Tim Floyd Resurfaces With UTEP

At the very least, this means the NCAA probably is not planning to punish Tim Floyd for the USC basketball mess.

The present New Orleans assistant coach and former Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets, Iowa State and USC head coach returns from less than a year away from the college game to take the head coaching job at UTEP. Floyd replaces Tony Barbee who left to take the Auburn coaching job.

Tim Floyd used to be an assistant for Don Haskins at UTEP between 1978 and 1986. There was a lot of support and connections to boosters who still think well of him.

Coaching Carousel Coverage

St. John's: Steve Lavin Agrees to Deal
Boston College: Skinner Is Out
Louisville: Looking to Extend Pitino
Boston College: Skinner Is Out
Iona: Targeting Fraschilla, Welsch Floyd and USC are still awaiting the decision of the NCAA Committee on Infractions primarily for the entire O.J. Mayo recruitment and year of playing for the Trojans. Initially it appeared that the most of the issue with Mayo concerned the fact that Floyd and USC turned a blind eye not only to the way Mayo was living in Los Angeles, but that Rodney Guillory, the man that delivered Mayo to USC, had been in trouble with the NCAA and USC basketball in the past. There were also, salacious reports that Floyd directly gave money to Guillory, but those remain denied and without any corroboration.

Floyd abruptly resigned in June 2009, claiming that he was just tired of being a coach and wanted to retire. A few months later, he joined the Hornets coaching staff. In later interviews he stated that he resigned because of his deteriorating relationship with the USC athletic director. He felt he and the basketball program was going to be used as a scapegoat to protect the football program which was also under NCAA investigation.

According to the ESPN.com article, UTEP received assurances that it and Floyd faced no risk of penalties from the NCAA for the USC allegations.