Cleamons, Shaw interested in USC

The direction USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett could take with his beleaguered basketball program is up Figueroa Avenue to Staples Center.

Lakers assistants Jim Cleamons and Brian Shaw are trying to win an NBA championship with one eye on the Trojans’ job that opened when Tim Floyd announced his resignation Tuesday. Both coaches are interested in the position, according to sources close to them who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Garrett is expected to move quickly to replace Floyd, though the circumstances surrounding the program might make the process difficult.

USC’s football and basketball programs are being investigated by the NCAA. The basketball portion of that examination began with allegations that an associate of former star guard O.J. Mayo received money from a sports agent and funneled some of it to the player. More recently, another accusation has been lodged that the same associate received a payment directly from Floyd.

Just in the last two months, four top returning USC players have declared for early entry into the NBA draft and three prized recruits have reversed their decisions to become Trojans.

And a program that won last season’s Pacific 10 Conference tournament title on its way to a school-record third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance has been left resembling a reclamation project.

None of which appears to matter to either Lakers assistant.

Cleamons seemed intrigued by the challenge when asked about it, saying, “I think USC is one of the best jobs in the country.” He added, though, that most of his focus was currently elsewhere. “I’m trying to help us win a championship, first and foremost,” he said in Orlando.

Shaw echoed that sentiment, declining to talk about the job and saying he wanted “to concentrate on helping the Lakers win a championship.” However, a source requesting anonymity because of his close relationship with Shaw said he was very much interested.

Both men are former Lakers players who have never coached in college.

Cleamons was mentioned as a candidate when Ohio State was looking for a coach in 2004. He was a star guard for the Buckeyes and a first-round pick by the Lakers in 1971, spending his one season with the team as a seldom-used reserve on an NBA championship team.

His coaching resume includes two stints as a Lakers assistant, the latest beginning in 2006. He also was head coach of the Dallas Mavericks for a little more than a season and spent time as a New Orleans Hornets assistant.

Shaw, a former UC Santa Barbara star, has been a Lakers assistant since 2004-05.

Whether USC has a shared interest in either Cleamons or Shaw is unclear because Garrett has refused all interview requests.

University of Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon’s name seems to surface nearly every time a big program has an opening. However, Dixon’s current contract and the NCAA cloud hanging over USC would appear to leave him a longshot.

Dixon, who was reared in the Los Angeles area, is paid between $1.5-1.7 million per season under a contract that runs through 2016. Floyd made about $1 million last season at USC. Dixon’s contract also is believed to have a $1-million buyout clause.

Meanwhile, Trojans players streamed in and out of the Galen Center, learning little.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Garrett had not met with the players or assistant coaches, leaving everyone in the dark.

“I don’t know at all what is going on,” guard Dwight Lewis said. “It’s confusing.”

Times staff writer Broderick Turner contributed to this report.

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chris.foster@latimes.com