NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Michael Cooper Settling in at USC

Michelle Smith — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Women's Basketball

Michael Cooper was introducing his new staff at USC on Tuesday, the coaches who have been holding down the fort for the past five months as he finished out his term as the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. Except that he forgot one of their names. Oops.

That's what happens when you are the new guy. Who, in this awkward moment, just happens to be the head guy.

Cooper was hired by USC on May 1 to take over a women's basketball program that has shown promise, the ability to recruit top players, but not results. The Women of Troy are far from their salad days in the mid-1980's when they won NCAA titles with players like Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper.

In the previous five seasons, Mark Trakh got them to the NCAA Tournament twice in 2005 and 2006. Prior to that, the program hadn't made it to the NCAA brackets since 1997. Trakh led the team to its first Pac-10 tournament title game last year before he was let go after athletic director Mike Garrett made it clear that he wanted the team to reach the NCAAs.

USC has incurred more than its share of devastating injuries. Four ACL injuries to Jacki Gemelos, two for Stephanie Gilbreath, who were two of the top rated recruits in the nation when they were signed. Neither has played a game for USC. And there have been others, including last year's senior center Nadia Parker being hit by a car on campus while she was riding her bike. It seems at times the Women of Troy have been snakebitten.

"Our biggest hindrance is our injuries," Cooper said. "Slowly, but surely, we are making our way back through that."

Cooper, who led the Sparks to WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002, called the USC job "an offer he couldn't refuse." The pay grade is certainly better for a major college coaching job than it is in the WNBA.

"It's the old mafia rule," Cooper said. "That's a joke, now."

Cooper was an interesting choice for USC, not only because he has no experience in the college women's ranks, but because the arrangement meant the head coach wouldn't be in the office until two weeks before the first practice to open the season. Associate head coach Ervin Monier and assistants Mary Wooley and Kelley Gibson have handled the recruiting, conditioning and preparation of the players. Cooper has been an absentee leader until the Sparks were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs two weeks ago. He wasn't involved in scouting, recruiting, didn't watch any film on his own players or Pac-10 opponents until he arrived.

"I bet we play better than the Clippers ... Oh yeah, you can write that down."
- Michael Cooper Two of the four players who committed to USC last fall -- including highly-rated Monique Oliver of Long Beach -- de-committed after the coaching change. Oliver ended up at Rutgers.

Now that Cooper is on campus, he's playing catch-up. And that means getting up early. He said he's getting to workouts at 5:15 AM with his players in order to spend time with them and get personally acquainted.

"That's when they are here, so in order for me to get to know them better, I have to be here too," Cooper said. "I think that's shocked them."

Cooper said he can envision himself at USC for the long haul.

"I see myself being here quite a while," Cooper said. "I want to get back to the tradition of 1983 and 1984. It's not going to happen overnight. I know the process is going to be tedious, it's going to be a journey. But I think the coaches and the players are ready for a journey."

Cooper then challenged the media who showed up for the press conference.

"Let me ask you a question. How many of you are going to come out and cover more than one game?" Cooper asked. "Maybe 5 games?"

The response was non-committal.

"I bet we play better than the Clippers and you go to a few of those games," Cooper said. "Oh yeah, you can write that down."

Michael Cooper Settling in at USC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Once-Great Gemelos Clawing to Play

Michelle Smith — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:08:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Women's Basketball

The best player you've never seen is rehabbing today, and again tomorrow. Just like she did yesterday and the day before that, and last year, and the year before that.

Jacki Gemelos has been at USC since 2006, recruited as one of the top women's basketball prospects in the nation, a surefire star out of St. Mary's High in Stockton (CA).

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma knew he wanted Gemelos on his team when she was just 15 years old. She said yes to that offer and then changed her mind, committed to USC and prepared to start a career that seemed destined to end in a WNBA jersey and possibly a couple of Olympic medals.

But Gemelos has yet to play in a single college basketball game.

Instead, she has endured pain, shock, heartbreak, the doubts and worries of everyone who cares about her and five surgeries on knees that seem to be standing in the way of everything she wants.

"Almost every childhood memory I have is with my dad and basketball," Gemelos said. "It's been a part of me for so long, something wouldn't be right without it. All these dreams, all the hard work my dad did with me, all the hard work I put in, I'd be selling myself short if I didn't continue to try to pursue this."

Gemelos has had four ACL injuries since her senior year of high school in 2006, an extraordinary run of bad luck and disappointment that would send most players into life without basketball.

But Gemelos can't bring herself to go into that life.

"After my second (injury) everyone told me I'm crazy to continue to do this," Gemelos said. "It's going to be nice to prove all these people wrong."

If she does -- she is slated to return to the court for the Women of Troy in December or January -- it will be an extraordinary comeback story, the rebirth of a player once compared to Diana Taurasi.

And if either of her knees gives way again, it's over.

"She's her own person and we are supporting her," said her father, Steven Gemelos. "In the back of our minds, we are very fearful of it happening again. Everybody has agreed that if it does, we will throw in the towel as a family."

Steven Gemelos knows why his daughter wants to continue, why she's been willing to endure three straight years of rehabilitation and devastation only to end up with the clock starting over again. She has unfinished business on the basketball court.

"She was a special player and it drives her crazy not to be able to express that at the college level," Steven Gemelos said. "I never saw her outplayed in high school, not once and she went against a lot of the top players. Deep inside she knows that."

Gemelos, named the National Prep Player of the Year in 2006, first injured her right leg late in her final prep season at St. Mary's after averaging 39.2 points, 8.9 assists and 6.5 rebounds a game.

She lost her freshman season at USC, and was preparing for the next season in 2007 when she was injured during a pick-up game, tearing the same knee.

The third injury, this time on her left knee, came near the start of practice for the 2008-09 season. And then perhaps the cruelest twist of all -- after six months of rehabilitation -- she said she felt like "something wasn't right" in her knee.

The MRI revealed a surprise. It showed no ACL in the knee. The subsequent arthroscopic procedure revealed that her body had rejected the cadaver ligament and it had dissolved. The ligament was gone. So she needed yet another surgery to replace the ligament.

"That was absolutely the lowest point in my life," Gemelos said.

Still, she is back in the training room working toward her winter return to the court with a determination that is almost inexplicable.

"I could probably tear it 10 times and still want to play," Gemelos said.

Gemelos could still have as many as four college seasons left, though there's no way to know yet whether she would stay that long. She is set to graduate in the spring and will work on her master's degree while she plays.

"I know what I want, I've known what I want since I was seven years old and nothing has really changed in my eyes," Gemelos said. "I want to play in the WNBA and overseas in Greece and for the USA team."

USC had a coaching change in the spring, hiring Michael Cooper to replace Mark Trakh, the coach who recruited her and then never got to see her play.

Gemelos said she thinks Cooper and his staff will give her a fair chance to see what kind of player she can be. She talks often with assistant coach Kelley Gibson, who tore her ACL three times during her career at Maryland and played in the WNBA after college.

Gibson knows Gemelos' pain, both physically and emotionally.

