EX-USC Basketball Coach Kevin O'Neill Hired By Fox Sports
Fox Sports will begin its partnership with Big East college basketball this year. Fox Sports announced their game announcers and analysts that include ex-USC basketball head coach Kevin O'Neill. O'Neill was let go from the Trojan coaching staff earlier this year following a 6-26 season.
This upcoming season all of the Big East basketball games will be telecast on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2. O'Neill joins a talented cast led by announcers Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery. O'Neill will serve as a game analyst alongside Jim Jackson, Stephen Bardo, Ron Thompson, Donny Marshall, Jim Spanarkel, Bob Wenzel and Gary Williams. Play-by-play announcers include Justin Kutcher, Dick Stockton, Thom Brennaman, Brian Anderson, Eric Collins and Kevin Kugler.
O'Neill brings 16 years of collegiate and NBA head coaching experience to the broadcasting team. He also has served among the coaching ranks for 33 years. O'Neill served as the head coach for USC men's basketball team from 2009 to early 2013. He was known for his knowledge of basketball and developing strong defensive systems at both the college and NBA level.
O'Neill is widely respected in the NBA, serving as the head coach for the Toronto Raptors, and as an assistant coach and special assistant to the general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies.
O'Neill has been a head coach at USC, Tennessee, Marquette and Northwestern. He took over as the Trojans head coach in Summer 2009 following multiple NCAA infractions. O'Neill took over just as USC lost its entire recruiting class and was banned from post-season play. Still, he managed to lead the Trojans to a 16-14 record and a fifth-place tie in the Pac-10. The following year he continued with his success as he guided the team to the 2010-2011 NCAA tournamnent.
Multiple injuries during the 2011-2012 season led to a 6-26 record, which was the worst recorded standing of the program. O'Neill was then relieved of duties and replaced by associate head coach Bob Cantu. Andy Enfield is now serving as the USC Men's Basketball coach.
Fox Sports will begin broadasting the Big East Conference games on November 8, 2013 as Providence hosts Boston College. The network will cover not only the 100 regular season Big East games, but also offer exclusive coverage of the Big East Men's Basketball Championship game in Madison Square Garden March 2014.
