March is known for being one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball. This time of year, many people are looking for a team to root for in the NCAA tournament. For members of the Shippensburg community, look no further than the University of Southern California.

USC, which is typically known as a football school, is coached by former Shippensburg High School graduate Andy Enfield. Enfield graduated as the valedictorian of his class at Shippensburg High School. Enfield then went on to play basketball at John Hopkins University, where he currently holds 18 school records. Enfield holds the record for most career points with 2,025. He also set a single season record for free-throw percentage, shooting an astonishing 95.3 percent from the charity-stripe in a season. Enfield shot 47 percent from three-point range in his career at John Hopkins, which is also a record.

When Enfield graduated from John Hopkins, he graduated with a degree in economics. He later earned an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Enfield started working in the business world, but his love for sports —basketball in particular — never disappeared. Enfield began working with current John Hopkins lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala on camps that focused on shooting. This eventually led to Enfield working for a company selling videos on his basketball shooting techniques.

In 1994, Enfield’s work as a shooting consultant led to him being hired as a shooting coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. Enfield was the shooting coach with the Bucks for two seasons before taking a job as the Boston Celtics' shooting coach for another two years.

After his short stay in the NBA, Enfield started workings toward becoming a head coach. He started as an assistant coach for the Florida State Seminoles in 2005 and was a member of their staff for five seasons. The Seminoles made three tournament appearances in Enfield’s five years in Tallahassee.

In 2011, Enfield got his first chance at a head coaching position. He was hired by Florida Gulf Coast University, becoming just the second coach in the history of the basketball program. Enfield made the most of his opportunity.

In his first season, Enfield coached the Eagles to an Atlantic Sun Conference tournament appearance where Florida Gulf Coast was defeated by Belmont University. His second season is what pushed him into the national spotlight.

In the 2012-2013 season, Enfield had his first big break. The Eagles had upset Miami University in the regular season, which helped put the Florida Gulf Coast basketball program on the map. The Eagles would go on to win the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they would be matched up with Big East powerhouse Georgetown University.

Georgetown was led by current Washington Wizard Otto Porter in 2013, but the tournament was something magical. The Eagles, with Enfield at the helm, shocked the world and defeated No. 2 seeded Georgetown University in the round of 64. This was the beginning of “Dunk-City” in the 2013 tournament. This win is also one of the biggest upsets to date in the history of the NCAA tournament. Florida Gulf Coast became one of seven teams to defeat a No. 2 seed as a No. 15 seed.

Florida Gulf Coast then went on to defeat San Diego State University in the second round of the tournament, earning them a spot in the Sweet 16 where they were defeated by Florida University.

The season was extremely important for the program and Enfield showed what he was capable of as a head coach. The Eagles went from being a no-name team to winning 26 contests in 2013.

After the 2013 season, Enfield received an offer by USC and accepted their offer to become the next head coach of the Trojans. Enfield has been very successful at USC, as well. His first two seasons at USC were rebuilding years that saw the Trojans win 11 and 12 games, respectively, but this season was different.

This year, USC has been a strong team. The Trojans went 21-12 this season, including a 9-9 record in the PAC-12 conference, which was loaded with talent this season, including the West Region No. 1 seed in Oregon University.

Overall, Enfield has compiled a head coaching record of 85-81 at Florida Gulf Coast and USC. Enfield earned as many wins in his first three seasons at USC as the program had won in the last four years before his arrival.

Enfield’s coaching career has been very impressive and USC’s basketball program is on the rise. Enfield has recruited well and the Trojans should be competitive for years to come in the PAC-12.

The Trojans open up the NCAA tournament with a matchup against Providence University on Thursday. The game is set to tip-off at 9:50 p.m.

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