Signs of Things to Come

It's been a busy recruiting week for USC ...

Men's Basketball - USC landed the 8th best recruiting class in the nation, according to Hoop Scoop ... DeMar DeRozan is the guy who USC hopes will make fans forget about losing O.J. Mayo to the NBA. The Compton High recruit is ranked as the top shooting guard and second best player in the nation by Rivals.com, while Scout.com considers him the nation's top small forward and fifth best player overall ... Donte Smith was rated the nation's top JC talent by the Jerry Mullens Report. He sat out this year at Mt. SAC so that he would have three years of eligibility at USC ... Percy "Romeo" Miller signed along with DeRozan and will probably evolve into one of the greatest media circuses in the history of college sports ... Guard Malik Story is still on the radar, but has not officially signed yet.
Baseball - USC signed 10 players this week, six ranked in the nation's top 200 by Baseball America and two who earned Aflac All-American honors ... Shortstop Tim Beckham is considered the top infielder in the nation by Perfect Game and the second best overall by Baseball America. Keep in mind that, unlike other sports, baseball signees could still choose to skip into the pros instead.
Women's Volleyball - The Women of Troy signed setter Kendall Bateman of nearby Mira Costa, currently the #1 team in the nation. Bateman was named to the 2006 Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-America first team and is a two-time member of the national youth team.
Men's Volleyball - Four prep stars from Orange County signed with USC. Three have previously played together on the same club team.
Women's Golf - Jennifer Song, currently playing for her high school in Seoul, South Korea (she has dual citizenship), has signed to play at Troy. At the 2007 U.S. Women's Open she tied for the low amateur in the tournament.
Women's Tennis - Alison Ramos, consistently one of the top 10 players in her age group in the nation, has signed with USC for next season.
Women's Water Polo - The Trojans added nine new players, which coach Jovan Vavic called "one of the deepest classes we’ve had."