LOS ANGELES -- Rick Majerus will come out of retirement to coach Southern California's basketball team starting at the end of the season, according to a sports website report on Tuesday night.
The former Utah coach, who retired last January in his 15th season with the Utes because of health reasons, was expected to sign a five-year contract with USC and will resign immediately as a television college basketball analyst, the website reported, citing anonymous sources.
USC was expected to announce Majerus' hiring as early as Wednesday.
Responding to the report, USC sports information director Tim Tessalone said Tuesday, "We haven't done anything and won't do anything tonight."
The school fired Henry Bibby last week four games into his ninth season, and installed assistant Jim Saia as interim coach for the rest of the season. The Trojans are 1-1 since Saia took over. Bibby had a 131-111 record at USC and took the Trojans to three NCAA Tournaments.
The 57-year-old Majerus was in the first year of a five-year television analyst deal and was expected to pay a negotiated buyout to the network, the website said. He worked his last game on Monday night in Philadelphia, where Wake Forest beat Temple.
Majerus coached Utah to the national championship game in 1998, losing to Kentucky, one of the school's 10 NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. His other coaching stints were at Ball State, Marquette and with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant.
The former Utah coach, who retired last January in his 15th season with the Utes because of health reasons, was expected to sign a five-year contract with USC and will resign immediately as a television college basketball analyst, the website reported, citing anonymous sources.
USC was expected to announce Majerus' hiring as early as Wednesday.
Responding to the report, USC sports information director Tim Tessalone said Tuesday, "We haven't done anything and won't do anything tonight."
The school fired Henry Bibby last week four games into his ninth season, and installed assistant Jim Saia as interim coach for the rest of the season. The Trojans are 1-1 since Saia took over. Bibby had a 131-111 record at USC and took the Trojans to three NCAA Tournaments.
The 57-year-old Majerus was in the first year of a five-year television analyst deal and was expected to pay a negotiated buyout to the network, the website said. He worked his last game on Monday night in Philadelphia, where Wake Forest beat Temple.
Majerus coached Utah to the national championship game in 1998, losing to Kentucky, one of the school's 10 NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. His other coaching stints were at Ball State, Marquette and with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant.
