USC and NC State: about-to-be's (!!)

My reliable source within USC tells me that former Laker and current Sparks Coach Michael Cooper will indeed be named the head women's basketball coach at the University sometime within the next few days. And within the week after that announcement, he will supposedly have his staff in place. Cooper will reportedly continue to coach the Sparks this summer while his staff takes care of recruiting and other duties for the Trojans.

To say this has come out of left field would be an understatment. Crazy is a better word. I'd love to know how Cooper went from wanting to coach in the NBA to the Sparks to women's college hoops. And in taking this position, will Cooper give up his job coaching the Sparks? We will see.

In the meantime, North Carolina State fans will find out who their new head coach is tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. PDT:

http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41890&SPID=3723&DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=3720488

Rumor has it that it's former Lady Vol (1995-1999) Kellie Jolly Harper, who has coached at Western Carolina University since 2004.

Some fans have worried that NC State officials' decision not to promote longtime assistant Stephanie Glance to the position will alienate the core fan base. Others maintain that not automatically hiring Glance, which would have been the "easy way out," shows that the athletic department is finally serious about the women's game.

Either way, the Wolfpack has already lost two recruits - Jeniece Johnson and Bernisha Pinckett, who rescinded their verbal committment to NC State and instead have opted to go to Kentucky. Both players, from Woodson High School in Washington DC, cited the decision not to hire Glance as their impetus for reopening their recruiting search:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=4071451

And:

http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/2/856798.html

This should be an interesting week in college hoops, to say the least.