Athlon's ranking of Pac-10 fantasy wide receivers is out. Although four Trojans are in the top 10 and five in the top 14, notice that nobody has really emerged as the go-to guy in this promising but still unproven group. [Athlon]
It's important to appreciate yourself once in a while.
Facebook, the most popular social networking website in the college world, has a feature that allows people to become "fans" of bands, teams, athletes or just about anything. As part of their "news feed," friends can be alerted whenever you pronounce your fanhood for somebody. Like O.J. Mayo.
Glad we cleared that up.
In case you were wondering, Pete Carroll is part of a Facebook group called "I Stand at USC Football Games" and is ranked as a waterboy in one of the trivia contests.
[Note: No guarantee that the O.J. Mayo from the screen shot above is the same one who just joined the Timberwolves Grizzlies--you never know on the Internet. Chris Hansen, is that you?]
L.A. Times reporter Ben Bolch spoke to O.J. Mayo today. Among the more interesting revelations:
Mayo wore glasses during the NBA draft because he was going for a new look. They were non-prescription. Asked if he would continue to wear them: "Maybe every once in a while."
Mayo didn't know that Davon Jefferson hadn't been drafted, but was confident everything would turn out fine. "I'm very disappointed.... I know he worked very hard to prepare. But it will be OK."
After quizzing some of the top men in the local sports scene, nobody seems to know the answer to this great trivia question:
When was the last time a UCLA/USC player was traded in any sport for another USC/UCLA player?
Obviously Mayo-Love is making headlines today, but there have been a lot of Trojans and Bruins in the NFL, NBA and MLB. The first person to answer will prove once and for all which school is better. Just kidding ... but it will be appreciated.
UPDATE: Steve Vanderpool of STATS has the answer --
In the NBA, it was a three-way, multi-player deal that had Rodrick Rhodes (USC) going from Vancouver to Orlando and Don MacLean (UCLA) going from Orlando to Houston on August 27, 1999.
The two previous trades were multi-player deals involving USC's Robert Pack:
Pack from New Jersey to Dallas for Ed O'Bannon on February 17, 1997.
Pack from Denver to Washington for Don MacLean on October 30, 1995.
If you've got any other stories about USC-UCLA trades, feel free to share them in the comments.
I hesitate to call this late-night deal a "blockbuster," as some have labeled it. After all, the two biggest names involved have played a total of 0 minutes in the NBA. They combine for a whopping two seasons of college ball. Still, the move looks pretty good for both teams and gives both sides something to build upon.
USC issued a news release regarding Mayo's becoming the school's highest draft pick in history. Surprising: USC, Kansas, Florida and Texas are the only schools with a top-16 pick in each of the last two drafts. Not surprising: No mention of Davon Jefferson.
Makhtar N'diaye, one of Jefferson's agents with Wasserman Media Group, said after the draft that six NBA teams had expressed interest in his client. N'diaye said Jefferson would play in the NBA summer league and "weigh his options," which could include attempting to obtain free-agent tryouts or playing overseas.
N'diaye would not second-guess Jefferson's decision to enter the draft.
"I'm more disappointed for the kid because I know he worked really hard the last two or three months to make it happen for himself," N'diaye said. "He made a decision that he thought was the right decision, and I support him 100%. It's not for me to judge him."
In case you missed it, O.J. Mayo's BFF (and former Michael Beasley teammate at Kansas State) Bill Walker was selected by Washington with the 17th pick in the second round.
Davon Jefferson couldn't wait for the NBA, but the feeling wasn't mutual.
The former USC freshman who last month signed with an agent, thereby giving up his final three seasons of college eligibility, was not selected in the NBA draft tonight.
"Just a lesson to be learned for a lot of young kids," said Rick Isaacs, Jefferson's Amateur Athletic Union coach.
Isaacs said Jefferson, USC's second-leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds, would have been better served by returning to college for one more season.
"Everybody asked why the kid left. I don't know," Isaacs said. "There's a lot of people who will use these kids and tell them what they want to hear, and they should not be allowed on college campuses. Because if one kid's life is ruined, it's one kid too many."
The 6-foot-8 forward reportedly hurt his stock at the Orlando, Fla., predraft camp, showing up overweight and lacking intensity.
"All he needed was one more year," Isaacs said. "One more year and everyone would have seen how good this kid was."
O.J. Mayo became USC's highest selection ever in the NBA draft, going third to Minnesota. ESPN's Hubert Davis (above) said they shoulda' gone with a big man, but Tim Legler (below) points out they needed a point guard too.
