Southern Methodist University has announced the hiring of Andy Enfield to replace Rob Lanier, who was fired after just two seasons despite a 20-win season last year.
Enfield joins the Mustangs after spending 11 seasons at the University of Southern California, where he amassed a record of 220-147.
“We are excited to announce Andy Enfield as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at SMU,” said Director of Athletics Rick Hart on the campus website. “Coach Enfield is enthusiastic about joining the Mustang family and the ACC. He has a strong track record of building winning teams on the court and in the classroom and pursuing championships with integrity. We believe he is a game changer for SMU Men’s Basketball.”
Enfield’s departure from USC is also somewhat of a surprise, but an expected exodus of players headed for the NBA and a disappointing 2023 season contributed to his decision to leave the school. He joins SMU just ahead of the university’s entrance to the Atlantic Coast Conference. SMU elected to join the ACC to play in a Power Five conference, as reported by The Dallas Express.
“Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference is an historic milestone in our institution’s history and the start of a new chapter in SMU Athletics,” SMU President R. Gerald Turner said in an official announcement on SMU’s athletics website last year.
“From early on in my tenure here on the Hilltop, we had a vision to reestablish SMU Athletics as a nationally recognized and relevant program, one to complement our outstanding academic reputation,” he said.
The hiring of one of the hottest coaches in college basketball is yet another sign that SMU is headed in a positive and competitive direction for the 2024 basketball season.
“I am so excited to join the SMU family,” said Enfield. “It is an incredible time for the university as we enter the ACC. The investments SMU has made in athletics, the support and alignment from leadership — President Turner, Rick Hart, David Miller, and others — as well as the passion of the SMU fan base and community, made this an incredibly attractive opportunity. We will make Mustang fans and the city of Dallas proud and cannot wait to get started.”
