He is the coach of the most talked about team in the “Big Dance” in years. Cinderella has come back to March Madness in the unlikely form of the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles from down there in Fort Myers… and they are something else… and their coach, Andy Enfield has become famous for something other than his beautiful wife.
The Eagles didn’t just win the games they played against Georgetown and San Diego State, they dominated the second half in both games and won both by 10 points… it wasn’t even close. Now, the Hoyas and the Aztecs are really good basketball teams and highly touted in the national press but tiny Florida Gulf Coast U beat them both.
They have already beaten Miami in their first game of the year and now stand ready to gobble up the Gators who they all have great respect for, but, the Eagles are not afraid of taking on big brother Florida. The odds makers are giving FGCU 13 points but there are folks out there that truly believe that the Eagles could very well win that game outright.
The student athletes are outstanding, the fans are frantic and even the crowd at the round 2 & 3 games in Philadelphia were obviously rooting for the Eagles in both contests. Well, most of them were Eagle fans anyway… but, as the games progressed, the crowd sounded very much like hometown fans getting behind the FGCU Eagles.
A major factor in this sudden burst of energy and popularity is Head Basketball Coach Andy Enfield. He is the man with the plan….and the plan is working so far. His team just became the first #15 seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Enfield is a former Johns Hopkins Basketball star posting an incredible 92.5% from the foul line. No wonder he became a shooting coach for the Milwaukee Bucs from 1994-1996. He went on to become an assistant coach under Rick Pitino with the Boston Celtics from 1998-2000 during which time the Celtics foul shooting numbers rose by over 5 points.
Andy Enfield was also the brains behind “All Net Basketball” which was a consulting team that worked with several NBA teams. He made a bundle. Then he married a high-fashion-model-wife, had three kids and became a college basketball coach…….and the rest you know.
Good luck Andy, you are an inspiration to us all!
