Long time basketball coach Tim Floyd abruptly retired last night following UTEP's loss to Lamar.

Floyd had been the head coach at UTEP since 2010. (He also was an assistant coach at UTEP from 1977-1986) They currently sit a 1-5, with their lone victory this season coming against Division III foe Louisiana College.

Following last night's loss, Floyd made the following statement:

"I’ve coached at this university for 16 years and I think it’s time for somebody else to have the opportunity to have the joy that I’ve had, the agony that I’ve had, the acclaim that I’ve had, and the heartbreak that I’ve had in my career...I’m through. I’ve retired as of today. This is my last game as a coach.”

Floyd, 63, is a member of the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He spent 8 of his 40+ year coaching career in the state.

As head coach of the UNO Privateers from 1988-1994, Floyd led UNO to two appears in the NCAA Tournament, and was a big part of the UNO/USL rivalry of that era, back when the Privateers still played in the Sun Belt.

Floyd also spent time coaching collegiately at Louisiana Tech as an assistant, and head coach at Idaho, Iowa State and USC.

He didn't find as much success in the NBA, where he struggled in Chicago. He replaced Phil Jackson after the Bulls dynastic run behind Michael Jordan.

After Jordan retired and Jackson left, many other key players left as well, leaving Floyd to rebuild, something he wasn't able to do in 3+ seasons. He resigned as head coach early in the 2001-02 season.

The following season, he returned to New Orleans as head coach of the New Orleans Hornets, posting a 41-41 record in the 2003-2004 season, and a 5 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, where they lost in 7 games to the Miami Heat. Ownership dismissed Floyd following the season, and he eventually landed at USC.

While at USC, Floyd was accused of administering improper benefits through a back channel to top recruit O.J. Mayo, who went on to play one season at USC, before going pro.

Floyd returned to New Orleans briefly during the 2009-2010 season as a special assistant to the head coach, Jeff Bower.

 

 

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