Former Fresno State assistant named interim coach at USC

By PAUL GUTIERREZ of The Los Angeles Times

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

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. Saia was also an assistant at Fresno State under Gary Colson.

“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.

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 new 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.

“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 Cal State Fullerton and Texas-El Paso. Saia was also a candidate to fill the coaching vacancy left when Jerry Tarkanian resigned as Fresno State’s coach in 2002. “The main thing is the kids.

This is not about Jim Saia.”

USC hosts the Bulldogs tonight in Saia’s first game at the helm of the Trojans.

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 if 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 on 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.