DETROIT -- Tim Floyd's decision to stay at USC was the right move to make, even if it was one of the more bizarre coaching decisions he has made in his career.
Floyd made some interesting comments at his abruptly called news conference late Thursday. He said that he felt he needed to look at the two programs -- Arizona and Memphis -- because he's at a point where he "wants to do something really special and I feel like I needed to go look at an elite program.''
What's odd about that comment is that USC shouldn't be viewed as a stepping stone to Arizona or Memphis, simply because the former won a national title and the latter played in the championship game last year.
Floyd said he has three years left on his contract and there haven't been any changes made to the deal. He said he'd like to have another year or two put on and said Thursday, as he has said to me before, that he hopes USC would be his last job.
Then why bother to look? Arizona is heading for a complete overhaul and following Calipari at Memphis is going to be a letdown.
This is what Floyd said about why he had to look: "I viewed [Arizona] as an elite program in the country and I really was curious as to what constitutes an elite program: what it's about, where they are, what they are doing, what is the direction? I looked if I could envision myself being a part of it and in the end I could not. We already have everything in place to do something very, very special here. At the end of the day, I needed to look. This will be the last time I look, unless the administration gets tired of me and they don't want me here then I will look in another direction. If they are happy then this will be it.''
OK. We'll see.
• Mark Fox has been a dominant coach in the WAC at Nevada and now he's off to the SEC. This will be interesting to watch. Georgia thought it could land a "big-name coach." The Dawgs didn't have to do that. They just needed to find the right coach, the one who wanted to be in Athens and who could recruit the South -- to ensure the Bulldogs stay competitive in an SEC East that continues to get better. Fox is going into one of the best conference divisions in the country.
• Arizona wanted Gonzaga's Mark Few, Pitt's Jamie Dixon and went as far as to offer rival USC's Floyd the job. Now that the Wildcats are still searching for a coach the most important thing should be patience. The Wildcats still need to find the right coach who can take over a program that will be going through an Indiana-like rebuilding project. Speculating on the names may be difficult in the immediate aftermath of Floyd's decision. Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood has to realize he can't rush this decision and ensure he finds a coach with the energy to build and the connections to recruit. This isn't about winning the news conference as Livengood once said but rather about finding the long-term match.
• Dixon had already received preliminary calls from reps of USC in case Floyd had left, according to multiple sources. Dixon may not have bit on a potential offer, but the good news for Pitt fans is he doesn't have to even think twice anymore. He's staying put. So, too, is Few. He has no desire to bolt.
• If Washington State wants to expand its search field then Utah State's Stew Morrill would be a great fit in Pullman. Portland State's Ken Bone may be the top choice, but Morrill's style would play well in the Pac-10 and he is consistently undervalued.
• The Nevada job will be coveted. Just look at the success Trent Johnson and Fox have had there recently and you'll see why the Wolf Pack is one of the best gigs in the West.