The Trojans didn't even make the postseason this year in baseball, but they did experience some movement in the record books.
This year's title was won by Fresno State, being called by many the biggest underdog to win an NCAA championship -- in any sport. The Bulldogs scored 62 runs over the course of the College World Series, tying USC's record from exactly a decade ago. Until yesterday, the Trojans were also tied for second most runs in a CWS with 54 in 1995.
Also, Fresno's Steve Detwiler slugged two homers last night. The last person to do that in a championship series was USC's Robb Gorr in 1998 when the Trojans downed Arizona State, 21-14.
The NBA draft is in about an hour away, and for you truly dedicated gamblers, you can throw some bills down on where players will go. Sportsbook.com has these lines as of this posting:
USC had a good showing in the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup, awarded for overall athletic success over the course of a school year. The Trojans finished 13th and had the second highest point totals in the fall and spring, falling off a bit in the winter. Stanford has won the overall title for a bazillion years in a row (give or take).
The Pac-10 lived up to its well deserved billing of "Conference of Champions" by capturing 13 NCAA titles during the 2007-08 academic year, second-highest total ever for a conference and just one title shy of the all-time record of 14 set by the Pac-10 during the 1996-97 academic year. The Pac-10 total of 13 NCAA titles far outstripped any other conference. The Big Ten was runnerup with five NCAA crowns, followed by the ACC and SEC with four each. It marks the eighth time in the last nine years that the Pac-10 has topped all conferences in NCAA championships won. In addition to the 13 championships, Pac-10 teams posted runnerup finishes 11 times.
Seven former Pacific 10 Conference players made the NBA Finals this month and seven more -- USC's O.J. Mayo, UCLA's Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook, Stanford's Brook and Robin Lopez, Arizona's Jerryd Bayless and Cal's Ryan Anderson -- are projected to be first-round picks tonight. . . .
Also projected to be a first-round pick is JaVale McGee, a 7-footer from Nevada and son of Pam McGee, who teamed with twin sister, Paula, and Cheryl Miller to lead USC to NCAA women's basketball titles in 1983 and 1984. . . .
Paula at the time was Darryl Strawberry's girlfriend. . . .
Former USC forward Brian Scalabrine of the Boston Celtics wasn't the only bench-riding athlete with Southland ties who donned a uniform for a championship-clinching celebration after a game in which he did not dress. . . .
Ageless defenseman Chris Chelios, who summers in Malibu, did the same with the Detroit Red Wings after sitting out the Stanley Cup finals. . . .
Paola Moreno, a senior on USC's NCAA champion women's golf team this spring, and incoming Trojans freshman Jennifer Song are among the amateurs competing this week in the U.S. Women's Open at Edina, Minn. . . .
Among the seven Pac-10 players in the NBA Finals were Trojans Brian Scalabrine and Gabe Pruitt.
If you've been following the early college football speculation, it's difficult to find an expert who doesn't rank USC in the top 5. Although most experts say that the Trojans are in contention for the BCS National Championship, so far most seem to think they'll fall short of the title.
“I think it will be difficult for USC to win it [BCS Championship] this coming year,” said Point-Spreads.com College Football Annalist and Handicapper Reno Gold. “Oddsmakers are always going to rate the Trojans a little higher than they should based on past results and for good reason; however, this team has too many question marks coming into the season to expect a championship. From looking at their attrition, they will be lucky to win their league.”
I don't buy the Pac-10 analysis, but I'd agree that oddsmakers love USC because of the last few years. I also have a hunch that the school's proximity to Sin City means more LA-area fans can drive in and put money down on the Trojans. It's harder to do that in Georgia, Louisiana and Ohio.
Back in 1977, $5 would get you a ticket to watch George Carlin perform at USC. It was his first HBO special, and obviously it wouldn't be his last.
As you probably know, Carlin passed away this week. In his honor, HBO2 is airing all of his specials. They start tonight at 8. (that may be 5 p.m., depending on your service provider) with the one filmed at USC. If you don't get HBO or can't watch it tonight, here's the opening of the show. It has nothing to do with sports (if you want that, check out this routine), but transcends pretty much everything. For the entire special, click here (be forewarned, the material in the last link is a little vulgar -- for 1977).
USC's Amy Rodriguez was named to the U.S. Olympic team today. She's the first Trojan to make the Olympics in women's soccer.
The 21-year-old is one of only three forwards to make this year's squad. She's the second youngest player on the roster (average age is 26) and one of only two with college eligibility remaining.
