Inside The Mustangs

OPINION: Hiring Andy Enfield Perfect Move for ACC-Bound SMU

Enfield is great choice to build a team to compete against teams like Duke and North Carolina

Taylor Hodges

Jan 3, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Andy Enfield
Jan 3, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Andy Enfield / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS – In case you haven’t heard, SMU is joining the Atlantic Coast Conference this summer.

It’s a big change from the American Athletic Conference. The ACC is a Power 5 Conference and it’s conference champion football team will earn an automatic bid into the new College Football Playoff. It features some of the best college football teams, such as Clemson, Florida State and Miami.

However, the list of conference members becomes more impressive when considering the men’s basketball programs in the ACC.

Duke (one of the betting favorites to win next year’s NCAA tournament) and North Carolina are two of the biggest blue blood programs of all time and Syracuse isn’t far behind them. NC State advanced to this year’s Final Four and Virginia won the 2019 National Championship. There’s also Notre Dame who draws plenty of attention no matter the level of success it’s having.

In 83 days, SMU will join this conference and will need to be capable of holding its own against some of the best basketball programs in the nation.

Which makes Andy Enfield the perfect hire for the Mustangs.

Skip the records and stats and flashback to 11 years ago when “Dunk City” took the NCAA tournament by storm. Enfield led Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16 of the tournament, as a No. 15 seed, the first time a 15-seeded team advanced that far. That team beat No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State. FGCU’s high-flying offense that produced so many slam dunks became famous.

Is it inconceivable that Enfield could produce something similar at SMU, a school much larger than FGCU? If the former USC coach wants to compete in the ACC, he’ll have to.

Luckily for SMU, Enfield has shown success in the areas needed to build a competitive team. He’s compiled a 261-175 record in 13 career seasons as a head coach. He took USC to five NCAA tournaments in 11 seasons and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2021.

On the recruiting trail, Enfield’s last two recruiting classes at USC were ranked in the Top 10, which included Bronny James, the eldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James. If you 're a fan of the "what if?" game, Bronny James declared for the NBA Draft, but also will maintain his college eligibility and enter the transfer portal. Dallas is a big media market and SMU will be playing some of the best teams in the nation next year. You can't tell me there's a zero percent chance Bronny comes to Dallas.

Enfield has also coached those recruiting classes into talented players, too. Six Trojans have been selected in the NBA Draft, including five in the last six drafts.

In the official hiring announcement SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart called Enfield “a game-changer for SMU Men’s Basketball.”

Enfield most certainly is a game-changer and SMU fans could have a lot to be happy about in the coming years.

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Taylor Hodges

TAYLOR HODGES

Taylor is an award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas. He's covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.