BREAKING NEWS Brenda Martinez is new Assistant XC Coach at USC

But....it's a Big10 school and they HAVE CC. Are you saying she won't try to recruit the best talent possible to attend and make something of it IF and before she moves on? That talent might take a couple years to get there if they can make believers out of their recruits.

I hear LOSER talk when people comment about others in this way. Just because you dont have the vision or drive doesn't mean she won't be successful. There's only so many teams that can consistently be top 10 based solely on environment. Even if 2nd tier programs are conference contenders and potential or even national qualifiers, thats pretty good.

Obviously their track team is in a good place. I dont think they would turn down one ncaa track point from a distance runner if they can get it.

Personally, I think she's got as good a chance as anyone to attract so cal athletes and possibly others from the region ie AZ, NV, NM even Utah. I think her achievements and personality will go a long way in building strong relationships and open a door for some people.

USC, Cal, Stan, UCLA i.e. the Four, only cares about Olympic medals. They are the TOP 4 Olympic T&F medal schools, from back in the day when the four were the only track schools in the USA winning Olympic medals regularly. The four use to be mainly L.A. preps. Now the four are mainly So Cal preps. Hope this helps.

USC is a sleeping giant when it comes to distance running at the NCAA level. With Brenda Martinez now leading the charge as the new cross country and distance coach, that giant is finally starting to wake up.
Her strength lies in the 800 to 1500 meter range, and that’s where she’ll probably build the foundation, turning USC into a powerhouse for middle distance development.
Don’t be surprised when you start seeing USC athletes in national finals and All American spots under her leadership. It’s just going to take time recruiting top athletes.

Well this is more of breaking news than constantly using that term on Instagram whenever some high school kid no one ever heard of signs with a college team

Don't say that you love me!

Just tell me that you want me!

Ayieeeee....

Real savage like.

You obviously have no clue how Quincy Watts runs the USC track and field program. He will NOT be giving Brenda Martinez money for scholarships for distance runners. And without scholarships Brenda Martinez won't be able to recruit 5 - 7 top women distance runners.

I am friends with a girl who just graduated from high school who was top 10 in the country in her distance event. Quincy Watts offered her ZERO money.

She told Watts that she was getting 50% to 100% scholarship offers from other schools, and Watts told her that USC doesn't usually offer any money for distance runners but because she was so good he would make an exception for her and give her 10%. Obviously she choose another school.

Quincy Watts controls the money and he spends it on sprints, not on distance. You are completely wrong if you think Brenda Martinez can convince a bunch of top girls to go to USC for no money. Maybe she can get one or two girls who have rich parents and don't care about scholarship money but one or two isn't nearly enough to turn USC into a decent women's xc team.

More LOSER talk. Again, it's a long process in that situation and overcoming a history of not having distance runners is obvious to everyone. Of course the cards are stacked against it being a highly successful program with distance athletes based on the past. Nonetheless, they have a program. Nothing to lose is a lot easier to build from and definitely takes a different mindset. Like you're revealing something about Coach Watts that nobody else knows....you mean like most of the rest of the country with exception of a few places, ie Oregon and Arkansas, with distance people as head coaches or coaches that recruit talent in a variety of events for balanced squads?

My support is for a person and program that won't accept loser thinking even if the struggle is greater than some/most places. Some people love the challenge to do their best and if the right person comes along and relationships can be built then new possibilities can occur.

So, is the point of you naysayers is that they should just cut the distance program?

Mallard was Mu's coach at A&M. LOL

USC can't cut the women's xc program. They need it for Title IX purposes.

Your post is meaningless. Mallard being Mu's coach a few years ago has nothing to do with why he left USC.

Yes except there's nowhere decent to train anywhere near campus. It means driving in LA traffic to Griffith Park or beach or other decent locale. I'm always amazed that anyone wants to attend there. The campus is near downtown and basically concrete jungle surrounded by high crime area.

Ok, Brenda seems to be a lovely person and accomplished athlete, but is there any evidence she will be good at coaching or recruiting? She was a volunteer at Pomona Pitzer last season and she apparently was very quiet even with athletes in her events as an athlete. Maybe she will be a great coach, maybe not so great. She certainly doesn't have the resume of Lagat and that didn't work out to well. Beyond money and culture, USC has things going against it to be a credible distance program, like the environment for distance running. That won't stop 800/1500 excellence, but xc will not be easy. Wish her well, but it's not like USC hired a coach with a proven record of coaching distance excellence even as an assistant.

She has not raced in like 5 years, she is retired. She was still sponsored during that time so she has no announced it. Smart.

Exactly. Especially when USC got 1st and 2nd at NCAAs recently. There is no zero incentive for him to change the team composition.

The Nuggets had just won the NBA championship two years ago. Firing Malone was not a good decision at all. He got them the title. It would have been enough to get rid of Calvin Booth, simply because he and Malone were always fighting and because he had put together a flawed team with zero depth. Then again the nepo owner has already shown that he is going to be a problem for the team. He managed to alienate the best ever player on the franchise already by floating the idea of trading the franchise. Winning a playoff series is nothing special for that team. That nepo coach is nothing special.