Bibby Is Given His Pink Slip

He had his relationship with his boss compared to a marriage gone bad

The state of his program was likened to that of an automobile on its last legs ... by his boss.

And on Monday morning, four games into an already tumultuous season, Henry Bibby was fired as coach of the USC men’s basketball team after almost nine star-crossed years by his boss ... Athletic Director Mike Garrett.

First-year assistant Jim Saia, 40, who worked in the same capacity at UCLA for seven years under Steve Lavin, will take over the Trojans on an interim basis and share responsibilities with fourth-year assistant Eric Brown, 30.

“I didn’t see the writing on the wall, not after four games,” said Bibby, who was in the next-to-last year of his guaranteed contract. “I expected at the end of the season to be evaluated.

“I knew I had to win games this year. It’s not like I was asking for a favor.”

The Trojans’ 2-2 start, with embarrassing losses at nationally ranked North Carolina and woebegone La Salle last week, was enough for Garrett to pull the trigger. Still, Garrett said there was no single determining factor that led to his decision to end a “real long lengthy marriage” that went awry.

“It was intuition, not a real cause and effect,” said Garrett, who added that he made the decision to fire Bibby before Saturday night’s victory over Brigham Young.

“It’s almost like having a car, you want to turn it in before it breaks down on you. I don’t want to be crude.... I’m looking at the health of the program. It was more of a gut feeling that we have to go in another direction.”

Speculation is already centering on former Utah coach Rick Majerus and current Pepperdine coach (and USC alumnus) Paul Westphal as top candidates to lead the Trojans into the Galen Center, the school’s arena scheduled to open in two years.

Still, Garrett said he did not expect to make a permanent hire until after the season and added, with a smile, that he hoped Saia would make a coaching search irrelevant with a successful run.

The remainder of Bibby’s staff -- Bob Cantu, Mike Johnson, Neal, Clay McKnight and video coordinator Erik Perea, the lone holdover from the Trojans’ run to the Elite Eight of the 2001 NCAA tournament -- will stay on.

“I’m going to act like I’ve been the head coach for 10 years,” said Saia, who had previously pursued head coaching jobs at Fresno State, Cal State Fullerton and Texas El Paso. “The main thing is the kids. This is not about Jim Saia.”

USC plays host to Fresno State on Wednesday night.

The Craven twins, senior guards Derrick and Errick, have had well-publicized spats with Bibby, though both wished him well.

“Coach and I had our differences, but I was always loyal,” Errick Craven said. “Did he lose me? I don’t know, well, no comment on that.

“I respected Bibby as a person. At times I didn’t respond. I trust that Garrett has a good reason. I’m going to go with it.”

Derrick Craven was philosophical when asked whether there was anything the Trojans could have done to save Bibby’s job.

“Maybe if we beat North Carolina?” he mused, reflecting on the 97-65 defeat.

“Sometimes [Bibby was] a very good motivator, and sometimes he takes the wrong approach.”

While Derrick Craven discounted rumors that players had gone to Garrett with complaints about Bibby, he also wondered how the senior-heavy Trojans would respond to Saia, who came to USC as a part-time assistant in charge of academics in the summer and was formally hired Sept. 20.

“It’s bittersweet because he just came to the program,” Craven said. “I could really respect Coach Brown because he was here when we got here. Saia got the title because of his experience.

“I really think Eric Brown is going to make the decisions. I don’t think [Saia] is going to just take the job over. If he does, it could be a problem.”

Bibby took over on an interim basis himself late in the 1995-96 season after Charlie Parker was fired, and in his first full season he took the Trojans to the NCAA tournament. USC returned in 2001, reaching the Elite Eight by beating Oklahoma State, Boston College and Kentucky before falling to eventual national champion Duke.

USC made its second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance in 2002 and was a popular pick to advance to its first Final Four since 1954, but was upset in the first round by North Carolina Wilmington.

The Trojans followed that up with back-to-back losing seasons -- 13-17 and 13-15. And with the Stewart twins threatening to transfer -- Rodrick said members of the team came to his room Wednesday to see whether he still intended to leave (he said he did), while Lodrick has reaffirmed his commitment -- and their father, Bull Stewart, referring to “turmoil” in the program, it was perceived that Bibby, who fostered a tough-love atmosphere, had lost control.

“I’m sure that played a part,” Bibby said. “But turmoil? We didn’t have turmoil. Everybody’s not happy in a program. It’s like a family. Everybody’s not always happy.”

Certainly not the walk-ons denied pizza a few seasons back, or the conga line of players kicked out of practice over the years, or Bibby himself when criticizing the Trojans’ facilities.

And though Bibby limited media access to his players this season, he tried to put on a more cheerful face.

“My discipline, if that’s what got me fired, then it will get me fired at my next job, because this is who I am and how I coach,” said Bibby, an All-American point guard at UCLA in 1972. “I’m big on discipline. Coach [John] Wooden was big on discipline.

“I really thought I had a chance this year, more so than any other year. I had [six] seniors coming back, a top-seven recruiting class.... I’m not angry at all. I thought I deserved a chance of being in the new arena. But it’s not my decision. It’s part of the business, and that’s what I told the players when I met with them. I have no hurt feelings toward Mike. He gave me an opportunity when no one else did.”

Perhaps the most telling blow of the day: According to a source, Garrett held a meeting with the players encouraging them to vent, and not one stood up in defense of their former coach.

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The Bibby Years

Henry Bibby’s season-by-season record at USC:

*--* Season Pac-10 Place Overall Postseason * 1996-97 12-6 T2 17-11 NCAA (1st round) * 1997-98 5-13 8 9-19 * 1998-99 7-11 T7 15-13 NIT (1st round) * 1999-2000 9-9 6 16-14 * 2000-01 11-7 T4 24-10 NCAA (Elite Eight) * 2001-02 12-6 T2 22-10 NCAA (1st round) * 2002-03 6-12 T6 13-17 * 2003-04 8-10 6 13-15 * 2004 2-2 Total 70-74 131-111

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USC Coaches

USC basketball coaches with conference and overall records:

*--* Coach Years Pacific Overall Win% * Emil Breitkreutz 1907 6-5 545 * J.S. Robson 1911, 1913 23-10 697 * Walter Hall 1912 9-5 643 * Ralph Glaze 1915-16 8-21 276 * Motts Blair 1917, 1919 11-20 355 * Dean Cromwell 1918 0-2 000 * Elmer Henderson 1920-21 18-6 750 * Bill Hunter 1922 1-3 7-5 583 * Les Turner 1923-27 6-22 48-36 571 * Leo Calland 1928-29 9-9 38-10 792 * Sam Barry 1930-41, ‘46-50 129-67 260-138 653 * Julie Bescos 1942 7-5 12-8 600 * Ernie Holbrook 1943-44 7-2 29-9 763 * Bobby Muth 1944-45 4-7 17-17 500 * Forrest Twogood 1951-66 111-104 252-178 586 * Bob Boyd 1967-79 107-79 216-131 622 * Stan Morrison 1980-86 62-64 103-95 520 * George Raveling 1987-94 60-84 115-118 494 * Charlie Parker 1995-1996 9-18 21-28 429 * Henry Bibby 1996-2004 70-74 131-111 541

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By the Numbers

8: Full seasons as USC head coach

3: NCAA tournament appearances

1: Time advanced past first round in NCAA tournament (Elite Eight)

5: Seasonsfinished above .500

0: Pacific 10 Conference titles

70-74: Record in the Pac-10

6-10: Record vs. UCLA

.541: Overall win percentage at USC