FUTURE PAC-12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULES ANNOUNCED

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--The Pac-10 announced today the 2011 Pac-12 football schedule and the eight-year rotation model used for future scheduling.

The 2011 season begins on Saturday, September 3 and culminates Saturday, December 3, with the first-ever Pac-12 Championship game. That game will be played at the home site of the division champion with the best overall conference record.

The 2012 schedule will include the same set of opponents as the 2011 schedule, with games played at opposite sites. Dates of those games are to be determined.

“We are pleased to follow the announcement of the Pac-12 North-South divisional alignment with the release of our 2011 football schedule, and a future conference football scheduling model that maintains important traditional rivalries, and will create some very exciting match-ups in our new 12-team conference,” stated Commissioner Larry Scott.

2011 Pac-12 Football Schedule
Thurs., Sept. 1
Montana State at Utah

Sat., Sept. 3
Northern Arizona at Arizona
UC Davis at Arizona State
Minnesota at USC
UCLA at Houston
California (game to be scheduled)
San Jose State at Stanford
Oregon vs. LSU
Oregon State (game to be scheduled)
Eastern Washington at Washington
Idaho State at Washington State
Colorado at Hawaii

Sat., Sept. 10
Utah at USC
Arizona at Oklahoma State
Missouri at Arizona State
San Jose State at UCLA
California (game to be scheduled)
Stanford at Duke
Nevada at Oregon
Oregon State at Wisconsin
Hawaii at Washington
UNLV at Washington State
Colorado (game to be scheduled)

Sat., Sept. 17
Stanford at Arizona
Arizona State at Illinois
Syracuse at USC
Texas at UCLA
California (game to be scheduled)
Oregon (game to be scheduled)
Washington at Nebraska
Washington State at San Diego State
Colorado vs. Colorado State
Utah at BYU

Sat., Sept. 24
Oregon at Arizona
USC at Arizona State
UCLA at Oregon State
California at Washington
Colorado at Ohio State

Sat., Oct. 1
Arizona at USC
Oregon State at Arizona State
UCLA at Stanford
Washington at Utah
Washington State at Colorado

Thurs., Oct. 6
California at Oregon

Sat., Oct. 8
Arizona at Oregon State
Arizona State at Utah
Washington State at UCLA
Colorado at Stanford

Thurs., Oct. 13
USC at California

Sat., Oct. 15
Arizona State at Oregon
Stanford at Washington State
Colorado at Washington
BYU at Oregon State
Utah at Pittsburgh

Thurs., Oct. 20
UCLA at Arizona

Sat., Oct. 22
Utah at California
Washington at Stanford
Oregon at Colorado
Oregon State at Washington State
USC at Notre Dame

Sat., Oct. 29
Arizona at Washington
Colorado at Arizona State
Stanford at USC
California at UCLA
Washington State at Oregon
Oregon State at Utah

Sat., Nov. 5
Utah at Arizona
Arizona State at UCLA
USC at Colorado
Washington State at California
Stanford at Oregon State
Oregon at Washington

Sat., Nov. 12
Arizona at Colorado
Arizona State at Washington State
Washington at USC
UCLA at Utah
Oregon State at California
Oregon at Stanford

Sat., Nov. 19
Arizona at Arizona State
USC at Oregon
Colorado at UCLA
California at Stanford
Washington at Oregon State
Utah at Washington State

Sat., Nov. 26
California at Arizona State
UCLA at USC
Oregon State at Oregon
Washington State at Washington
Colorado at Utah
Louisiana-Lafayette at Arizona
Notre Dame at Stanford

Sat., Dec. 3
Pac-12 Championship Game

PAC 12 Announces Conference Division Alignments

--New Policies Established for Revenue Sharing, Football Divisional Structure, Football Championship Game and Schedules for all other Sports--

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 21, 2010) - The Pac-12 Conference took major steps to transform itself into a dynamic new enterprise by forming two football divisions that maintain traditional rivalries, creating the first-ever Pac-12 football championship game, establishing schedule models for all other sports and agreeing to move to an equal revenue sharing plan for the !rst time in conference history, it was announced today.