"She offers speed, and in international games you really need speed," said U.S. Coach Pia Sundhage. "The way she's been playing and actually running at people has been very good."
Trojan John Carden played soccer for Team USA in the 1956 games. Hugo Salcedo, who got his master's degree from USC, played footie in the 1972 games. And when it comes to a discussion about USC and world-class soccer, you can't leave out Andres Cantor.
Rodriguez will be back at USC as a senior this fall to help the Trojans defend their NCAA championship. Her national team bio is after the jump.
Hulu, for those not inspired to spend every waking moment on the Internet, is a pioneering website that brings television and movie content direct to your computer for free. Such heavy-hitters as Fox and NBC are behind it, meaning they have some of the best programming available. The commercials are bare-boned, so you can cut about 30% of your viewing time and still see the same amount of actual show. Truly revolutionary stuff.
So why's this on a college sports blog? Hulu just added full-length versions of the major 2008 bowl games, including the BCS National Championship, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, and Cotton. Conspicuously absent is the Rose Bowl, which tends to do its own thing. Those rights are owned by ABC.
Calls to a Rose Bowl representative were not immediately returned, but I'd still love to find out that the 2008 Granddaddy is available online in a similar fashion. One can only hope. In the meantime, we're about 10 weeks from football season, so enjoy the bowl highlights above (sans Rose). To see more college football on Hulu, click here. This is the stuff that both jocks and nerds can get excited about.
[UPDATE: This may have been available for awhile on Hulu, but I hadn't seen it until a recent EDSBS post. A Rose Bowl rep is checking to see if this sort of thing may become available for fans of the Granddaddy.]
In addition to their "Face of the Program" series, ESPN also has a "Face of the Decade." USC was honored for the 2000s, though based on the way the other decades were done I'm surprised Pete Carroll wasn't chosen. At the same time, it seems as if they wanted to name Matt Leinart. [ESPN]
Father's Day has come and gone and I know you're already busy planning for next year. Here's something to file away. Assuming it happens around the same time in 2009, Dad might love a trip to the USC Flashback Fantasy Camp.
In the video above, you get a taste of what it's like for participants to train under USC offensive line coach Pat Ruel (video by Mark Haas for USCRipsIt.com). Fantasy campers get quite an experience, as chronicled by WeAreSC's LQ Singian. [Note: If you're still wondering why Pete Carroll connects so well with college players and recruits, in one of LQ's videos Carroll paraphrases from "Dumb and Dumber": "So you're saying there's a chance ..."]
Still not sure? Dad will also appreciate the great photo ops.
After soliciting lots of suggestions, ESPN.com has decided that the "face" of USC football is the "Tailback U" moniker. Among the other top nominations:
Pete Carroll
Ronnie Lott
John McKay
Song Girls
They're also holding a fan vote; Tailback U holds a 35% to 28% lead over Pete Carroll. To participate, click here.
Former USC standout and current Celtic Brian Scalabrine didn't play in the NBA Finals but apparently his coach sent him (and fellow Trojan Gabe Pruitt) to the locker room in the fourth quarter to change from a business suit into a uniform so that they could properly celebrate Boston's title victory last night over the Lakers.
Scalabrine crashed the Celtics-Lakers post-game news conference, and when no one had any questions, took matters into his own hands, challenging reporters who picked the Lakers to win.
Watch the video. It's hilarious. Or painful. Or hilariously painful. I'm not sure yet.
How busy has this offseason been? Ask Andy Katz. His first 2008-09 rankings had USC at No. 10 and UCLA at No. 17. Now the Bruins are No. 3 and the Trojans don't crack the top 25. [ESPN]
Luke Winn agrees, naming USC the second biggest loser of the offseason. He adds that Davon Jefferson "made perhaps the most bone-headed move of any collegian." [SI]
CNBC's The Big Idea did a show this week about winning. Appropriately, they invited USC football coach Pete Carroll to share some of his experience. Former Trojan great Lynn Swann was also on.
Enjoy the video above (if you do not see a video, please email adam@laist.com).
Just over a year ago, Gabe Pruitt announced that he would leave USC early. He ended up going to the Boston Celtics with the second pick of the second round in the NBA draft.
Pruitt hasn't received any playing time in the NBA Finals against the Lakers (nor has fellow Trojan-Celtic Brian Scalabrine), but his name did come up yesterday.
UCLA basketball Coach Ben Howland was addressing the early departure of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute when reporters brought up Pruitt. Howland replied, "Would it have been better for Gabe Pruitt to come back one more year, in retrospect? Probably, 'cause he would have been a definite first-rounder had he come back. As always, hindsight is 20-20."
