Will Neufeld leave?

[PonyPride]

Copied this from the Dallas Morning News, because their page is hard to read:

"SMU's Neufeld candidate for USC tennis job
05/01/2002
By RICK ALONZO / The Dallas Morning News

UNIVERSITY PARK – When longtime Southern Cal tennis coach [deleted] Leach recently announced he will retire after this season, he said he handed his boss a "very short" list of suggested successors. SMU coach Carl Neufeld, a former Trojans assistant, was one of them.

"He's a great technician," said Daryl Gross, USC's assistant athletic director who is leading the search for a new coach. "He's a great motivator. He's a proven winner. He's a great recruiter, and that's what makes him obviously a prime candidate."

Gross said he would like to make a hire soon, but he would not comment further. Neufeld said he is flattered USC called. The Trojans have won 15 national championships, second only to Stanford.

"It's one of the top two or three jobs in the country," said Neufeld, who declined to comment further.

Leach said he didn't hesitate to recommend Neufeld, who helped USC win two national championships during his tenure from 1990 to '93. Neufeld left the Trojans for SMU nine years ago.

"He's done a great job for us here," SMU athletic director Jim Copeland said. "It doesn't surprise me that USC has come after him because he has a history there, and plus his record here taking us to the Sweet 16 has been fantastic. ... If he wants to stay here, which I think he does, we want to do what we can to keep him."

SMU is one of only four teams to have reached the NCAA Sweet 16 the last four seasons. Neufeld guided the Mustangs to their third WAC tournament championship Sunday. He also was named the conference's coach of the year for the third time.

In 2000-01, he led the Mustangs to arguably their best season in school history. SMU, which finished 24-3, won two individual national titles while reaching the Final Four of the NCAA championships for the first time since 1986.

Neufeld has done it without an assistant coach, which is a standard staff position at USC and many other top programs.

In terms of facilities, Gross said USC is in the midst of a four-phase renovation. SMU has six courts. TCU's facilities, for instance, include 22 courts.

Copeland said he talked with Neufeld on Tuesday about SMU's facilities and staff, but no decisions were reached.

E-mail [email protected]

[PonyGirl]

Is it just me, or does Copeland not sound too concerned about losing Carl Neufeld? He's a great coach and has taken the program to new heights. Copeland needs to be proactive and make sure he stays here at SMU, not wait and see "if he wants to stay."

[PK]

I would hate to see Carl go. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to hold someone back if the offer is something we can't match....Stay here Carl!

[DallasDiehard]

USC doesn't make its coaches shave, does it?
Kidding, Carl - stay at SMU!