All of those Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins is considering the USC head coaching job rumors were given a bit more credibility Tuesday, as the Los Angeles Times' Diane Pucin reported that sources have said the heir to the Jim Boeheim throne has interviewed with the school.

A person with knowledge of the situation said at least one other interview has been conducted, with Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, who played at Mater Dei.

Of course, that mini tidbit was at the bottom of an article that was framed around the university hiring Tim Floyd, again.

USC is looking to replace former head coach Kevin O'Neil, who was fired by Athletic Director Pat Haden in January.

Now, this is not the first time Hopkins' name as surfaced when it came to a USC head coaching job.

If you recall, back in 2009 when Floyd, the current coach a UTEP, resigned because of the shady things he may or may not of done recruiting/hosting O.J. Mayo, Hopkins' name came up.

And, it will come up because: A) he is a mighty fine coach; and B) he is from Southern California.

Since '09, the Trojans have made the NCAA Tournament just once and this season they're 14-15 overall with a 9-7 record in the Pac-12. They're currently led by Bob Cantu, who was an assistant under O'Neill.

Is this the right time for Hopkins to make a move considering Boeheim is much closer to retiring than he was in '09? Who knows. Right now, #OrangeNation shouldn't sweat it too much. This is USC basketball we're talking about.