Clearly a cautionary tale that Davon Jefferson paid no attention to.
This video of Tiger Woods popped up on USCRipsIt today. According to Ben Malcolmson's blog, Pete Carroll has shown the clip at football team meetings. It's striking how Carroll and Woods speak about competition in the same terms.
I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to this blog's No. 1 fan. My dad is, to say the least, far outside of the demographic that you'd expect to read blogs -- much less one about college sports. Yet I don't think he's missed a single word I've written. He was never much for playing sports, either, but when I was little he would go outside with me and toss a ball around even though I suspect it was the last thing on earth he wanted to do.
A couple of weeks ago I was at the unveiling of a mural dedicated to John Wooden. The artist was also a teacher, and spoke about working with troubled kids. He said that if you ask the people on the front lines, the biggest risk factor for children isn't gangs or drugs, it's the lack of an involved father figure.
Dad, thank you for being so involved.
The day of the unveiling, Coach Wooden read a poem that was very meaningful to him. I thought it was perfect for today. Enjoy.
The NBA's "Where Amazing Happens" commercials have spawned countless imitators on YouTube and for just about any team you could imagine. Here's one of the better ones out there for USC.
Making up for the last week, I'm getting a couple of videos up today. Above, John David Booty is interviewed at his photo shoot for Topps (as in the trading card company). Recognize where they were standing?
You don't have to watch the full seven-plus minutes to appreciate the media/PR circus that is professional sports. If you just want to see him talk about playing football next year, skip to the four-minute mark.
With Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen joining a couple of other key college football figures in retirement, could the BCS change? Not likely. [NYT Quad Blog]
At USC, Lawrence Jackson was feared on the field. The first-round draft pick hopes to keep that up with his new team, the Seattle Seahawks. Off the field, he was known as a thoughtful and intelligent guy (translation: popular with reporters!). Odds are that won't change, either.
On Friday, he was honored by his other alma mater -- Inglewood High School. The school retired his number and held Lawrence Jackson Day. You can check out the write-ups on SC Playbook and WeAreSC. The news release (with more photos) is after the jump.
Just in case there were any questions, an NCAA rep confirmed today that a player transferring to a new school will immediately count against a team's scholarship limit when the player starts receiving any sort of athletic-based financial aid.
In other words, USC's basketball team has reached the maximum number of scholarships. A potential transfer like Alex Stepheson, even though he would be required to sit out a year, would put the Trojans over the limit -- unless there's a transfer or somebody like Romeo decides he doesn't need to take a scholarship.
It appears I've violated one of blogging's cardinal rules.
10 posts in a row of pure text? The horror!
This video has some perspective from Pete Carroll and Chris Carlisle on competing, winning forever ... you know the drill.
OK, OK, it's a thinly veiled Nike commercial, but it will have to do in this multimediamergency. And it's pretty cool, even if there are no batteries or French Toast involved.
(Full disclosure -- the Swoosh has been my bread and butter for the last couple of years so I normally avoid posts related to the company.)
Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen will retire next summer.
Hansen's 26-year reign has seen the Pac-10 firmly establish itself as the top all-sports conference in America, with UCLA, Stanford and USC dominating the NCAA's list of schools with the most championships.
Of the 32 titles awarded so far this year, the Pac-10 has claimed a whopping 13. That's second on the historical list behind ... the Pac-10 in 1996-97 (14 championships). It's the fifth time the Pac-10 has hit double digits, a mark no other conference has reached.
Oh, track and field (both men's and women's) and baseball still haven't wrapped up this season.
Some people will remember Hansen's last few years as a time when the Pac-10 stood in the way of a football playoff. Others will look at this as an opportunity to catch up with other leagues in terms of TV contracts and bowl tie-ins.
For the way Hansen wants to be remembered, check out the news release after the jump.
With Nikola Vucevic and Leonard Washington coming to USC, that means the Trojans have reached the NCAA basketball scholarship limit for next season. Any additional signings would require a transfer or a player renouncing his scholarship.
Here's a class-by-class breakdown of the 13 scholarships and current walk-ons for 2008-09.
Leonard Washington, a former USC signee who opened up his recruiting last year after he failed to qualify academically, has decided to play for the Trojans next season, said Roy White, Washington's AAU coach.
Washington told The Times last weekend that he was deciding among USC, Indiana and Kentucky. The 6-foot-6 forward spent last season at Compton Marshall High after previously attending high school in Lake Charles, La.
