Athletic Director Lee Roy Selmon, a gentleman and a football icon with an expressway named after him, is now putting his own stamp on sports at the University of South Florida. With the departure of head basketball coach Seth Greenberg to Virginia Tech, Selmon will be judged by the success of the program under his first prominent hire, Robert McCullum, the former head coach of Western Michigan.
Heretofore, Selmon has merely maintained what predecessor Paul Griffin, who was forced to step down two years ago, bequeathed him.
For too long USF has settled for mediocrity in basketball. A good crowd is a half-full Sun Dome. A good season is one with NIT possibilities. A good recruiting class never includes local blue chips. A rarity is a game played with discipline and composure or a whole year without somebody getting suspended. The juxtaposition with football, which jumpstarted into national prominence, couldn’t be more stark.
Selmon actually missed the opportunity to make his own mark by previously extending the underachieving Greenberg’s contract. That arched more than a few eyebrows among those who still care about — and support — the program. But Greenberg forced his hand by leaving of his own volition.
With the ball in his own court, Selmon chose McCullum. It’s his signature hire.