Tim Floyd: Former Bulls, Hornets Coach Succeeding At UTEP

The University of Texas-El Paso tipped off its season Friday night with a big win over Pac-12 foe Washington State, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The Miners’ head coach, Tim Floyd, knows a thing or two about beating Pac-12 teams — he won the Pac-12 tournament in 2009 while coaching at USC, a year before he took the coaching job at UTEP.

He’s also coached the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets, as well as the Big 12’s Iowa State Cyclones.

Yes, the story of Tim Floyd is a peculiar one.

It’s not everyday that a former NBA coach takes a coaching job in Conference USA. But that is part of what makes Floyd’s journey so fascinating — all of the ups and downs have led him back to where his coaching career began, and away from all of the scrutiny and pressure presented by a high-profile coaching job.

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Floyd’s coaching career began at UTEP in 1977 as an assistant to coaching legend Don Haskins. After successful head coaching stints at the University of Idaho and University of New Orleans, Floyd made a name for himself at Iowa State, leading the Cyclones to a Sweet 16 and top-five ranking in the 1996-97 season.

In 1998, Floyd was hired by the Chicago Bulls to replace Phil Jackson as head coach. Floyd inherited a team that was a shell of the team that won the championship the prior season — Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were all gone.

Floyd had the impossible task of rebuilding a gutted Bulls team that had just won its sixth championship in eight years. After failing to make the playoffs and compiling a 49-190 record in four seasons, Floyd resigned on Christmas Eve in 2001.

The NBA years marked a crucial turning point in Floyd’s coaching career. The pressure was too much, and Floyd himself admitted he wasn’t good at coaching NBA teams.

After the New Orleans Hornets fired him following a disappointing showing in the 2003-04 season, Floyd returned to the college ranks in an attempt to revitalize his career. He ended his NBA career after five seasons with a 93-235 record.

Floyd was able to find success at USC, and was the first coach to lead the Trojans to three consecutive NCAA tournaments. However, following a scandal revolving around former Trojan star O.J. Mayo receiving improper benefits, Floyd once again resigned.

The Trojans vacated 21 wins and withdrew from postseason consideration for the 2009-10 season.

Once again, Floyd was without a coaching job. He had returned to the college ranks in hopes of regaining his winning ways, but instead ended up as the subject of a high-profile NCAA investigation.

The spotlight is never kind to some people. Floyd was one of those unlucky individuals.

That’s when UTEP called. The Miners had just lost their coach to Auburn, and offered Floyd the job. On March 30, 2010, Floyd was announced as the head coach of the UTEP Miners.

Floyd is now in his fifth season as the UTEP coach, and has assembled one of the most talented mid-major rosters in the country. It is a very experienced squad, returning nine of its top 10 scorers from last season.

The Miners were picked to finish second in Conference USA this season, but should challenge for the conference championship, as well as a top 25 ranking (The Miners received two votes in this week’s AP Poll).

And if Friday’s performance is any indication, it might not be as challenging as you may think.

Most of UTEP’s talent lies in size in the frontcourt and length on the wings.

Against Washington State, the Miners started four players 6’8″ or taller. The Miners’ bigs dominated Washington State on Friday night, outrebounding the Cougars 46-37 and blocking seven shots.

Their length and size cannot be matched in Conference USA, giving the Miners a clear advantage against the competition.

The only team that could pose a problem is conference favorite Louisiana Tech, which has a deep, talented backcourt. If the Miners can get past Louisiana Tech, a return to the NCAA tournament will be in Floyd’s future.

Floyd has had success at the collegiate level everywhere he has went, making appearances in the NCAA Tournament with New Orleans, Iowa State and USC. With the talent on this year’s UTEP roster, the Miners may soon be on that list as well.

Only time will tell if Floyd’s latest stop will result in success or disappointment.

Next: Mid-Major Preseason Power Rankings:Where Does UTEP Rank?