The Chancellors and Presidents of the 12 member institutions voted to create a new North-South division structure that allows the conference to continue to play its traditional rivalry games, including the long-standing annual games among the California schools, delivers a football championship game to the home !eld of the top team in the conference standings and is easy for fans to follow.

“Our key objective was to transform the Pac-10 to a modern 12-team conference that has long term strength, increased value, competitive balance and is fan friendly and we have done that with these monumental decisions today,” Commissioner Larry Scott said. “By unanimously adopting a plan for equal revenue sharing we have created a conference with a strong foundation for long term success. It’s an exciting day for the Pac-12 and all of our fans.”

“This has been a very thorough process that created a lot of discussion and has delivered results that we are all very excited about,” said Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University and Chairman of the Pac-10 CEO Group. “The engagement we have received from all 12 member institutions and their Presidents and Chancellors has been tremendous. We have an ambitious plan for the future of our conference and all of that input was vital in allowing us to take these transformational steps.”

The new divisions will feature California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington and Washington
State in the North and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah in the South. Each school will play !ve divisional games, and four cross-divisional games each year. To preserve all of the historic rivalries, including those among the California schools, the new scheduling format locks in annual inter-divisional games between the Northern and Southern California teams, that date back to the 1930s.

The traditional rivalries like Oregon-Oregon State (113 meetings), Cal-Stanford (112), Washington-
Washington State (102), Arizona-Arizona State (83) and UCLA-USC (79) will continue to be played at the end of each season. Not to be lost, USC has played Stanford (98 times) and Cal (89) more than it has faced cross town rival UCLA (79). Meanwhile USC, Cal and Stanford tie as UCLA’s most frequent opponent at 79 meetings apiece. The divisions were formed based on the combination of rivalries, location and competitive balance.

“Not only did we achieve a competitive balance in our divisions, but we were also able to preserve our traditional rivalries as cornerstones of our conference,” Scott said. “These great annual battles have produced some of the most memorable moments in sports history. It was imperative that we kept them in tact.”

The inaugural Pac-12 Championship game will be played in December 2011 at the home stadium of the team with the best overall conference record, ensuring a full stadium and an electric collegiate atmosphere be!tting of a major conference championship game.

There will not be divisions for Pac-12 basketball or any other sports. In men’s and women’s basketball, the teams will play an 18-game conference schedule that will include home and home games with traditional rivals, six rotating home and homes and single play games against the remaining four teams in the Conference.

USC and L.A. Sports Council Team Up On 'Touchdown For Youth'

LOS ANGELES (September 22, 2010) –- Once again, USC and the L.A. Sports Council Foundation are teaming up on “Touchdown For Youth,” an annual program that allows thousands of economically disadvantaged kids from the area to attend a Trojans home football game each year.

For each $30 tax-deductible contribution from an individual or corporation, one child will be provided a ticket to the game plus refreshments.

This year’s edition of “Touchdown For Youth” is the game vs. Arizona State at the Coliseum on Saturday, November 6.

Anyone interested in supporting “Touchdown For Youth” should call (213) 482-6333.

Now in its 18th year, the program is run jointly by USC and the L.A. Sports Council Foundation. USC distributes the tickets to youth charities affiliated with the university’s athletic department.

“‘Touchdown For Youth’ can provide a special experience to young people who may never have been on a campus or inside the Coliseum, perhaps inspiring them to one day pursue a college education,” said USC Athletic Director Pat Haden. “Hopefully, we’ll have a great turnout and the kids will help cheer on the Trojans to a win.”

Sheldon I. Ausman is the founder of “Touchdown For Youth,” inaugurated at the 1993 Super Bowl, played at the Rose Bowl. Ausman, Director of Client Services for Gumbiner Savett Inc., is a member of the L.A. Sports Council Foundation board of directors.

