At a press conference in the Pyramid yesterday, Athletic Director Vic Cegles announced that USC assistant Jody Wynn is the next head coach of the Long Beach State women’s basketball team, just the sixth coach in the program’s 47 years.  Wynn played high school ball on the dominant Brea Olinda teams of the early 90s, having won three state titles, before moving on to USC, where she played for four years.  Wynn was then an assistant coach at Pepperdine from 1996-2004, and an assistant at USC from 2004-2009.

Cegles spoke about her, both during the press conference and after, in pretty glowing terms.  “There wasn’t much question as to who the best candidate was,” he said, with Wynn’s name coming to the top of a field of more than 75 applicants.  Perhaps most important on her resume is that she’s an acknowledged recruiting guru, who is very plugged into the local prep scene, something Cegles had said all along was at the top of his list of priorities.

Before a larger-than-expected crowd, Wynn did a very effective job of showing off her energy and enthusiasm about the job—you can see video from her press conference by clicking here.  The best quote from the afternoon was Cegles relating Wynn’s answer to a question he posed about the transition from being an assistant to a head coach: “It’s about eighteen inches,” she said.  Cegles also pointed out, “When your name is Wynn, it makes it easier to pull the trigger.”

The 49ers’ new coach showed off her confidence by telling the crowd, “I’m prepared and I’m ready for those eighteen inches.”

I spoke with her after the press conference, where she emphasized that she plans on doing plenty of backyard recruiting in the prep-rich Long Beach area.  Wynn grew up locally, and says she spent many childhood nights on the floor in the Gold Mine, watching past greats compete.  “It’s crazy to think now that I’m going to be the leader of this program,” she said.

She also brings her husband Derek, who is likely to be hired shortly as an assistant coach to help develop the team’s defense.  According to Wynn, all the returning players (including nine seniors, which will give her a massive first recruiting class) will have to start over with a blank slate, from Karina Figueroa on down.  “Right now we have no starters,” she said.  “Everyone will have to earn it in practice.”

Then, after the press conference wound down, Wynn had just a few hours of down time before making her first official off-campus appearance, as Cegles introduced her to the Century Club during their meeting at Legends.  Again she showed a confidence and enthusiasm that won over her crowd.  “We want you in the stands and we want your friends in the stands,” she said.  Clearly tiring of talking instead of coaching, she added, “On Monday I want to get into the gym and get my clothes on and get to work.”

She also reemphasized the local recruiting angle: when asked what her philosophy would be, she said, “Not to let anyone get out of Southern California that shouldn’t.”  She also gratified the crowd by saying the LB family atmosphere was better than USC’s, and added that she wants to build “a program people can be proud of if they want to stay home—if they don’t want to play for UCLA or USC they’ll have an alternative.”

That alternative, under Jody Wynn, could be a very formidable one.  Only time and the win-loss column will tell, of course, but this looks to be a great hire, a great move for the university’s future and, as Wynn put it, a great fit for all parties.