Steve Masiello To Coach USF Basketball

According to multiple reports, Steve Masiello has accepted men's basketball head coaching position at USF. No confirmation from USF is available right now, but here's how we're piecing it together:

According to sources, Steve Masiello was offered the USF job last night. 5 years, $6.2 million. Masiello was also in Tampa yesterday.

— Collin Sherwin (@USFCollin) March 25, 2014

Manhattan’s Steve Masiello is expected to accept an offer to become USF’s next coach, sources told @CBSSports. Story: http://t.co/KukolOX6y5

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) March 25, 2014

BREAKING: Steve Masiello just met with his team to tell them he officially accepted offer to USF, sources say.

— MC Quadrangle (@mcquad) March 25, 2014

And then this was sort of the coup de grace:

OK NOW it’s official: Welcome to Tampa @steve_masiello!! #USF pic.twitter.com/aeHQa92Zzb

— Collin Sherwin (@USFCollin) March 25, 2014

As to the kind of coach Masiello is on and off the floor, well here's some required reading and viewing:

This Grantland story from yesterday goes behind the scenes with Masiello and the Jaspers as they get ready to take on Louisville in the NCAA's. It is in-depth, emotional, wonderful, and gives some great insight into how Masiello ran his program at Manhattan. You'll be ready to run through a wall for your new coach by the end. Some great quotes:

While his team stretches, Masiello approaches me on the sideline and explains how he built this program. It is, he stresses again, almost a carbon copy of Louisville. Same press, same offensive sets, same conditioning workouts, same everything. But one difference, he says, is that Manhattan has taken on the identity of the city it calls home.

Typically, Manhattan's advantage comes from taking teams by surprise. The Jaspers press full-court for 40 minutes. They run. They rotate 10 players. They're not afraid to bleed, and they're even less afraid to foul. They're a mid-major version of Louisville. "Everything we do, they do," Masiello told reporters just moments ago.

Also if you didn't see it before in our other post, check out this trailer from a proposed documentary about Masiello and Manhattan:

As to the reaction we've seen to Masiello, here's a sampling:

I had hoped that @steve_masiello would wait one more season, but best of luck to him at USF. Been great to cover a rising star.

— John Templon (@nybuckets) March 25, 2014

@USFCollin From someone who knows Masiello personally and covered his first three years: JACKPOT. You're going to love him.

— A Daly Dose Of Hoops (@DalyDoseOfHoops) March 25, 2014

.@snicklefritz35 USF just renovated the Sun Dome, has a really nice new practice facility, and Masiello knows Florida really well.

— Mark Ennis (@Mengus22) March 25, 2014

Everyone we've talked to seems to love this guy, and he might be the perfect person to make USF Basketball relevant to Tampa once again. At worst the Bulls will at least be interesting for an extended period, and we haven't been able to say that for a long time. That sounds like a home run to us, and we'll be at the press conference.

So dear readers... how's this play with you? What do you think of the new hire??