Thanks to the strong support of our local business community, 2,000 youngsters attended last season’s “Touchdown For Youth” game (USC vs. San Jose State). Over the life of the program, over 40,000 youths have been able to enjoy Los Angeles-area collegiate and professional football games.


The Los Angeles Sports Council is a private, nonprofit organization that encourages economic and community development through the promotion of spectator sports programs in the Los Angeles and Orange County area, including support of our local teams and the attraction of events to the area.

USC Files Appeal to NCAA Ruling; Seeks to Overturn Some Findings and Penalties

--USC Accepts Part of Sanctions; Will Implement Post-Season Ban for 2010 Football Season--


The University of Southern California today filed an appeal with the NCAA asking that its Infractions Appeals Committee overturn certain findings of the Committee on Infractions and reduce some of the penalties recently imposed.

Pending the appeal consideration, USC will implement the post-season ban for the 2010 football season and certain scholarship-related penalties in football.  The University noted that it is pleased that the NCAA determined that USC’s self-imposed penalties on men’s basketball and women’s tennis were sufficient.

“The University recognizes that violations of NCAA rules did occur, especially involving impermissible benefits going to student athletes as well as their friends and families, from unscrupulous sports agents and sports marketers.  And we take full responsibility for those violations given that they happened on our watch.  However, we disagree with many of the findings in the report from the NCAA Committee on Infractions and assert that the penalties imposed are too severe for the violations identified and are inconsistent with precedent in similar cases,” said Todd Dickey, USC’s senior vice president for administration.

USC's appeal specifically asks that the two-year postseason ban in football be reduced to a one-year ban, and that the scholarship penalties in football for the 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14 academic years be reduced to five rather than 10 each year.  "We are hopeful that the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee will agree with our position on appeal, and reduce the penalties,” said Dickey.




    

USC to Appeal NCAA Ruling; Penalties Too Severe for Infractions Alleged

--USC Says Some Violations Occurred, Accepts Some Sanctions--

Los Angeles, CA – June 10, 2010 -- The University of Southern California today announced that, after reviewing the NCAA Committee on Infractions report, it will accept some of the penalties imposed by the Committee and it will appeal those penalties it believes are excessive. 

The university noted that it is pleased that the NCAA determined that USC’s self-imposed penalties on men’s basketball and women’s tennis were sufficient, and that the NCAA imposed no further sanctions.

“We acknowledge that violations occurred and we take full responsibility for them.  However, we sharply disagree with many of the findings in the NCAA Committee on Infractions Report.  Further, we feel the penalties imposed are too severe for the violations identified in the report,” said Todd Dickey, USC’s senior vice president for administration.

Dickey added, “We will accept those sanctions we believe to be consistent with penalties imposed upon other NCAA member institutions found guilty of similar rules infractions. We are hopeful that the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee will agree with our position on appeal, and reduce the penalties.”

“There is a systemic problem facing college athletes today: unscrupulous sports agents and sports marketers,” Dickey stated.  “The question is how do we identify them and keep them away from our student-athletes?   To provide us with recommendations about the best way to protect our student-athletes and their families from those who seek to violate the rules, we have retained the Freeh Group, headed by former federal judge and ex-FBI director Louis Freeh.

“Our success in athletics and the outstanding individuals we recruit make our student-athletes an attractive target for those seeking to take unfair advantage of them,” Dickey stated.  “We cannot and will not tolerate this.  Our program must set the highest standards in the country. USC deserves that and our 640 student-athletes deserve that.”

Dickey said that USC will not comment about specific elements of its position while it is in the appeals process.

###

For a special message to the Trojan Family from USC President Steven B. Sample, please visit: http://www.usc.edu

For an online video message regarding USC's response to the NCAA ruling, please visit:  http://www.usctrojans.com

Former UCLA & USC Standouts Headline Hall Of Fame Class

When you talk college football here in LA, there's a pretty good chance you will spark an argument, uh I mean, debate regarding UCLA vs. USC.  As successful as both programs have been through the years, you could make the argument that neither would be as good without the other, and that also applies to the coaches and players who have opposed each other over the last several decades.


