian Dunn-Martin.
Dunn-Martin can expect to see plenty of USC’s Boogie Ellis, a Memphis transfer and the Trojans premier on-ball defender. Florida Gulf Coast will also have to contend with USC’s collective length.
USC’s starting lineup that includes 6-foot-10 Isaiah Mobley, and 6-7 and 6-9 guards Isaiah White and Drew Peterson.
“What’s really important is making sure that if you go through a rough patch that your players understand that depending on your schedule, sometimes you can be playing great basketball and still lose a game or two, depending on who you’re playing,” Eagles coach Michael Fly told the Naples Daily News of taking on a difficult non-conference schedule.
Fly was an assistant on Enfield’s teams at Florida Gulf Coast.
–Field Level Media