Nikola Vucevic, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward from Simi Valley Stoneridge Prep, confirmed today that he has signed a letter of intent to play for USC next season.
Vucevic, who averaged about 12 points and seven rebounds during his senior season, said he also had scholarship offers from Nevada and Hawaii. The native of Montenegro, who arrived in the United States last October, said USC coaches had been watching him "all year" before he signed late last month.
Barring a transfer or a player renouncing his scholarship, the Trojans have reached their full complement of 13 scholarship players for next season, meaning they are out of the hunt for North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson and Kentucky transfer Derrick Jasper, both California natives.
Vucevic's father, Borislav, played professionally for 24 years and was a member of the Yugoslavian national team. Vucevic said he would return to Montenegro this summer before starting school at USC during the fall semester.
"I'm really excited," he said. "I can't wait to begin."
Asked what aspects of his game needed the most improvement, Vucevic said he needed to become more athletic and add muscle. He had played on a club team in Montenegro before coming to the United States for his senior year of high school.
Vucevic speaks fluent English only nine months after emigrating from his homeland.
"I knew a little bit of English from the movies and school [in Montenegro], but I learned a lot here," he said.
Nikola Vucevic, a 6-foot-10 senior power forward from Simi Valley Stoneridge Prep, will play for USC next season, according to Stoneridge associate head coach Rob Brooks.
Brooks described Vucevic, who hails from Serbia and Montenegro, as a skilled shooter, passer and rebounder.
"He really was a big-time player for us," Brooks said, "and will be a great fit with all the phenomenal athletes they have" at USC.
Basketball isn't the only sport struggling to hang onto talent. High school phenon Tim Beckham had signed to play baseball at USC, but was the No. 1 overall pick in yesterday's MLB draft. Don't expect to see him play an inning of college ball. [ESPN]
USC sophomore guard Ryan Wetherell is recovering at home in Calgary, Canada, after undergoing surgery last month for a life-threatening condition in his neck.
The 5-foot-11 walk-on was struggling to breathe after an abscess in his neck placed pressure on an artery in his throat and caused his chest to swell. He was given antibiotics and underwent surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles to have the abscess removed.
"The doctor said I would have died if they didn't find out about it in time," said Wetherell, who spent a week in the hospital before being released.
Prized USC recruit DeMar DeRozan's SAT score from last month "improved about 80 or 90 points" from his previous score, Compton High Coach Tony Thomas said Wednesday, meaning the McDonald's All-American should be eligible to play for the Trojans next season.
"He's pretty sure he's got enough based upon whatever grades he gets," Thomas said. "He thinks he'll be more than fine."
DeMar's father, Frank DeRozan, said his son had achieved four A's and a B in correspondence courses through Brigham Young University. Such courses are often used to boost high school grade-point averages.
Some of the methodology is debatable. NYU has five dropout billionaires who could be included. Phil Knight -- Mr. Oregon himself -- counts for Stanford too. It's also unclear how many billionaires started out with a large inheritance and how many started from scratch.
Regardless, if any of these people need to hire a consultant on how to write a blog, my e-mail address is in the column to the right.
ESPN's Kelly Naqi, who broke the O.J. Mayo scandal last month, had a follow-up story last night. Looks as if they're bringing in the big guns:
Special agents for the FBI and IRS and members of U.S. Attorney's office have launched a joint investigation into "possible income tax evasion and fraud arising from the misuse of charitable organization funds," according to an attorney retained by Louis Johnson, a member of former USC guard O.J. Mayo's inner circle until three months ago.
Anthony Salerno, Johnson's Los Angeles-based attorney, said the scope of the various agencies' investigation is still unclear.
All I can say is "good!" If the allegations against Rodney Guillory are true, he deserves what's coming. If the allegations are false, a spotlight this bright should clear things up pretty quickly.
Last week, I answered a question on the UCLA blog about the height of J'Mison Morgan and pointed out that some players seem to "shrink" between their college and pro bios. This week numbers are coming out from the NBA pre-draft camp, and here's how the USC participants measure up.
The O.J. Mayo measurements are no surprise, but I'm a little confused by the Davon Jefferson line -- can somebody really be the same height in shoes as without them?
School information can be found here, and NBA information can be found here. That second link has a sortable table with a lot of interesting information (if you're a stat geek like me).
In case you were wondering about the aforementioned issues surrounding Leonard Washington, here's a little nugget from a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader in November (the University of Kentucky also has been a possible destination for Washington):
One reader recoiled at the thought of UK adding Leonard W