Thus, it's only fitting that when the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2010 was announced Thursday, it included both a former Bruin and Trojan.




foxsportswest.com: Cross, Cunningham Elected To College Football Hall of Fame

DODGERS TO HOST USC AND UCLA NIGHTS THIS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

--Back-to-back theme nights are based on rivalry between local universities--


LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers will host USC Night on Thursday, April 29 presented by USC University Hospital and UCLA Night on Friday, April 30 presented by State Farm Insurance. The first 20,000 fans at each game will receive Dodger hats in USC or UCLA colors, respectively, and fans can also buy tickets to sit in the My Town sections dubbed Dodgertown, USC and Dodgertown, UCLA. This will mark the second year that the Dodgers have hosted competing nights based around the cross-town rivalry.

Pregame ceremonies on Thursday will celebrate USC and Women’s Basketball Coach Michael Cooper will throw out a ceremonial first pitch. USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett and Men’s Basketball Coach Kevin O’Neill will also be in attendance.

On Friday, pregame ceremonies will be UCLA-themed and the ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Men’s Basketball Coach Ben Howland will join Abdul-Jabbar at the game.

Fans who sit in Dodgertown, USC and Dodgertown, UCLA will receive a free Dodgertown t-shirt featuring their school’s colors and logo. They will also enjoy all-you-can-eat pastrami sandwiches, kettle-style potato chips and kosher-style pickles as well as Dodger Dogs, nachos, popcorn and soft drinks. For more information about the My Town sections, visit www.dodgers.com/mytown.

Notable Trojans who have played for the Dodgers include Ron Fairly, Rod Dedeaux, Len Gabrielson, Ray Lamb and Bobby Mitchell. Garrett, a former Heisman Trophy winner, was drafted by the Dodgers but chose to play professional football instead. Notable Bruins include Eric Karros, Todd Zeile, Jackie Robinson, Tim Leary, Glenn Mickens, Dave Roberts, Ron Roenicke and Matt Young.

Tickets to USC Night and UCLA Night can be purchased by calling 866 DODGERS or logging on to www.dodgers.com or www.losdodgers.com.

Expect The Unexpected At The PAC-10 Tournament

I had the opportunity Monday to host the annual PAC-10 Tournament Tip-off Luncheon put on by the LA Sports and Entertainment Commission.  For the past three years, the LASEC has invited various clients and business partners of the PAC-10 to take part in a Q & A with the head coaches from UCLA and USC as a way of setting up the annual conference tournament held at Staples Center.

This year was slightly different because USC will not be participating in the tourney.  So instead of Kevin O'Neill joining Ben Howland at the luncheon, FSN college basketball analyst Marques Johnson shared his thoughts about both this year's regular season and the upcoming tournament.

Marques once again shared his mantra for the season and applied it to this year's tournament:  Expect the unexpected!

Kevin O'Neill Fires Student Manager For Running His Mouth

Technical fouls for criticizing officials are about as common in college basketball as alley-oop dunks.  They happen all the time.

However, they are only supposed to be handed out to coaches, although players are often guilty of loose lips as well.  But under no circumstances whatsoever, should a student manager receive a technical foul for criticizing or yelling obscenities at referees.  I guess it's a little too late to tell that to USC graduate student Stan Holt, who not only got hit with a tech in the Trojans loss at Oregon, but may have cost USC a victory.

Trojans coach Kevin O'Neill, who can curse out an officiall as well as anyone, took the necessary immediate action by firing Holt after the game.

"The referee told me he was screaming obscenities at him," O'Neill said. "That's on me and that will be rectified. It already has been. He's gone. If somebody's getting a technical foul, it's going to be me."

I applaud O'Neill for wasting no time in doing the right thing.  Albeit, coaches are still given a little slack on the decorum tip, the behavior of fans at sporting events has been getting worse and worse the last several years... foxsportswest.com:  Zip The Lip 

Time Will Tell If Kiffin Is The Right Move

To say that USC's hiring of Lane Kiffin came as a surprise would be like saying the school's tuition fees can be a bit pricey.  This move didn't just come out of left field, it came right out of nowhere according to the some Trojan players I spoke to shortly after USC announced the news.
 
