Florida Gulf Coast hires Kansas' Joe Dooley as coach

USA TODAY Sports Staff Report | USATODAY

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida Gulf Coast has hired Joe Dooley as its new basketball coach.

The school announced Wednesday that it had hired the former Kansas assistant.

Dooley replaces Andy Enfield, who left this month to take the head coaching job at Southern California. Under Enfield, FGCU became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. The Eagles upset Georgetown and San Diego State before losing to Florida.

Dooley spent the last 10 seasons as an assistant on Bill Self's staff at Kansas. In that time, the Jayhawks produced 300 wins, nine consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles and six Big 12 tournament championships. They reached six Sweet 16s, five regional finals and two Final Fours. They won the tournament in 2008.

Self described Dooley as "a guy who's unbelievably well connected ... a guy with a lot of personality that's extremely tough." "He gives me more ideas than anybody we can potentially implement to help our team. I'll miss his ideas," Self added.

Joe Dooley received a five-year contract and will make $225,000 to be the head coach at FGCU, according to documents obtained from the school this afternoon. Enfield made $157,500 last season with the Eagles. Dooley made $300,000 as an assistant at Kansas for the 2012-13 season, plus $18,000 more in non-guaranteed athletically related outside income.

FGCU campus reacts to new basketball coach Joe Dooley Students around campus react former Kansas assistant Joe Dooley being named the new men's basketball coach at Florida Gulf Coast. By Mike Braun, News-Press.com

Dooley has extended offers for assistant coaches Marty Richter and Michael Fly to remain with the program along with director of operations Joey Cantens.

In 2007, Dooley was rated the fourth-best recruiter in the nation by Rivals.com for Kansas' class that included McDonald's All-American Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed. He also brought in Sasha Kaun and Mario Chalmers.

Prior to Kansas, Dooley served as an assistant at Wyoming, New Mexico and South Carolina Upstate and as head coach of East Carolina.

Tariq Lee of the Fort Myers News-Press and the Associated Press contributed to this report.