"She's gone through a lot, and it's a lot of wear on you mentally," Gibson said. "But every day I see her in the gym, she's smiling. She comes out on to the floor as if nothing is wrong with her. She has that same fire and competitiveness.

"We've had to tell her to calm down somedays. She'd do stuff, cut, dribble between her legs, go behind the back, and go for a layup. In her mind, she still feels like she can do these things. Basically, we tell her, 'Jacki, we'll see.' "

Gibson said the approach of the USC coaches is going to be cautious.

"We are not going to demand that Jacki be the Jacki of years ago," Gibson said. "We just want her to be the best she can be and we don't know the best she can be until it happens. Right now, we have to pull her back."

Gemelos said she knows returning to the game will be a "huge, huge challenge."

"But I don't think I've lost my touch for the game," Gemelos said. "The only thing that's lacking is that I haven't played in almost four years."

Her father said she is going to have to be a "different kind of player."

"She can't play with the reckless abandon like she used to, she's going to have to play smarter," Gemelos said. "Hopefully, she'll get out there for a few games and hit a few threes. Then she can say she did it, say she came back and helped her team win. Maybe that will be a good healer for her and maybe then she can give it up.

"I know her and since this has all happened, she's probably had 400 good cries over all this. Deep in her heart, she just wants to do it for herself."

Gemelos said she knows that the people in her life who wish she would end her quest are just concerned for her.

"And there are other people who really think I'm crazy and I have to let that go in one ear and out the other," Gemelos said. "I have a feeling this is the year for me. This was the last straw. It won't happen anymore. It just can't."

Once-Great Gemelos Clawing to Play originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Floyd Says Southern Cal Ignored Sidney's Recruiting Red Flags

Chas Rich — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:53:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, USC, Pac-10, SEC, Coaches, Recruiting

Former USC Coach Tim Floyd will not do interviews with the national media or the Los Angeles press, but he likes to talk to his hometown paper in Mississippi quite a bit. It was the Clarion-Ledger that broke the news of his resignation before USC even knew.

With the former Southern Cal verbal now a Mississippi State commit, Renardo Sidney, there's more than a little bit of interest in what he has to say on what happened to Sidney and his USC commitment. Especially with the NCAA still trying to get more information from the Sidney family regarding their finances, before clearing him to play. Floyd offered some thoughts on Sidney and USC.
To summarize, Floyd says Sidney is a good kid and he knows nothing about any problems, that USC broke off the commitment from Sidney in response to a coming LA Times story not from anything they learned about Sidney, and that USC never did any actual investigations into Renardo Sidney despite the fact that crosstown rival UCLA had stopped recruiting him weeks prior to his verbal to USC.

"Our school was reacting to an article that was going to be written in the L.A. Times," Floyd said. "Given the fact that the institution was involved in an institutional control investigation, they viewed it as preventive management. They could not put their finger on anything."

And neither could Floyd, he swears.

"I was probably as close to the situation as anybody in the country," Floyd said, "and if I thought the kid was receiving money from somebody or had asked for money, I would have not been a participant. But that wasn't the case."

Floyd, of course, was accused of giving money on demand to a member of O.J. Mayo's entourage.

The big part of this story is not that Southern Cal panicked in response to a forthcoming story about Sidney's family and the questions surrounding their finances and the closeness of a shoe rep from Reebok to the family, and Sonny Vaccaro paying for their move from Mississippi to Los Angeles. It's that USC according to Floyd, never actually concerned itself to look into these things when they were recruiting him and received a verbal commitment from him.

USC has ongoing investigations into the O.J. Mayo matter on the basketball side and Reggie Bush on the football side. In both cases, the big issue for USC was how much did they know or want to know about the money flowing to the player and his family. Whether the school was purposefully and willfully ignoring any signs of something strange. Creating a situation with the potentially dreaded "lack of institutional control" over athletic programs and the student-athletes.

USC has maintained a defense of cluelessness. That they were just unaware of what was happening, and that if the NCAA and Pac-10 cleared the players it isn't fair to punish USC.

Floyd seems to suggest that USC was willful in not looking into any potential hazards with a recruit so they can maintain deniability if it does become a problem. Floyd, himself, hardly looks particularly good since he continues to show he happily went along with this and was just as eager to know nothing about the potential barriers to getting the talent on the court.

Tim Floyd Says Southern Cal Ignored Sidney's Recruiting Red Flags originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin O'Neill New USC Basketball Coach

Matt Snyder — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Coaches

According to a report on ESPN, Kevin O'Neill has been hired as the new head basketball coach at the University of Southern California. USC had been without a head coach since Tim Floyd resigned under fire a few weeks ago. Allegedly, Floyd paid someone $1,000 to convince highly-touted recruit O.J. Mayo to attend USC.

In the wake of Floyd's departure, there is a bit of a mess to be cleaned up for Trojan basketball, and that's the task at hand for new coach O'Neill. Much of the roster who inexplicably made a Sweet 16 run last season is gone, as are three solid recruits Floyd had previously signed. O'Neill will try to pick up the pieces with Dwight Lewis and Leonard Washington as the leaders of his team -- assuming he can convince them to stay aboard.

O'Neill has a good amount of experience in coaching, it's just that he hasn't always been incredibly successful. He went 86-62 in four seasons at Marquette, 36-47 in three seasons at Tennessee and 30-56 in three seasons at Northwestern. The black mark on O'Neill's record for those stops is that the schools have put together much better teams after he left. He also filled in for Lute Olsen at Arizona for 2008 -- going 19-15 with a losing conference record. That just doesn't cut it in Tucson.

This might sound like a bad hiring, but the reality of the situation was USC probably didn't have many better options. The team is currently in shambles and the university could be facing sanctions from the NCAA. This isn't an Indiana-level program -- who hired Tom Crean when staring down a much worse situation -- and it's predominantly known as a football school. Plus, they have to compete in-city with one of the elite programs in the nation: UCLA.

O'Neill could have been the best the Trojans could salvage. Time will tell if this marriage will be a successful one, but it appears USC feels comfortable giving the keys to their program to a guy who has tons of experience in coaching basketball, regardless of his past record.

Kevin O'Neill New USC Basketball Coach originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Could Be Worse, USC, Ask a Hoosier

Matt Snyder — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, USC, Big Ten, Pac-10

In case you haven't been paying attention to the goings on of college basketball in the last few weeks, USC's 2009-10 basketball season has been already been summarily decimated. Tim Floyd resigned in the face of allegations against the program. In the wake, three incoming recruits have been granted their release from letters of intent to play for the Trojans. Plus, three players from last year's Sweet 16 squad have entered the NBA Draft early and now cannot change their minds. Factor in two graduations, and the team is left with only two players who logged regular, meaningful minutes in 2009, with no recruits of consequence.

It could be worse, though. Turn back the clock to last year at this time and direct your attention to the mess left behind by Kelvin Sampson at Indiana.

USC has already lost three recruits, two seniors, and DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett to the early entrant list of the NBA draft. Fortunately, though, they haven't had anyone transfer yet.

At Indiana, there were early entries into the draft, seniors, transfers and dismissals -- there was even a plant-throwing incident. When the dust settled, only Kyle Taber's 1.3 points per game returned in 2008-09 from a solid 2007-08 team.