Although there are obvious reasons why Kiffin might be considered for the job (i.e. the six years he spent there as an assistant coach under Pete Carroll), there are many who will question the move.


foxsportswest.com: Time Will Tell If Kiffin Is The Right Move 

USC Self-Imposed Sanctions Include Post-Season Ban and Forfeiture of Wins

Los Angeles, Calif. - The University of Southern California (USC) today announced that it has implemented self-imposed sanctions on its men’s basketball program for violating NCAA rules. 

The sanctions are a result of a University investigation that found NCAA rules violations related to O.J. Mayo, who played for the USC’s men’s basketball team during the 2007-2008 season.

“USC takes allegations of NCAA rules violations very seriously.  When allegations were made regarding our men’s basketball program we immediately began an investigation and worked closely with the NCAA and the Pac-10 in an attempt to ascertain the truth,” said USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett.  “When we’ve done something wrong, we have an obligation to do something about it and that is exactly what we are doing here.”

The self-imposed sanctions for the men’s basketball program include a one-year ban on post-season competition following the 2009-2010 regular season, including the Pac-10 Conference basketball tournament; a reduction of one scholarship for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years; a reduction by one of the number of coaches permitted to engage in off-campus recruiting activities during the summer of 2010, and a reduction in the total number of recruiting days by twenty days (from 130 to 110) for the 2010-2011 academic year.

In addition, because of Mayo’s involvement with Rodney Guillory, whom under NCAA rules became a USC booster due to his role in Mayo’s recruitment, USC will vacate all wins during the 2007-2008 regular season, which was when Mayo competed while ineligible.  USC will also return to the NCAA the money it received through the Pac-10 Conference for its participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. 

These self-imposed sanctions impact only the men’s basketball program, and do not affect any other program.

“We have very high standards for our faculty, athletic department, staff and students,” said USC Senior Vice President Todd R. Dickey.  “We expect and demand that everyone associated with the University live up to these standards.  Nothing is more important than the integrity of this institution and its people.”

Mr. Garrett said, “We believe the self-imposed sanctions are consistent with penalties imposed at other NCAA member institutions which have been cited with similar rules infractions.  Although we are disappointed that rules were violated, we look forward to moving past this matter and to the future success of our men’s basketball program.”

Kevin O’Neill, head men’s basketball coach for USC added, "I think the University did the right thing in self-imposing sanctions.  I respect and understand the action that was taken. Our players have risen to many challenges already this season and I am proud of what they have accomplished.  I am confident that they will rise to this latest challenge. 

“As their coach, I will do everything in my power to make our program better on and off the court every day,” he said. “Our job as a team now is to move forward in a positive manner.  We have 16 games left to play this season.  I have no doubt that our players will prepare and play well in those games. While it is unfortunate that our players won't have the chance to compete in the post-season, that just makes every game for us now a post-season game.”

Mr. Garrett concluded, “While we recognize there may be additional questions about our announcement today or other alleged NCAA infractions, until the NCAA concludes its inquiries, we cannot make any further comment.”

Stafon Johnson's fitness saved his life, doctor says -- latimes.com

As tragic as this story is, and could have been, it is also incredibly amazing. Doctors have been telling us forever that the healthier and fitter we are, the better our chances are of living a longer life. However, I don't think this example is exactly what doctors had in mind.

Way to hang in there, Stafon!

Stafon Johnson's fitness saved his life, doctor says -- latimes.com

UPDATE: Pete Carroll posted the following message from Stafon Johnson on his Twitter page this evening: "This is stafon...thank you all 4 the prayers and love I truly feel it... We ride 2gether we die 2gther umma TROJAN 4 LIFE...."

Carroll also said tonight that Johnson will join Twitter sometime tomorrow so he can communicate with his friends, family and fans.

