FGCU AD to USC: There's only one Dunk City in U.S.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — If some at FGCU felt like a spouse caught off guard by the departure of men's basketball coach Andy Enfield, then the messages from his new home felt like the dog was being dragged out the door, too.

"Please welcome Andy Enfield to the Trojan family as the new head coach of USC hoops," the University of Southern California wrote with its primary athletics department Twitter account late Monday night as Enfield was still busy breaking the news to his players.

Then the account, "USC Trojans", went one step too far, FGCU believes.

"DunkCityUSC," the message was punctuated.

That, FGCU said, is a blatant rip off of the two-word phrase which was born with the athletic aerial displays Enfield's team put on during two historic NCAA tournament victories late last month and became part of a national sports lexicon.

"There's only one Dunk City USA. It's here in Southwest Florida," FGCU athletic director Ken Kavanagh said in a Tuesday press conference addressing Enfield's departure and the search for his replacement.

"I think it's totally inappropriate for USC to do that. We would not copy somebody else's well-earned scenario, and I will be sure to let USC know that."

Enfield on Tuesday morning initially felt that USC's "Dunk City" reference would promote FGCU as well. After hearing of FGCU's displeasure, though, he, too, said the matter would be addressed.

"We'll deal with that," said Enfield, scheduled to depart Southwest Florida Tuesday night to be introduced in person as the new USC coach Wednesday afternoon. "Let me get through my press conference and actually get out there and we'll take care of it."

Worried as they are about their futures at FGCU and whomever is brought in to replace Enfield, the coach's former players thought the moniker had no business leaving town with him.

"That was kind of bad on their part," FGCU sophomore Bernard Thompson said of the USC Trojans account using "DunkCityUSC" in multiple Twitter messages.

"They didn't earn the right to have that type of label, try to trademark that for themselves. Coach Enfield is not really Dunk City. It's the whole team. I figure it should go to the school. FGCU is Dunk City."

The potential loss of their nickname – spawned in part by the FGCU sports information department's year-long slam dunk tally it called the "dunk tank" and by a locally produced rap video that popularized the "dunk city" phrase – would further erode the fun, high-flying team reputation Enfield cultivated.

"We understand what we've done. But everybody else sees it now as we don't have a coach anymore and he just kind of left for USC," said FGCU sophomore point guard Brett Comer, Enfield's first signee after being hired at FGCU on March 31, 2011.

"They're claiming dunk city. But he didn't make a play. He gave us the blueprint for it. But we made every single play. We had the athletes to do it. I made the passes to the guys that do it. I feel like we are still dunk city. Nobody will ever take that away from us."

Soffian also writes for the News-Press, a Gannett property.