Now, much for the Trojans hinges on what kind of coach they hire. It's awfully late in the game to be looking for a coach who could salvage any kind of a recruiting class for this coming season, so they'd better hire someone who can convince people like Dwight Lewis and Leonard Washington to stick around. Then, the task will be to build a recruiting class for the 2010-2011 campaign. Still, it's pretty doubtful things will get as bad for USC as they did at Indiana.

Though they aren't likely to land a coach as established as Tom Crean -- just check out Gary Washburn's top five candidates for the job (they aren't getting Jamie Dixon, by the way) -- USC still isn't looking at a 6-24 record with a 1-17 mark in conference like Indiana just endured, unless Lewis and Washington transfer and former North Carolina big man Alex Stepheson amounts to nothing.

If they do and the team is just as brutal as the Hoosiers were this past season, here are five ways to get through the season for Trojan basketball fans:

1. Get used to hearing things about "how hard" your team plays from the media. Soak it up and enjoy it, because it's much nicer than just saying they suck -- which is ultimately the truth.

2. Start talking about the future all the time. Something like, "Well, this is a good sign for next season, because tonight we saw [something complimentary, no matter how much of a stretch]and [another compliment, still heedless of the stretch]." When losing every game, even to schools like Lipscomb and Northeastern, there really isn't much else to discuss. Thus, clinging to things like a lower-than-usual turnover total, a freshman having his best game of the season, or a staunch defensive effort replaces any discussion about the outcome of the actual game.

3. Cling to next season's recruiting class. Indiana has a top-10 recruiting class for 2009-10 according to many outlets. That doesn't always translate to on-court success, but discussing it ad nauseum sure does anger Purdue fans. Give UCLA fans the same treatment.

4. Shower the new head coach with so much support it seems undue to those who cheer for other teams (again, Purdue fans hate hearing it). Inheriting a situation this bad isn't easy on the coach, so he needs to feel welcome and become invested in the job quickly. Sure, the money is nice, but it makes any human being want to succeed even more in an uphill battle when he feels like he has the full support of the students and alumni. Crean has immeasurable support from nearly everyone at Indiana, and he's maintained a child-like zeal for the job. It's not a coincidence.

5. Support the Pac-10 as a whole. I became the biggest apologist for every Big Ten team this past season -- to the point I actually pulled for the conference as a whole in the NCAA tournament. It gives you something positive to watch in the present.

Still, assuming there are no transfers, USC isn't falling into the meteorite-sized crater Indiana basketball fell into before last season. When watching Lil' Romeo bring the ball up court next season, please keep us in mind and be happy things didn't become completely unhinged.

Plus, the Trojan fans can take solace in one thing that us Hoosiers couldn't.

There's always football season.

It Could Be Worse, USC, Ask a Hoosier originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With 'Bama in the Books, Florida State, USC, Memphis Back in NCAA Spotlight

Jim Henry — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Memphis, USC

Like or loathe the NCAA, this much is certain about this unique, voluntary association that houses the largest collegiate athletic organization in the world:

It's good to be the King -- and royalty certainly works at its own pace and plays by its own rules.

Following Thursday's announcement that 16 teams at the University of Alabama have been penalized for their involvement in improperly obtaining free textbooks for other students, three high-profile NCAA investigations are currently on the books for fans to score at their leisure.

Officials from the University of Memphis met with the NCAA Committee on Infractions in Indianapolis last Saturday to answer allegations of major violations within the men's basketball program under then-coach John Calipari during the 2007-08 season.

The meeting, which was closed to the public and media, reportedly lasted about four hours. A decision on a ruling is expected in 6-to-8 weeks.

At Florida State, the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee has notified FSU that it had granted the school's request for a 14-day extension to submit a rebuttal to the NCAA Committee on Infractions. FSU has confirmed that the new deadline is July 1 to appeal sanctions imposed in the wake of an academic misconduct case.

This is just another step of a process that will likely go into the fall, according to FSU officials. The scandal first surfaced and was investigated by the school in March 2007, and the fallout could cost head football coach Bobby Bowden 14 victories.

Word is the NCAA has not moved from its position that FSU must vacate victories in multiple sports, including football and track, which would also lose a national championship. Such a penalty would leave Bowden, who turns 80 in November, unable to keep pace with Penn State's Joe Paterno.

Bowden has 382 wins, one fewer than the 82-year-old Paterno. Bowden has said it would be unfortunate if the NCAA ends that battle, but he wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Hopefully, coach is fluffing his pillow after the NCAA ruled that Alabama has been ordered to vacate an unspecified number of victories between the 2005 and 2007 seasons.

It's a safe bet nobody at Alabama will be tossing and turning at night over vacated victories, especially since the football team won't lose any future scholarships and postseason opportunities. That decision ensures the Crimson Tide will remain on equal footing with its fellow Southeastern Conference powers.

In other words, it won't hurt the program's ability to continue to compete -- isn't that what NCAA penalties are supposed to do? -- and make money -- and isn't that what Big Business is supposed to do?

While many believe Bowden's future at FSU could depend on the school's appeal, the only season actually in question is 2010. FSU has a contract in place with offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher to take over by 2011 or it will pay a $5 million penalty -- and FSU President T.K. Wetherell has said that's not going to happen.

Of course, the NCAA's hush-hush handling of FSU's appeal has drawn the attention of elected officials in Florida.

The NCAA secretly responded to the Seminoles' appeal and that's a no-no under Florida's open government laws. Wetherell said he asked the NCAA to release its response to FSU, but the NCAA denied the request. The NCAA also had the university's outside counsel sign a confidentiality agreement, and The Tallahassee Democrat reported Thursday that civil and criminal actions were threatened if the agreement was violated.

Alexis Lambert, the sunshine and public records lawyer for Attorney General Bill McCollum, said Thursday that Florida statues are clear that a third party -- NCAA can take a bow -- that generates a document cannot designate it to be private.

Across the country, at the University of Southern California, weeks have also turned to months and months to years. On April 24, 2006, the NCAA became a participant in the school's investigation into allegations that star football player Reggie Bush broke rules by accepting cash, a car and free housing from to San Diego businessmen who hoped to profit from him after he turned professional.

The men's basketball team is now under NCAA scrutiny following recent accusations against ex-Trojans coach Tim Floyd, who resigned Tuesday, and his former marquee player, O.J. Mayo, who is accused of accepting cash and other benefits from a middleman representing a sports agency before and during the one season he played for the Trojans in 2007-08.

NCAA investigations into the football and basketball allegations have been combined into one probe of the Trojans' athletic program. The NCAA reportedly wants to determine whether USC lost "institutional control" over its athletics program and is examining whether USC administrators knew of any transgressions, or should have known by being vigilant.

In recent interviews with Los Angeles newspaper and radio outlets, USC coach Pete Carroll indicated the university has cooperated fully with the NCAA.

A Los Angeles Times story published Sunday examined USC's policies concerning an NCAA investigation into allegations against the Trojans' football and men's basketball programs. The story said USC had not directly interviewed at least two of its main accusers, and pointed out that school personnel were under instructions not to talk publicly about issues connected to the investigation.

