There’s a new star on the Hilltop

By David Mullen

In three months, SMU Athletics makes the move from the American Athletic Conference (AAC) to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). One slight letter change in a conference acronym signals a red-letter milestone for the future of men’s college basketball at SMU.

To that end, SMU has made a dramatic change on the bench. On March 21, SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart announced head coach Rob Lanier was let go after a 30-35 record in two years. “Our focus now turns to finding a new leader as we prepare for the next era of SMU Athletics in the ACC,” Hart said.

It took less than two weeks for SMU to find their new leader.

On Tuesday afternoon, April 2, former University of Southern California (USC) coach Andy Enfield, 54, was officially introduced as the new head basketball coach at the Hilltop. Enfield led USC to five of the last eight NCAA Tournaments, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2021.

“We’ve [SMU] been to the NCAA tournament just two times in the past 40 years,” said Board of Trustee Chair David B. Miller, “and he’s [Enfield] been there six times in just over a decade or so. He’s had numerous Top 10 recruiting classes in the country, and he’s put nine players in the NBA in the last seven years.” 

Miller shed insight into the coaching recruitment process. The first step, he said, was to hire a search firm and reach out to someone “wired” in college basketball circles. SMU turned to Chad Chatlos, a former Navy SEAL and managing director of athletics administration and coaching at ZRG in Atlanta.

“The first question we asked him was ‘How is this job going to be perceived?’” Miller said. “His response was, ‘Oh, SMU. A-plus.’” The questions continued about Dallas and Texas being a recruiting hotbed for basketball talent and SMU’s perceived commitment to a high level of athletic success, and the response was also “A-plus.” When Miller asked about the ACC as a conference, Chatlos said, “A-plus, plus, plus, plus,” saying that eight to 10 successful power conference coaches would be interested in the job.

“So, the next question was,” Miller continued, “‘Can you give us a sense for who some of them might be?’ And the first name out of his mouth somewhat blew me away. Andy Enfield at USC. Literally, from that point forward, our singular focus was Coach Enfield.”  

“I am honored to be here to be the next basketball coach at SMU,” Enfield said. “I have a great job. I get to work with student athletes. And that’s our job every day. I wake up and try to motivate, mentor, coach, make them better players and value education.”

Enfield was a Division III All-American player at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. In four seasons, from 1987-88 through 1990-91, Enfield set the program-record with 2,025 career points and set an NCAA All-Divisions career free throw percentage record of 92.5 percent, making 431 of 466 free throw attempts. 

He began his coaching career as an assistant with the NBA, spending two seasons each with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. He previously coached in the ACC at Florida State, serving as an assistant coach for five seasons, helping the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons.

Enfield was introduced to the NCAA Tournament spotlight as head coach of unheralded Florida Gulf Coast University of the Atlantic Sun Conference. In 2013, he led the No. 15 seeded Eagles to the Sweet 16 with wins over No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State. The high-flying FGCU offense was dubbed “Dunk City.”

In 11 seasons at USC, Enfield compiled a 220-147 record and led the Trojans into the postseason six times in 10 possible seasons including five NCAA Tournament berths and one NIT appearance.

But education has always been a top priority with Enfield. The son of two educators, Bill and Barb, Enfield was a GTE Academic All-American first team selection at Johns Hopkins. He also has an MBA from the University of Florida. 

“We had a 100 percent graduation rate in 11 years at USC and two years at Florida Gulf Coast,” Enfield said. “We value education. And to have a chance to be the head basketball coach at one of the finest universities in America, SMU, is an incredible honor for me.” 

SMU joins the ACC, home of 15 NCAA men’s basketball championships. Instead of facing former AAC rivals UTSA or Rice in the upcoming season, SMU will play 2024 NCAA Elite Eight team Clemson and Duke at home and Elite Eight North Carolina and Final Four competitor NC State on the road. 

“This guy is a big-time college basketball coach,” Miller said, “and I couldn’t be more confident about the future of SMU basketball with Andy Enfield at the helm.” SMU needs a big-time college basketball coach as the Mustangs get prepared for a future in the ACC, a big-time basketball conference.

SMU’s Hart may have best summed up the Mustangs’ challenge in joining ACC basketball heritage. “SMU to the ACC,” Hart said, “is not just a slogan. It is a game changer.” 

  Featured