USC basketball: O’Neill names Dieter Horton assistant coach

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Dieter Horton, a former coach at Fullerton College and Antelope Valley College, has been hired and named an assistant coach on the USC men’s basketball team, Trojans Coach Kevin O’Neill announced Thursday.

Horton, 39, spent the last four seasons (2007-10) at Antelope Valley College before resigning in March. He had a 97-47 record there.
He spent 10 seasons (1997-06) at Fullerton College and in 2006 led the team to a 37-0 record (the most wins in California junior college history) en route to the state championship.

‘Dieter has a tremendous amount of coaching experience as a head coach, and he’ll be a valuable addition to our staff,’ O’Neill said in a statement. ‘He has produced successful teams wherever he’s been. I’m extremely pleased he is joining us.’

O’Neill also announced that Bob Cantu, who has been a Trojans assistant coach for nine seasons, was promoted to associate head coach. Last month, O’Neill promoted strength and conditioning coach Tony Miller to assistant coach.

These moves will likely finalize O’Neill’s staff, which he overhauled at the end of this season by firing former assistant coaches Gib Arnold and Phil Johnson.

Arnold was named University of Hawaii head coach last month. On Wednesday, Johnson was hired by former USC coach Tim Floyd to join him at the University of Texas-El Paso, where Floyd was hired in March.

-- Baxter Holmes