"This is really an old investigation that has taken to this point ... really we haven't heard anything, I haven't heard a question about it in a couple of years now," Carroll said last week on Los Angeles sports talk radio "The Petros and Money Show" in regard to the Bush allegations.

"We contributed in every possible way with the investigation, we gave them all the information, we gave them all of our records, we did everything we could possibly do to contribute to the process of putting all the information together within the university and with the NCAA. ... There's nothing new about it, nothing changing, nothing happening, I think they've done all of their homework on the football program."

The NCAA, a voluntary association of about 1,200 institutions, as well as conferences and individuals that organize the athletic programs of many college and universities around the country, takes its homework seriously. And least that's the image it portrays, though many will argue the organization is all bark and no bite when it comes to dealing with established schools.

What's a little public embarrassment compared to fat deposit slips?

Still, it was 1952 when membership created the mechanism that allows the NCAA to enforce its legislation. That legislation, at least on the surface, is self-explanatory. And it also goes without saying that card-carrying schools that don't abide by NCAA legislation can find themselves in hot water.

Allegations of rules violations are referred to the NCAA's investigative staff. A preliminary investigation is initiated to determine if an official inquiry is warranted and to categorize any resultant violations as secondary or major. If several violations are found, the NCAA may determine that the school as a whole has exhibited a "lack of institutional control." The institution involved is notified and may appear in its own behalf before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

Findings of the Committee on Infractions are reported to the institution. Sanctions will generally include having the institution placed on "probation" for a period of time, in addition to other penalties that could be as extreme as the "death penalty." The NCAA can ban institutions from participating in certain sports. It's the most severe punishment in athletics that a school can receive, and has been implemented only five times.

Of course, the institution may appeal the findings or sanctions to an appeals committee.

Let's also keep in mind the NCAA does have a sense of humor. When an NCAA investigator involved in the USC case walked into his office one morning, he discovered that a co-worker had hung a USC banner on the wall. And let's not forget about the NCAA's heart either. After it initially ruled that Oklahoma had to vacate its nine football victories during the 2005 season because of violations involving players working at a local car dealership, the Sooners successfully appealed that verdict.

NCAA bylaws forbid schools from publicly disclosing information from the association's investigations until the probes are complete. But colleges are not barred from going public with their own findings, including material that might exonerate the school, NCAA officials say.

"We don't put a gag order on a school," NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn told the Los Angeles Times. "And they can do their own complete investigation. ... It's an incredibly common practice for schools to self-impose penalties."

Carroll stressed the university has been diligent in its investigation into the allegations against the football and basketball programs.

"The whole issue whenever somebody comes after the university with allegations is of great concern and we take it extremely seriously," he said during his radio interview.

"However, in terms of the football program there hasn't been a topic raised in years. That doesn't mean the investigation is closed, we just don't hear anything about it. What's came up in basketball, somebody made an allegation against the program and so those have to be dealt with. You can count on the university to be contributing in every way and cooperating in every way in that they can possibly do with the NCAA and understand what's going on. We are not instructed go ahead and talk outwardly and throw our opinions around about what's going on because it's an on-going investigation and we have to respect that."

In their meeting with the NCAA, Memphis officials, meanwhile, answered charges that Derrick Rose, who played only the 2007-08 season at Memphis before becoming the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, cheated on his SAT while attending Chicago's Simeon Career Academy. Former Memphis coach John Calipari, now at Kentucky, participated in the hearing by phone from China, where he is on a previously scheduled trip.

Memphis officials last week released the findings of an internal investigation, which turned up no proof that Rose had a stand-in take his SAT. The Tigers also are accused of providing improper travel-related benefits to Rose's older brother, Reggie.

"Although we cannot comment on the specifics of what occurred during the hearing, I can say that, as president, I reiterated the university's commitment to NCAA rules compliance," Memphis president Dr. Shirley Raines said.

"As a member institution with several of our staff participating in NCAA leadership positions, I expect the university to live up to its commitment. We believe we were able to fully answer the committee's questions and present the actions that we have already taken based upon our internal investigations. Throughout this process, we have had a cooperative relationship with the NCAA enforcement staff, and we want to thank the NCAA for that.

"We are hopeful that we will receive a favorable decision on behalf of the university in this matter. We appreciate your interest and we look forward to having more to say after the committee has released its decision."

The NCAA is on it.

It's good to be the King.

With 'Bama in the Books, Florida State, USC, Memphis Back in NCAA Spotlight originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Floyd, USC's Top 5 Candidates

Gary Washburn — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Rumors

It's June, a.k.a., a terrible time to find a quality basketball coach. But that will be USC's task after Tim Floyd's sudden resignation Tuesday amid a slew of allegations regarding the recruiting of star guard O.J. Mayo. Athletic director Mike Garrett (right) is used to hiring coaches on the fly. He fired Henry Bibby just four games into the 2004-2005 season, tabbed Jim Saia as interim coach for the season and then nabbed Floyd.

Garrett has time before having to go the interim route and there are some qualified coaches who either are unemployed or at mid-majors and would likely leave their schools and incoming recruiting classes for a job at a major school in a major conference. The USC athletic director has a history for going after tough gets and succeeding, but the question is whether the Trojans basketball program will be severely punished for the Mayo situation? Floyd was accused by former Mayo associate Louis Johnson of giving $1,000 to Rodney Guillory, an alleged street agent representing Mayo.

Those allegations came after Johnson said that Mayo also received money from a sports agent years before enrolling at USC. The NCAA decided to combine the investigation of Mayo and former USC Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

But even with all of that, still USC plays in the No. 2 market, in a spanking new arena and has a massive recruiting base that begins in the Southern California and expands nationally. It remains a premium job, regardless of the early adversity a new coach may endure.

So here is a list of early coaching candidates and the pros and cons for each of taking the gig.

1) Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh -- West Coast schools have long admired Dixon from a distance and Dixon's Southern California roots (he is from North Hollywood) may be the nudge he needs to leave Pitt. Dixon is 43, a terrific recruiter and nearly took the Panthers to the Final Four and is losing a core of his club, including All-America DeJuan Blair. It may be the right time to head west for Dixon and he would be the perfect candidate to rebuild the USC program and compete against former mentor Ben Howland at UCLA.

2) Reggie Theus, former NBA coach, New Mexico State coach -- Theus has been looking to get back into the college game since being fired in Sacramento, and Rush Street Reggie would relish the chance to take his act to Figueroa. Like Dixon, Theus is relatively young and would make a major impact in recruiting. And he also took a downtrodden New Mexico State program to the NCAA tournament in 2007. Theus lives in Los Angeles and would be the perfect Hollywood type to recruit and win.

3) Randy Bennett, St. Mary's coach -- Bennett has long sought a major job and he probably deserves one. This may be the time to leave. The best player during his tenure -- Patty Mills -- is committed to the NBA draft and all-conference player Diamon Simpson is graduating. Bennett was rumored to be a candidate for the Cal job before it hired Mike Montgomery and probably has taken St. Mary's as far as it can go -- an NCAA tournament team every couple of years.

4) Larry Eustachy, Southern Miss -- The former Iowa State coach has done little at Southern Miss to earn a promotion but Garrett apparently covets the embattled Eustachy. The Eagles have yet to come close to an NCAA tournament or even challenge Memphis in Conference USA, but he did make Iowa State respectable during his time there before alcohol issues ended his reign.

5) Mike Davis, UAB coach -- Davis succeeded Bobby Knight at Indiana, so he isn't afraid to take on any challenge. And if he was interested in the Washington State job, as he was, he will be interested in this gig. Davis probably figures he has a better chance to compete consistently in the Pac-10 at USC than in Conference USA at UAB, and remember, he did take a team to the national title game in 2002.

After Floyd, USC's Top 5 Candidates originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: USC Coach Tim Floyd Resigns

Michael David Smith — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:17:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Coaches

Update: USC has confirmed Tim Floyd's resignation. "I accept Tim's decision and wish him well," USC athletic director Mike Garrett said in a statement.

University of Southern California men's basketball coach Tim Floyd has reportedly resigned in the wake of an accusation that he gave $1,000 to a man who helped convince O.J. Mayo to enroll at USC.

The Clarion Ledger newspaper in Floyd's home state of Mississippi reports that Floyd sent USC athletic director Mike Garrett this letter:

"As of 1 p.m. today, I am resigning as head basketball coach at the University of Souithern California. I deeply appreciate the opportunity afforded me by the university, as well as the chance to know and work with some of the finest young men in college athletics. Unfortunately, I know longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal. I always promised my self and my family that if I ever felt I could no longer give my full enthusiasm to a job, that I should leave it to others who could. I intend to contact my coaching staff and my players in coming days and weeks to tell them how much each of them means to me. I wish the best to USC and to my successor."

Floyd leaves USC with a four-year record of 85-50. He has previously coached at Iowa State, the University of New Orleans and the University of Idaho in the NCAA, and for the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets in the NBA. Given the serious charges of misconduct at USC, it's likely that he's done coaching in the NCAA, and given his 93-235 record as a pro coach, it's likely that he'll never coach in the NBA again, either. Unless the accusations of improper conduct turn out to be completely unfounded, Floyd is probably out of coaching for good.

Floyd has not commented publicly, and neither has USC.

Report: USC Coach Tim Floyd Resigns originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Players Rapidly Deserting USC

Chas Rich — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:24:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, NBA Prospects

Will the last person please turn out the lights at the Galen Center.

USC headed into April as a likely preseason Top 25 team with a strong core coming back and a talented recruiting class coming in. The Trojans enter June with most of the core gone and that recruiting class dwindling. Oh, and a coach that appears to be hanging by a thread while the NCAA circles closer and closer.

Let's recap the departures. DeMar DeRozan briefly made noises about coming back for his sophomore season, but ultimately chose the path of one-and-done that was expected when he signed with USC last year. Then juniors Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett followed.

The recruiting class that looked so stunning rapidly collapsed. Renardo Sidney and USC parted company as the Sidney family worried about Tim Floyd and USC's looming NCAA issues. Plus, USC worried about Sidney's baggage. Solomon Hill backed out of his commitment to re-commit to Arizona. Then Noel Johnson was granted his release from his letter of intent and is now looking at LSU, UNLV, Georgia Tech and others.

The one piece of good news that USC got has of course gone up in smoke. Marcus Johnson was given an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA last week. Johnson had averaged only 3.6 points per game after transferring from UConn. He had a chance to be have a much larger role on the team with all of the players departing and not coming.

Johnson took the weekend to think about it. He decided he would rather take his chances in the NBA Draft. He will likely be an undrafted player and head to Europe.

"We have had a difficult three or four weeks," Floyd told a group of USC fans at a booster event last week.

Lamont Jones, their last remaining star recruit is rumored to be ready to ask out of his own NLI. So the fun keeps coming.

Players Rapidly Deserting USC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After Defections, Cal, Washington Are Pac-10 Favorites

Gary Washburn — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:15:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State, Pac-10, NBA Prospects, Oregon State

The upheaval at USC and constant defections at UCLA may have sent conference supremacy north.

The NBA draft's early entries have one month to return to school (June 15), but it doesn't appear any of the Pac-10 entries are coming back. Six underclassmen -- USC's DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson, UCLA's Jrue Holiday, the Arizona duo of Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger and Arizona State's James Harden -- will participate in the draft combine beginning May 28 in Chicago, and none are likely to return to their schools. Even Holiday, a projected late first-rounder, is reportedly close to hiring an agent and remaining in the draft.

UCLA also loses All-America point guard Darren Collison and key scorer Josh Shipp, leaving the Bruins young, raw and virtually unproven. The Trojans, meanwhile, who made an improbable run to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Pac-10 tournament, could be gutted with Daniel Hackett likely headed for Italy, top recruit Renardo Sidney bolting for Mississippi State and the program under major scrutiny regarding allegations of payments to representatives for former guard O.J. Mayo. Coach Tim Floyd, if he remains at USC, will be in another major rebuilding mode in Los Angeles.

Such ruin in Southern California and major defections with the Arizona schools leaves the two most stable programs in Washington and California. The Huskies lose all-time rebounder Jon Brockman and solid guard Justin Dentmon, but coach Lorenzo Romar will depend on freshman talent along with Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Isaiah Thomas, improving Quincy Pondexter, who sparkled toward season's end, and defensive ace Venoy Overton.

Romar, always a master recruiter, was able to get Tacoma, Wash., guard Abdul Gabby, who is expected to join Thomas in the backcourt. Bruising juco forward Charles Garcia and freshman Clarence Trent will make the Huskies perhaps the deepest team on the West Coast.

California returns four of the five starters that stunned the conference by winning 22 games and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Gifted but enigmatic swingman Patrick Christopher decided to return to school for his senior season while speedy guard Jerome Randle and redshirt senior Theo Robertson give the Bears a chance to compete for the conference title.

And there will be some noise heard from the Oregon schools with Ernie Kent's job essentially at stake this season and the Ducks coming off an awful 2-16 conference record. Craig Robinson brought home a CBI title -- College Basketball Invitational for those non-diehards -- to Oregon State in his first season and the Beavers return their top four scorers.

After Defections, Cal, Washington Are Pac-10 Favorites originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 16 May 2009 21:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recruiting a Cesspool of Sleaze, Scum

Greg Couch — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Coaches, Recruiting

It just doesn't stop, with these slimeballs. The whole Tim Floyd story just slips and slides right off the page. Floyd, the USC basketball coach, is accused of giving $1,000 to get stud recruit O.J. Mayo a few years ago.

Another coach, another envelope of cash. But did you see the details?

Because we keep getting more examples of dirty coaches, but then we shake our heads and ignore, basically, what went into making that sausage.

I had to sharpen two pencils and make a flow chart to follow the dollars -- alleged dollars -- to grasp this Floyd case.

In the end a guy who apparently is a hanger-on for a runner, or street agent, says Floyd gave that runner the money in an effort to steer Mayo, a high school kid at the time, to come to USC. That same hanger-on says the runner received between $200,000 and $250,000 to steer Mayo to an official agent.

