More Questions Than Answers

Tim Floyd and his players had almost as many questions as the media during a press conference on Tuesday. They knew that they were headed to Mazatlan, Mexico, this weekend for two exhibitions against professional basketball teams. Floyd wasn't sure what the level of competition would be, pointing out that some of the best players in Mexico were with the national squad that is trying to qualify for the Olympics. He also wasn't sure which rulebook they would be following, as both opponents play in the Liga Nacional de Basquetbol Profesional (which may vary from NCAA rules).

How much could the Trojans know about their opponents? Both teams are practically unknown in Los Angeles. If you Google one of them, Caballeros de Sinaloa, you'll find a mere six listings in English -- all of which are basically the same news story about USC's trip to Mazatlan. Lobo Grises de Durango produce just three unique results on the popular search engine. In comparison, freshman O.J. Mayo has about 151,000 listings in Google, and he has yet to play one second at the college level.

Another Trojan with some international questions was guard Daniel Hackett. A potential member of the Italian Olympic squad, he said he was still waiting to find out if he would join the team at the European Championships for two weeks in September.

Even Mayo was uncertain about the future, leaving room for the possibility that he may return next season. He's anticipated to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, be it this year or next.

Comments

[Hec]

Here are the rosters for the two Mexican teams:

http://www.caballerosonline.com/roster.html

http://www.lobosgrisesuad.com/Plantel.php

They start their pro season on Thursday.