A Change of Heart

In what could best be described as a terrible case of buyer’s remorse, Rick Majerus apparently plans to resign as USC men’s basketball coach, only days after calling it his “dream job.”

Majerus, 56, who said last week he had bought himself out of his reported five-year, $500,000 contract as an ESPN analyst, will return to the cable network, ESPN officials said Saturday night.

USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett, however, would not confirm the resignation, issuing a press release that read, “We plan to meet with Rick on Monday. Until then, there’s really nothing we can say.”

The meeting was already scheduled to discuss basketball matters, though Majerus canceled several appointments in the past few days.

Majerus could not be reached for comment Saturday, though ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said, “Rick expressed to us that he had a change of heart and asked if the opportunity existed to come back to ESPN. We told him that he could.”

USC heralded his arrival in a Wednesday news conference with details of a five-year, $5-million contract to begin April 1. It’s unclear whether the contract was finalized, although Majerus indicated he had signed it the night before.

Majerus met with the current team before Wednesday’s practice for “five minutes at most,” a source said.

Majerus then met with interim Coach Jim Saia for dinner that night and a source said the meeting suddenly became contentious, Majerus wanting to use current coaches on staff for recruiting purposes even though he had said he would stay away from the team until April 1. Saia, who would have been left short-handed to the point of coaching the team by himself despite being assured by Garrett that the program was his in the interim, would not comment.

The following morning, Majerus canceled a meeting with recruiting coordinator Bob Cantu at the last minute, as well as one with the four underclassmen who could return next season.

“I thought that was weird,” said Gabe Pruitt, the Trojans’ standout freshman point guard. “It’s crazy. I was looking forward to it, playing for him.

“Hopefully they keep the current coaches, that would be good for continuity.”

ESPN.com reported that Majerus’ representatives began contacting ESPN on Thursday.

Sources have indicated that Majerus was overwhelmed with the prospect of returning to coaching and was miffed that the point man in recruiting him to USC, senior associate athletic director Daryl Gross, would be leaving. Gross was hired as athletic director at Syracuse on Friday and said Saturday he would try to contact Majerus.

“If he’s serious [about resigning], I’ve always had a list of people,” said Gross, who will not leave USC until next month. “In the worst case, we’re always ready to go. As I mentioned early in this search, there are a ton of people interested in coaching at USC.”

But it was Majerus who was supposed to give USC the splash it needed before moving into the $114-million, 10,258-seat Galen Center in two years.

Majerus, who resigned from Utah in January after more than 14 years for health reasons, has long been known for his quirky behavior as much as for his weight problems and self-deprecating humor. Still, Majerus had told friends Saturday morning that all was well and he was making plans with friends for the weekend in the Los Angeles area.

Friday night, Majerus acknowledged using current assistant Eric Brown in a recruiting role and sent him to Saddleback College for a tournament and spoke of his upcoming plans. Majerus said he would not be leaving the area until Monday night or Tuesday.

“I’ve just been talking to guys about being assistants, there’s nothing new on that front,” Majerus said at the time. “I’m not committed to anyone.... I’ve got a list. I’ve got an NCAA clearance [test for recruiting], they’re working on that, terms they need. It’s just an ongoing process.”

News of Majerus’ apparent resignation spread immediately after the Trojans’ 81-74 victory over Western Michigan at the Sports Arena and before they began preparations for today’s flight to Hawaii, where they will play Indiana State in the Rainbow Classic on Tuesday.

“Nothing’s really changed,” said Saia, who is 2-1 since taking over for Henry Bibby. “I’ve still got to coach the team, prepare for Indiana State and make sure the kids have a great year. That’s the bottom line.

“Are we shocked? Sure we’re shocked. We’ve just got to stay in the eye of the hurricane.”

Bibby was fired Dec. 6, four games into the season.

Meanwhile, across town at UCLA, the Bruins were not only reveling in their own victory over Michigan, but in the Trojans’ latest misery.

“Yeah, we heard,” said senior forward Dijon Thompson. “It’s pretty funny. What can I say? That’s USC. We’re UCLA.”

Still, the Trojans have won five of the past six meetings with the Bruins, including four in a row.

“You’re kidding, right?” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said when told of the report. “I hope and will pray it’s not over health issues. That’s stunning news to me after listening to how excited he was to be coming back.”

Times staff writers Larry Stewart, Gary Klein and Diane Pucin contributed to this report.

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Not meant to be

Some things just don’t last, apparently like Rick Majerus’ decision to coach the USC basketball team. And some things last only days. Here’s a list of short-timers:

*--* Days Name Team Outcome 1 Eddie Stanky Rangers Quit after managing one game in 1977. 2 Britney Spears Celebrity Annulled ’04 marriage to Jason Alexander. 4 Wally Backman Diamondbacks Fired in ’04 when legal trouble discovered. 5 George O’Leary Notre Dame Resigned in ‘01; lied about background. 9 Cher Celebrity Divorced Gregg Allman in ’75 21 Dan Marino Dolphins Quit as team executive in ’04. 31 William Henry Harrison Presidency 9th president died of pneumonia in 1841. 34 Magic Johnson Lakers Finished ’94 season as coach; didn’t return.

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