That's an awful lot of layers of sleaze. And the question that sticks out is this:

Exactly how many people get their hands on our kids?

"The short answer is, as many as possible,'' said Dave Thompson, a former NCAA investigator.

And I haven't even mentioned the hands of coaches in the AAU, a once-proud organization that has become another layer of sleaze.

"If you go back to when these kids are 10, 11, 12 years old,'' Thompson said. "From that time, if we had perfect knowledge of kids prior to their enrollment in college, whether they've gotten some benefit, gift or discount or service based on their athletic ability, that would break NCAA amateur legislation.

"There are all kinds of people knocking on the door with shoes, money, gifts, whatever.''

The shoe companies. I haven't mentioned their hands.

When Floyd recruited Mayo, he reportedly never got the kid's phone number. Imagine that. It was a deal cut with a go-between.

"In the old days, there were a kid's high school coach and the parents," said Thompson, who wanted to be clear that he's not talking about USC. "Now, sometimes there are three or four different layers of people a coach has to get through just to get to talk to the kid or the parents.

"And the coach has all kind of rules about how to talk to them, when they can talk to them. There are going to be some coaches who say, 'To hell with this phone call rule. I'm going to who I want whenever I want and make sure no one catches me.' "

So it's the system's fault, and colleges and college coaches are just thrust into it?

Hah! They are just as dirty. It's the world they live in.

Well, in some cases, that's not true. Last year, I told Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber that this is a dirty business and he's too nice for it. He's letting it run him over.

"I take that as a compliment,'' he said. "The part maybe I'm not as good at is what you said -- getting involved with people around a kid. That, I don't feel comfortable with. If that's a negative, then in a way I'm proud of it. It may also hurt us in the long run."

Of course, Weber has landed some big-time recruits since then. He also started recruiting 14-year-olds.

Weber had lost out on getting Eric Gordon, who had given his word to play for Illinois. Then, Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson from Oklahoma, where he had been busted for making 233 impermissible recruiting phone calls. But see? Indiana knew what it was getting.

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Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, right, secures a rebound against Georgetown's Austin Freeman (15) during second half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair (45) puts up a shot over Georgetown center Greg Monroe (10) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh's Gary McGhee (52) goes high to grab a rebound between Georgetown's Greg Monroe (10) and DaJuan Summers (3) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. Pitt defeated Georgetown, 70-54. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair, right, puts a shot up over Georgetown defenders Greg Monroe (10) and DaJuan Summers (3) during first half action at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 3, 2009. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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President Barack Obama receives a jersey from coach Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team at the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama welcomes the University of North Carolina men's basketball team to the South Lawn of the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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President Barack Obama receives a Jersey from coach Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team at the White House on May 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT)

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Sampson stole Gordon away, but eventually was busted for more bad calls, and is out now.

USC should have known better than to let Floyd go after Mayo. The kid already was connected to the runner, Rodney Guillory, a street agent who had been fingered by the NCAA before.

Red ... flag.

On top of that, USC was already in trouble for its dealings with Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, who apparently had an agent and plenty of family gifts while in college. If I look back through my flow chart, I believe the details on Bush came out -- credit to Yahoo! Sports-- because a hanger-on, a wannabe agent, was thinking he was going to be in on the big bucks when Bush signed with his company out of college. When that deal fell through, that first layer of sleaze was upset that he had lost out, and burned everyone.

That seems to be pretty close to what happened with Mayo, according to Yahoo! and the Los Angeles Times.

Louis Johnson, the hanger-on, allegedly drove Guillory, the runner charged with steering Mayo to USC. Johnson told the media, and the feds, that he drove Guillory to a Beverly Hills cafe where Floyd was waiting, let Guillory out and circled the block. When he got Guillory again, he had an envelope with a thousand dollars in $100 bills. Guillory, according to Johnson, said Floyd had given him the money.

Why is Johnson snitching now? Just a guess: He didn't get his cut.

The first layer of sleaze seems to be these street agents attaching themselves to 10-year olds.

"It's usually someone who already has a relationship with the family, the kid,'' Thompson said. Then, an agent finds out who that [street agent] is.''

The agent connects with the street agent. NCAA rules prohibit college athletes from having agents.

You can blame Sonny Vaccaro for professionalizing youth sports. He's the longtime shoe marketing guy who ran basketball all-star camps at different times for Nike, Adidas and Reebok. That's where agents and scouts and coaches and street agents all came together around kids.

But maybe blame is the wrong word. Vaccaro, who is in Greece, and didn't return messages for this column, can paint a picture this way:

A poor, inner-city kid suddenly is invited to these camps and AAU teams. His game develops in a way it never would have otherwise, by playing against the nation's best players. Someone in the game is looking out for him.

Possible?

"Some people out there are trying to do the best thing for the kid or parents, some aren't,'' Thopmson said. "Some are going it for selfish motives. Great AAU coaches out there really are interested in the kid and sometimes they help protect a kid from agents.

"The fact there's some NCAA rule that prevents it might be detrimental to the kid.''

Maybe so, but there is too much slime there, too much self-interest, too many hands on these kids.

A few years ago, star recruit Michael Beasley went to Kansas State. His former AAU coach was hired as an assistant at K-State, where he now makes $420,000 a year, according to Rivals.com, more than the entire three-man staffs at Ohio State, Washington State, Wisconsin.

Face it, it was a payoff for delivering Beasley.

So what should happen to USC? I'm thinking burial.

If USC is found guilty on football and basketball, then how about cutting half the scholarship for five years? No postseason. Take away the national football title it won and ban Floyd from coaching anywhere in the NCAA for 10 years.

The punishments the NCAA usually gives do no good, and I hope that's not because it's protecting the big-time, big-revenue schools. How many layers can there be?

If the NCAA really cares, then this could be a good time and place to start a real fight and send a real message: Hands off our kids.

Recruiting a Cesspool of Sleaze, Scum originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 14 May 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USC Coach Tim Floyd Accused of Paying Mayo's Representative

Chas Rich — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Police Blotter, Recruiting

It was exactly a year ago that all the evidence and information was made public by O.J. Mayo's former entourage member, Louis Johnson. The story was about how Rodney Guillory was giving the money to Mayo both to be attached to Mayo and as a runner for Bill Duffy Associates.

USC and Coach Tim Floyd had maintained the stance that they were clueless fools, not at all complicit. Now Louis Johnson reveals that in his interviews with investigators that he informed them that Floyd gave Guillory an envelope of cash.

The following is Johnson's account of the payment as told to Yahoo! Sports.

On Feb. 14, 2007, Johnson and Guillory packed up Guillory's black Infiniti SUV and were preparing for the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to attend the NBA All-Star weekend. Before they left, Guillory informed Johnson several times that he had to meet with Floyd so the coach could give him cash for the trip. Sometime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Guillory and Johnson headed toward Beverly Hills to meet with Floyd. During the drive, Johnson listened as Guillory and Floyd exchanged several cell phone calls as Floyd explained where the meeting would take place.

