In basketball, we don’t always refer to assistant coaches as “coordinators,” but it’s a very real thing to identify certain assistant coaches as precisely that. Beth Burns of USC qualifies as one such example.
Certain head coaches in basketball — just like football — have a knack for coaching one side of the ball but need help with the other side. There have been examples of “coordinator hires” making a difference for basketball teams in the NBA and college hoops. Doc Rivers hired Tom Thibodeau as his defensive coordinator with the Boston Celtics, a move which helped Boston win the 2008 NBA championship. Michigan head coach John Beilein hired defensive coordinator Luke Yaklich, a move which enabled Michigan to reach the 2018 NCAA national championship game.
USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb develops great offensive sets, but she really wanted help on defense, and that’s where hiring Beth Burns as an assistant came into play. Burns’ performance at USC has been nothing short of spectacular.
Luca Evans of the Orange County Register (subscription required) wrote a very informative piece on Burns’ methods. We’ll include a few short excerpts and add some extra details about Burns’ record at USC: