by Las Cruces Sun-News

Not in college. Not in the NBA. No, Theus is coaching his son's AAU basketball team in Southern California.

"He's on the team," Theus said of his son, who's also named Reggie. "How many times do I get to coach him? Not many. It's a good opportunity for me and my family."

Theus, the former New Mexico State Aggie coach who was fired by the NBA's Sacramento Kings last season, latched onto the youth team after missing out as a candidate for the head coaching position at the University of Southern California last month.

Being out of the spotlight has allowed Theus to spend more time with his children. His son's AAU squad is titled the Pump & Run 2013 Incoming Freshman Team.

"Probably the only good thing about where I'm at right now is that I have a chance to be with my kids more," he said. "Coaching (Reggie) in basketball just felt right."

A native of Los Angeles, Theus was brought up playing on the AAU circuit. An opportunity to give back, along with still having his hand in the sport, were good enough reasons to go back to the sidelines.

"Obviously the other kids are important too," Theus said. "We go over things, critique things and are always teaching. I want to make sure they're getting the right information."

Theus has made no secret of his desires to get back into coaching, whether it be in college or the NBA level, either as a head coach or as an assistant. After being let go by Sacramento, he took the remainder of the season off before receiving interest from USC. The Trojans eventually gave the head job to Kevin O'Neill.

While in his two years at NMSU, from 2005-07, Theus got the program back to the NCAA Tournament and became somewhat of a celebrity in and around Las Cruces. While he would like to try his hand in the high-level coaching ranks once again, for now, he'll help the youth.

"I'm excited about having a chance to do it," he said. "It's a good thing, all the way around."

Teddy Feinberg can be reached at tfeinberg@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5455

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