the ugly side of college athletics

[wiscodevil]

OJ Mayo to USC -
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/sp...&ex=1174622400

[BluBones]

OJ Mayo to USC -
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/sp...&ex=1174622400

I've heard of much uglier. If Mayo can keep it together long enough to grow up and if he really can produce at the college level and beyond, then good for him for controlling his destiny.

[wiscodevil]

I've heard of much uglier. If Mayo can keep it together long enough to grow up and if he really can produce at the college level and beyond, then good for him for controlling his destiny.

oh, i don't have a problem with anything Oj is doing or saying in the article. More power to him.

However, the whole picture being painted in the article of a coach and a program and a school being at the beck and call (sp?) of an 18 yo problem child is a bit frightening. and sad.

[Classof06]

I don't think it's so much ugly as bizarre. Who goes to USC to play basketball? From West Virginia??? I like the fact that he wants to blaze his own trail at a school like USC, but this is one of the crazier College BBall articles I've ever read. He calls up a coach and commits, probably not even knowing what Tim Floyd looks like and definitely not knowing what the school looks like or what kind of classes they... actually, the more and more I think about it, the uglier it becomes. Took me a while to catch up, dbb03, but I'm with you now...

[juise]

When I read the article, I couldn't help but wonder how Floyd felt about the "promoter" speaking on Mayo's behalf. Is it just me, or does that scream "NCAA infractions ahead." As a coach, would you bet the health and reputation of your program on the notion that connections to men like this will not involve any monetary exchanges over the next year? I can't help but think that sirens were going off in Floyd's head, and that the proverbial little devil on his left shoulder beat up the little angel on his right shoulder. For his sake, I hope that this decision doesn't come back to bite him too hard.

[duke03]

With the NBA now requiring these guys to take a year after high school, I think you'll see more and more of these top recruits playing at schools like USC. Think about it: they play in major conferences, against major competition, so the recruits get a chance to showcase their skills. On the other hand, the teams don't have star players who will be competing for either playing time or shots -- from day one, these recruits will be the go-to guys.

Oden and Durant did the same thing this year -- they went to schools in major conferences where they knew they could be the number 1 option from day one. Don't be surprised to see other random teams like Arizona State and South Carolina pulling off coups like these in the future. (Not to mention K-State and Huggins -- they already landed Walker, there will be more I'm sure).

[wiscodevil]

i know my east coast bias will shine through but...

Going out west is not going to maximize his basketball exposure at all. His endorsement exposure - maybe, although I would argue that would be tied to his basketball exposure.

Unless a pac 10 team makes a real significant tourney run, how much attention does west coast hoops get throughout the year? With the late tipoff times, how many PAC 10 games did ESPN show this year, versus ACC, BIG East, Big 12, Big 10?

Now if he is going for the weather and the entertainment/business connections than he is doing it right.

[throatybeard]

And from the subject line, I thought this thread was going to be about Ivory Latta.

(I'm sorry, that was phenomenally rude).

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

Does a player need to pass one years classes or just wait one calendar year before entering the draft? In other words is OJ Mayo going to need to go to class? I have a bad feeling he won't need to, but don't know for sure.

GO DUKE!

[imagepro]

to be as a young man. Great climate, great beaches, LOTS of media exposure there. Maybe not back east, but LA media is BIG TIME out west.

Pac 10 football games will be a blast. Imagine his instant "star power" at the ROSE Bowl, or out at Malibu for the weekend? The Trojan fight song is one of best in all of sports, and those cheerleaders with their tans and white uniform--Well, who could blame the kid.

[Clipsfan]

Hi,

Does a player need to pass one years classes or just wait one calendar year before entering the draft? In other words is OJ Mayo going to need to go to class? I have a bad feeling he won't need to, but don't know for sure.

GO DUKE!

I don't think that it matters for the NBA, which is why they could go to the NBDL instead, but classes do matter. If they don't pass the first semester/quarter, they won't be able to play Jan-March. Additionally, I think that there are penalties to the school if the players start ditching classes, so coaches will have to decide whether to take those types of one-and-dones. I think it really just makes a mockery out of the "student-athlete" designation which so many college students do a great job of living up to.

[ron mckernan]

"Don't call me, I'll call you" and "How many scholarships do you have left? don't worry about recruiting, I'll take care of it."

OJ might prove me wrong, win them a couple national titles, and establish USC as the new powerhouse, but it's hard to see this working out well for USC & Tim Floyd in the long run. An 18-year old kid, who can bolt for the NBA any year he wants, before every playing a college game, has his coach by the proverbial balls.

If anyone wonders why Coach K has been recruiting all those "second-rate" kids like Paulus and Scheyer (quotes indicate sarcasm, by the way), go read that article. Great, lasting programs are built on talent, they're also built on kids who understand humility and respect their coaches. I would love be there to see a Duke player tell Coach K "sorry, you can't have my phone number, I'll call you if I need to talk to you" or "forget that Singler kid, I've got next year's recruiting class picked out for you."

[SoCalDukeFan]

If your name was OJ would you go to USC?

[BoC]

If your name was OJ would you go to USC?

Oh no you didn't!

[Uncle Drew]

If your name was OJ would you go to USC?

That's the funniest thing I have read in months!! Thanks SoCal!

[gannon4429]

I always thought it would be cool for a real sure thing to eschew some of the power schools and put some other college on the map for a couple years, like Larry Bird did with Indiana State. This, however, is just weird. It's clearly self-serving, but I guess that is not really unusual in this day and age. I can't imagine having to deal with all of the drama that kid is going to bring to school with him. Good luck Tim Floyd.

[mgtr]

The number one factor you have to consider when recruiting is character. Without that, the rest is just a witches' brew waiting to explode.