Tim Floyd To Stay At USC

Looks like Tim Floyd had second thoughts about going to Arizona. Considering how much he pleaded with some of his USC players--particularly DeMar DeRozen--during the team's banquet on Tuesday to stay at USC instead of going to the NBA, it was good to see Floyd follow some of his own advice.

Here's an excerpt from the LA Times on Floyd's decision to stay in Los Angeles.

"I listened, I heard what they had to say," Floyd said. "But there is something really special about building your own traditions and your own history."

He acknowledged that in addition to meeting with Arizona, he had also talked to Memphis, saying, "At the end of the day I have a great situation here."

Tim Floyd To Stay At USC

Ford and Horn Are Not The Right Choices For UK Right Now

Having been born and raised in Kentucky and a proud UK grad, I can understand why so many people think getting a person with Kentucky ties would be good for the program. And while there may be some merits to that idea, it doesn't mean that a Kentucky person would be the right choice right now.

The program needs a person who would make a splash nationally to put the program back in the minds of every top recruit in the country.

I have known Travis since I was 10 years old, and I covered Darrin's high school games in Lexington. But with all due respect to both of them, neither would make blue chippers take notice if they were hired at UK--at least not right now.

Kentucky needs someone to come in like Rick Pitino did back in 1989-- a coach who had success in the college ranks and also had NBA experience. That's why I think Lon Kruger from UNLV or Tim Floyd from USC would be great choices.

However, if you can't find someone with NBA experience, then someone like Jamie Dixon would be a good choice. I have also previously mentioned Lorenzo Romar at Washington and Jeff Capel at Oklahoma because both coaches come from winning programs in their past (Romar was an assistant on UCLA's national title team in 1995 and Capel of course played at Duke) and both have recruited some of the top players in the nation, who have moved or are going to move on to be all-stars in the pros (Brandon Roy at Washington and Blake Griffin at Oklahoma).

Travis and Darrin do not have the overall appeal of any of those coaches.

At times like these, UK fans have to get out of their Kentucky/SEC bubble. UK should be a national program not a regional one.

I think Mitch Barnhart, who came from a very regional program in Oregon State, either lost sight of that fact or never understood it in the first place.

PAC-10 Tournament Lived Up To The Hype

For the last several weeks, my colleagues on the PAC-10 television package and I have been saying that the 2009 version of the tournament could be one of the best in recent memory. The strength of competition was so good all season that we believed as many as seven teams were capable of winning the tournament. And that belief turned out to be right on the mark.

Since the tournament was reinstated in 2002, every winner had been either a 1, 2 or 3 seed, except for 2007 when Oregon claimed the title as a 5 seed. This year, USC did the Ducks one better by winning the championship as a 6 seed.

But it wasn't just that the Trojans made an incredible run to the title that made this year's tournament so good. The real dramatics were in the individual games.

You saw superstar players (James Harden, Jordan Hill, et al) put together superstar performances.

You saw some of the best coaches in all of college basketball (Tim Floyd, Herb Sendek, et al) devise impeccable game plans.

And you saw a championship game that displayed the drama that makes March Madness one of the best sports events of the year.

The PAC-10 couldn't have asked for more!

Dwight Lewis Named PAC-10 Player Of The Week

LOS ANGELES – USC junior Dwight Lewis was named the Pac-10 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 1-7 it was announced today (Dec. 8) by Commisioner Tom Hansen.

Lewis was USC’s go-to-guy in a pair of close contests, scoring a career-high 26 points in a comeback win vs. San Francisco and then pouring in 25 points in a 73-72 setback at No. 6 Oklahoma. The Metarie, La. native hit nearly 55 percent of his shots for the week, including 50 percent of his three-point shots.

Lewis made 6 of 8 shots after the break against San Francisco to score 17 second-half points and help USC hold off the hot-shooting Dons on Dec. 1. Against Oklahoma on Dec. 4, he scored 17 points in the fi rst half, including making 3 of 4 three-pointers to keep USC in the game and set up the second-half comeback. The two games represented his two highest career scoring outputs.

