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"We are thrilled to welcome Mark back to USC," said Swann. "It was important for us to hire a coach who really wanted to be at USC, who truly cares about our student-athletes and who believes in the Trojan way of excelling. We found that coach in Mark Trakh. He has the experience and maturity to help our young team grow and develop."
This is Trakh's second stint at USC, having previously coached the Women of Troy from 2005-09. During those five seasons, Trakh's teams went 90-64, advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice and finished in the top half of the Pac-12 each year.
This season, Trakh replaces Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who stepped down last month after four years at the helm of the program.
"I'm excited to once again be a part of the great tradition at USC," said Trakh. "I really want to reignite the tradition of excellence that we have at USC. It all starts with recruiting and coaching up the women and helping them succeed."
Trakh certainly had success in recruiting during his first go-around at Troy, signing four Top 10 classes, including the No. 1 class in 2006.
Trakh resigned from USC for personal reasons in 2009 and took nearly two years off from coaching before joining San Diego State's staff. For the past six years, he has served as head coach at New Mexico State, going 104-80 overall. In each of the last three seasons there, he was named the WAC Coach of of the Year for guiding his team to 20-plus victories, the regular season WAC title and the WAC Tournament title.
Overall, in his 22 years as a head coach at the collegiate level, Trakh boasts a 393-267 record, with eight NCAA Tournament trips, seven regular season championships and five conference Coach of the Year honors.
Follow USC women's basketball on Twitter for updates and use the hashtag #TrakhIsBack to welcome Trakh home.
