Months of bad blood between USC coach Andy Enfield and UTEP coach Tim Floyd culminated in a confrontation Wednesday at a reception prior to the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, according to Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis.
Tim Floyd and Andy Enfield have heated argument before Battle 4 Atlantis
The two coaches have publicly criticized each other in the past, and a confrontation turned ugly at the tournament reception.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor
Ugly incident at reception for Battle 4 Atlantis. Andy Enfield & Tim Floyd got into heated argument. USC & UTEP assts had to be separated.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 28, 2013 The trouble between the two started this summer when UTEP recruit Isaac Hamilton requested a release from his letter of intent to potentially attend USC instead. Floyd, who coached the Trojans from 2005 to 2009, denied the release and accused Enfield and his staff of "tampering," according to Andy Katz of ESPN.
“I called Andy Enfield and he told me he’s not taking Isaac Hamilton, that ‘we’re out of that.’ But I told him the damage had already been done,” Floyd said.
Though Enfield did not immediately comment on the situation, he had some harsh words for Floyd in a recent article in Men’s Journal. When asked about Floyd’s accusations, Enfield took a swipe at Floyd’s job.
“Tim Floyd shows up every day at work and realizes he lives in El Paso, Texas,” said Enfield. “And he’s pissed off that he didn’t get the USC job two months ago.”
Davis explained that when the two confronted each other at the reception, Floyd jabbed his finger into Enfield’s chest as a crowd that included Enfield’s wife looked on. He said that alcohol was served at the event, but it did not appear to be a factor.
Both coaches’ assistants also got involved:
USC asst Tony Bland had to be restrained from going after UTEP asst Bob Cantu. USC asst Jason Hart also in the mix.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 28, 2013 USC and UTEP both play in the Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals on Thursday. The Trojans face Villanova at noon and the Miners draw Tennessee at 9:30 p.m. The two teams are on opposite sides of the bracket and cannot face each other until the tournament’s final day.
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