Upon arriving in Beverly Hills, Guillory pulled up to a stretch of cafes in the downtown shopping district, where Floyd was waiting on the sidewalk. Because there were no parking spaces, Guillory asked Johnson to circle the block in the SUV until Guillory was ready to be picked up. Johnson exited the passenger side of the vehicle, at which point Johnson saw Floyd and the two exchanged greetings. Johnson then got into the driver's seat and proceeded to circle the block while Guillory and Floyd met.

After approximately 15 minutes, Johnson saw Guillory waiting on the curb in front of the stretch of cafes and pulled over to pick him up. Once Guillory was inside the vehicle, he produced a white envelope with cash inside. Guillory told Johnson that Floyd had given him "a grand," and Johnson was able to view $100 bills inside the envelope. He said he believed there appeared to be "substantially" more than $1,000, although he did not count the bills.

Not exactly a smoking gun. It is not good, but there is little to corroborate it. That is about the only good news for Tim Floyd with this going public.

Floyd did not exactly have a sterling reputation before this. Nothing explicitly bad, but the subject of rumors and whispers of less than above-the-board standards when it comes to recruiting. This is the first outright accusation of giving a payoff to a representative of a recruit.

It has been a while since anything has been heard from the NCAA investigations into O.J. Mayo's magical single season at USC. Sure there was the initial flurry almost a year ago. The NCAA, Pac-10, FBI, IRS, California's Attorney General all were looking into some aspect of the O.J. Mayo situation. Then it was joined with the Reggie Bush investigation and the two appeared to be heading nowhere.

According to the Yahoo! Sports report, Johnson told that story to all the government investigators last May. NCAA investigators were told about it last week.

Not surprisingly, Guillory has declined comment. As has USC and Floyd -- citing the fact that the NCAA investigation keeps them from commenting.

When or if USC and Floyd actually do comment, expect denials. That's about all that is left. Floyd would be done in coaching if this could be confirmed in any way. USC would likely face tremendously heavy sanctions from the NCAA.

USC Coach Tim Floyd Accused of Paying Mayo's Representative originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 13 May 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Women's Hoops Gets Serious in Pac-10

Gary Washburn — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:43:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State, Pac-10, Coaches, Oregon State

Stanford has ruled the Pac-10 Women's basketball landscape for the past 20 years, and California and Arizona State have recently emerged to make the conference a three-team scramble for supremacy. But two recent hires by Oregon and USC have made it apparent that women's basketball is indeed becoming a higher priority on the West Coast.

Oregon shocked the women's basketball community by hiring former NBA championship coach Paul Westhead to replace the fired Bev Smith. Westhead was fired along with P.J. Carlesimo from the Oklahoma City Thunder in December, but he comes to Eugene, Ore., with a WNBA title from the Phoenix Mercury.

While Oregon has been a fruitful recruiting base for Stanford and other national powers, the Ducks have advanced to just one NCAA tournament since 2001. Westhead's fast-paced style should attract recruits and some much-needed attention to the program. Meanwhile, USC athletic director Mike Garrett nabbed five-time NBA champion Michael Cooper to lead the Trojans, who haven't been a national power since the days of Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper.

"He has coached and played at the highest level and with the greatest players in the world," Garrett said after the announcement. "He'll be an excellent in-game coach, he'll do a great job preparing his teams and he'll wow the recruits. And I'll say this: we'll be a strong team defensively."

Cooper won two WNBA titles with the Los Angeles Sparks and will coach the Sparks this summer and take over the USC program in the fall. The hiring of Cooper away from the WNBA is a serious indication that Garrett wants the women's program to snatch some of the attention given to Stanford, which has reached two consecutive Final Fours and won at least a share of the past nine Pac-10 titles.

Women's basketball is getting increasing national attention and prestige but West Coast schools have ignored this trend. Stanford is the lone Pac-10 program to consistently compete with the powers -- UConn, Tennessee, Rutgers -- on the East. But if Cooper and Westhead have any say, that will change quickly.

Women's Hoops Gets Serious in Pac-10 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 07 May 2009 15:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renardo Sidney Switches From USC to Mississippi State

Chas Rich — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:07:00 EST

Filed under: Mississippi State, USC, Pac-10, SEC, Recruiting

Well, maybe not so much switched as compelled to look elsewhere. Renardo Sidney may be one of the top-ten recruits nationally, but he has not been quite as hotly pursued as you would expect for a 6-10 McDonald's All-American power forward. Sidney and his family made an event out of picking USC over UCLA, despite UCLA dropping interest several days prior.

Apparently by mutual agreement, Sidney and USC have opted not to join. Instead Sidney will head to Mississippi State. If Jarvis Varnardo comes back to Mississippi State rather than staying in the draft, the Bulldogs will have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the SEC in 2009.

As for why Sidney made the late switch, both sides are spinning it their own way. USC seems to be suggesting that they are now fearful of his ability to qualify academically. Something that did not bother them earlier when he chose them.

The reality may be that after Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo -- and the ongoing combined investigation -- USC felt it could not take a top player whose father has a "consulting" job with Reebok. Add in one-and-done DeMar DeRozan and his relationship with Percy "Master P" Miller and his family and his No Limits Sorts agent business, and the questions would just keep piling up on USC.

The Sidney clan is going with the stated desire of going back to Mississippi where Renardo grew up until the last few years. They are also hinting that they do not want to be caught in the middle of possible penalties to USC if the NCAA (ever) comes down on the Trojans.

Renardo Sidney Switches From USC to Mississippi State originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 04 May 2009 11:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pac-10 Roundup: Arizona Teams Struggle, LA Teams Roll

Shane Bacon — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:48:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Pac-10, Oregon State

On a night when the University of Arizona honored famed coach Lute Olson during halftime, something became very clear as the ceremonial speeches ended and the basketball began. If the Wildcats want to continue their NCAA streak of 25 consecutive tournament appearances, they would need more than an uplifting video (it got dusty in my apartment) and the memory of a coach that has been through a lot the last two years. The Wildcats need a W.

It wasn't happening, as Jerome Randle absolutely murdered the 'Cats in the second half, helping California (22-8, 11-6) improve to third in the Pac-10 with the 83-77 win and put the Wildcats in another uncomfortable position similar to last season -- leaving their March Madness dreams up to chance.

Arizona's Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill did all they could do to keep their team in the game, combining for 52 fo the Wildcat's 77 points, but Randle was absolutely molten from outside, hitting 8-of-11 threes, all coming when the momentum looked to be shifting.

Now, the Wildcats (18-12, 8-9) have to beat Stanford on Saturday and possibly win their first Pac-10 Tournament game to have a chance at making the NCAA Tournament. That task probably seemed a lot more likely before Arizona went on a four-game losing streak, and Stanford didn't show themselves to be capable of taking down a talented Arizona State team on the road as they did on Thursday, 74-64.

In Tempe on Thursday, the Sun Devils were abysmal, going 0-for-6 to start the game and scoring their first basket with 11:50 left in the first half. This was the third-straight loss for an ASU team that looked to be securing a solid spot in the postseason picture before the trip last week to Washington. Now, the Sun Devils have California on Sunday to try and get some positive momentum going before they head to Los Angeles for the Pac-10s.

