Kyle Tucker

LCJ

INDIANAPOLIS — It's been a good 24 hours for University of Kentucky assistant basketball coach Orlando Antigua, who helped the Wildcats punch their Final Four ticket on Sunday night and was named head coach at South Florida this afternoon.

"We were looking for a great leader, a great communicator, a proven record of being able to recruit and develop players and someone who will represent USF with exceptional energy and integrity," athletic director Mark Harlan said in a news release. "We have found all that and more in Orlando Antigua."

Antigua, who will be introduced at a press conference Tuesday, is expected to remain with UK through the team's Final Four run in North Texas this week. He came with head coach John Calipari as an assistant in 2009 after working the previous season under Calipari at Memphis. A former McDonald's All-American himself, Antigua is an ace recruiter who helped the Cats sign five consecutive classes that ranked No. 1 nationally.

Antigua, who is headed to his third Final Four in four years and also served five years as an assistant at his alma mater, Pittsburgh, was named the top assistant coach in the country under 40 by ESPN.com in 2012. He got valuable head-coaching experience with the Dominican National Team last summer.

"I have been preparing for the challenge of leading a program my entire life and I have a deep belief and passion that USF basketball can thrive," Antigua said in a news release. "I look forward to renewing my strong connections in the state of Florida and can't wait to begin working towards our future success."

Ironically, the job was only available after a deal with Manhattan coach Steve Masiello, a former Wildcat and Rick Pitino protégé, fell apart when it was revealed that he did not have a degree from UK despite his resume saying otherwise.

Antigua's deal measures five years, according to ESPN. He's the latest Calipari assistant-turned-head coach, joining the likes of Memphis' Josh Pastner, Massachusetts' Derek Kellogg and Drexel's Bruiser Flint.

"When this is done right, everyone involved should benefit from the success of the program," Calipari said in a statement. "This includes the university as a whole, the athletic department, administrators, staff and especially the assistant coaches. They and their families deal with the brunt of the work.

"With that being said, I am so excited that Orlando has been hired by the University of South Florida. Based on what he's done with the Dominican Republic National Team as their head coach and his work with our family over the last five years at Kentucky and one season at Memphis, I have the utmost confidence in him to lead this program to new heights.

"My guess is they will do things that have never been done before at South Florida. We're all going to miss him and his family after we finish this run."

A possible replacement for Antigua on Calipari's staff is Tony Barbee, one of his former players and assistants who was recently fired as head coach at Auburn — although Barbee is still angling for another chance in the head-coaching ranks.

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.