UCLA and USC both rolled over Oregon State and Oregon, respectively, on Thursday. The No. 17 Bruins are doing the opposite dance of the Arizona teams, carding their third-straight win and improving their tournament resume as the days roll by. The win also kept them in the hunt for a split of the Pac-10 crown, needing a win on Saturday against Oregon and a loss by Washington to Washington State.

Josh Shipp had a career-high 27 points for the Bruins, and DeMar DeRozan of Southern California had 19 in the Trojans' rout of the Ducks.

Pac-10 Roundup: Arizona Teams Struggle, LA Teams Roll originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidney's Commitment Comes in a Box

Chas Rich — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Recruiting, Video

Last week, one of the top remaining unsigned recruits for 2009, Renardo Sidney made his choice of USC. It was something of an anticlimax since it was supposed to be down to UCLA and USC, but UCLA had made it known that they were no longer interested in him a few days prior. That alone would make the show of revealing his choice by donning a hat a little ridiculous.

Sidney took it to new heights with sealed boxes and well, much stronger ribbon than the 6-foot-11 big man expected.

Sidney's Commitment Comes in a Box originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USC Gets Sidney, If He Qualifies

Chas Rich — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:08:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Pac-10, Recruiting

There are not that many top recruits left uncommitted for the 2009 class. Renardo Sidney, a 6-foot-11 McDonald's All-American center had a quiet understated affair where he revealed his decision. More than 100 friends and family gathered for a ceremony, replete with media in attendance. All to see Sidney reveal the decision everyone already knew. Not that they did not try to create drama that it was still between USC and UCLA.

...the 19-year-old Sidney walked to the podium and waited until a young woman brought out a gold box with blue and red ribbons.

Sidney struggled to open the box with his hands, so a knife from one of the tables was given to him. He still was having trouble, so scissors were found as the woman aided him. The box revealed a smaller box, and this time, what he found after getting through the blue and red wrapping paper was a USC hat.

"It was very close," Sidney said of his college decision. "It was a nail-biter."

Except that UCLA dropped out of competition for his services a few days prior.
UCLA stopped recruiting Sidney, not out of concern that Sidney would be another one-and-done player (he will). It was because the UCLA administration became concerned that he would not be able to qualify. Sidney, coming into his senior year, did not have a high enough grade point average and had not even taken any standardized tests.

At this point, he is still working on bringing up his grade point average and has yet to actually take the SAT. USC and coach Tim Floyd are willing to take this chance -- even if Sidney has as many warning signs as O.J. Mayo with people eager to associate with him and waiting for him to get paid.

Some are skeptical that Sidney will ever suit up for USC, and that Sidney will instead have to take the Brandon Jennings approach. That his test scores and grades will keep him from qualifying, and force him to head to Europe for a year.

The Trojans appear willing to take that risk. USC has nothing to lose. They want to compete with UCLA in basketball, so they need the talent. DeMar DeRozan is certain to go pro, and who can be sure if Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett will stay for their senior years.

USC Gets Sidney, If He Qualifies originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bruins Beat a Ranked Team ... Finally

Adam Papagiorgio — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:28:00 EST

Filed under: UCLA, USC, Washington, Pac-10

UCLA finally did something that it hadn't done all season: beat a ranked opponent. Doesn't seem right, does it? It's not like the Bruins play a Utah State-like schedule, dodging powerhouses and choosing to beat some of the Weak Sisters of the Poor. And Cal Poly.

Yet, here in late February, the Bruins finally notched that elusive win over a Top-25 foe, beating Washington, 85-76. UCLA was able to avenge an earlier loss in Seattle, when the Huskies made a conga line to the charity stripe -- something reminiscent of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, only not as funny.

The free throws, this time, were evenly distributed as the Bruins held off a late second-half surge by the Huskies.

UCLA also remains in the hunt for a fourth consecutive Pac-10 title, though somebody might want to let Ben Howland know they don't hang conference championship banners in Westwood. The Bruins have much larger goals.

And they needed this win.

Beating a ranked opponent finally got that monkey off the Bruins' backs. They certainly didn't want to go into the NCAA tournament with that "Haven't beaten a Top-25 team" graphic shoved down our throats. Not that CBS would ever do something so underhanded during its tournament broadcast.

The Bruins needed to prove to themselves that they are capable of beating one of the big boys. UCLA had proven its meddle against lesser teams such as USC and Notre Dame, and that's fine if the Bruins were angling for an NIT title. But if another run to the Final Four is going to be possible, UCLA needed to make that first step by beating a ranked opponent -- especially one that has give them fits over the years.

I'm actually kind of curious to what this does to the Bruins. We've seen stretches of brilliance sandwiched by utter ineptitude; just when we've all thought that UCLA has turned a corner, it falls off the wagon. So I'm going to keep the hyperbole to a minimum here. This was an important victory, yes, but the Bruins haven't shown the ability to take these season-changing, marquee wins and turn it into something special.

We've all learned that the wait-and-see approach is best with this team.

Meanwhile, on the recruiting front, it looks like UCLA is out of the running for Renardo Sidney. The 6-foot-11 prospect could be heading across town to USC, which is good for the Trojans, who should enjoy reeling in these kind of prospects before probation eventually hits.

Bruins Beat a Ranked Team ... Finally originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Investigating USC Over Daniel Hackett's Walk-On Status

Michael David Smith — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: USC, Coaches

For USC, Daniel Hackett is an absolute bargain. Not only is he the Trojans' starting point guard, but he's also a walk-on, so he doesn't count against the team's scholarship limit. But ESPN is reporting that the NCAA has launched an investigation into whether USC is skirting the rules by hiring Hackett's father.

According to a report aired today on SportsCenter, Hackett has his tuition waived because his father, Rudy Hackett, is the school's strength and conditioning manager. That basically gives the Trojans an extra scholarship player. Rudy was hired a year before Daniel enrolled at the school, and ESPN reported that the NCAA is looking into whether they came as a "package deal."

It's not clear whether USC is actually violating any NCAA rules in its dealings with the Hacketts, but there have long been questions raised when the parent of a star recruit gets a job at the school where the player lands. Neither USC nor Hackett would talk to ESPN; more details are expected to be aired on Sunday's Outside the Lines.

NCAA Investigating USC Over Daniel Hackett's Walk-On Status originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Floyd Wants Obama to Change 'Freedom of Speech' for NCAA Coaches

Will Brinson — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, USC, Pac-10, Coaches, Media Watch, Video

Tim Floyd obviously wasn't very happy with a particular call in USC's loss to Arizona State the other night. He was so angry, in fact, that he stormed on the court leading ASU's Jeff Pendergraph to say he thought Floyd "... was going to punch the ref." After the fact, Floyd bemoaned the officiating and his inability to discuss said officiating, stating at the end of the following video that, "We don't have freedom of speech as coaches ... I can't discuss it ... Maybe [Barack] Obama will change that rule ... and we can talk." Well played, Coach Floyd. Well played.

Tim Floyd Wants Obama to Change 'Freedom of Speech' for NCAA Coaches originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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