Lewis currently leads the team with a 17.6 scoring average and has reached double figures in points in all eight games this season. He ranks fifth in the Pac-10 in scoring and is tied for sixth in steals at 1.6 per game.

It is Lewis’ first Pac-10 Player of the Week honor and the 29th all-time for USC.

PAC-10 Announces Players Of The Week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--Tailback Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State, safety Taylor Mays of USC and kicker Thomas Weber of Arizona State have been named U.S. Bank Pac-10 Players of the Week in football, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced.

Rodgers, a freshman from Richmond, Texas, keyed Oregon State's offense in the Beavers' 34-6 win at UCLA. Rodgers rushed 31 times for 144 yards and one touchdown and added three receptions for eight yards and another score. Rodgers established a new Pac-10 record for rushing yards by a freshman as he upped his season total to 1,089 yards, surpassing the freshman rushing record of 1,069 by Stanford's Darrin Nelson. Rodgers becomes just the third freshman in Conference history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. It marks the second consecutive week and third time this year the freshman has been named offensive player of the week.

Mays, a junior from Seattle, Wash., was one of many defensive standouts for USC in the Trojans' 17-3 win against No. 21-ranked California. Mays had five tackles, four solo, and was credited with four pass breakups. The USC defense did not allow a touchdown from a California offense that entered the game averaging 36.4 points per game. It marked the first time a Jeff Tedford-coached Cal team did not score a touchdown in a game. The Trojan defense limited the Golden Bears to 13 first downs and 165 yards total offense (27 rushing, 138 passing) and posted four quarterback sacks (-34 yards).

Weber, a sophomore from Downey, Calif., had a busy afternoon in Arizona State's 39-19 win at Washington. Weber was three-for-three on field goal attempts, connecting from 34, 37 and 29 yards, and perfect on four PATs. In addition, he averaged 41.2 yards on four punts, with a long boot of 56 yards and two punts downed inside the 20-yard line, plus he handled kickoff duties for the Sun Devils.

Also nominated for offensive player of the week honors were running backs Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon, Nicolas Grigsby of Arizona and C.J. Gable of USC and receiver Mike Jones of Arizona State. Also nominated on defense were safeties Troy Nolan of Arizona State and T.J. Ward of Oregon State and linebackers Ronnie Palmer of Arizona, Keaton Kristick of Oregon State and Reggie Carter of UCLA. Joe Perkins of Arizona, Morgan Flint of Oregon, Johnny Hekker of Oregon State and Aaron Perez of UCLA were nominated for special teams play.

DEROZAN LEADS USC WITH 29 POINTS IN CARDINAL & GOLD GAME

- Three Trojans post double-doubles -

LOS ANGELES – Freshman DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points to lead the Gold team to a 90-74 victory over the Cardinal team at the annual Cardinal and Gold Scrimmage held today (Oct. 26) at the Galen Center.

Juniors Daniel Hackett and Taj Gibson added 18 and 16 points respectively for the Gold team while freshman Leonard Washington led the Cardinal team with 20 points.

DeRozan led all scorers at the half with 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the fl oor and 5-for-5 from the line as the Gold team built a 44-27 lead at the break. The Cardinal squad mounted a late comeback in the second half as redshirt freshman Mamadou Diarra scored 12 of his 16 points and eight of his 12 rebounds after halftime to cut the margin to 75-65 with 4:45 to go, but they would get no closer.

Diarra along with junior Alex Stepheson (14 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks) and Gibson (16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks) all posted double-doubles.

DeRozan, a 2008 McDonald’s All-American, scored his 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting and added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

In addition to his 18 points for the Gold team, Hackett grabbed eight rebounds, had fi ve assists and three steals.

Also scoring in double fi gures in the game for the Gold team were senior forward Keith Wilkinson with 11 and redshirt freshman James Dunleavy with 10 points.

Sophomore transfer guard Donte Smith had eight points and two assists and freshman guard Percy Miller had four points, four rebounds and two steals for the Carindal team.

USC hosted its annual Dribble For The Cure charity event before the game to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment.

USC will host Azusa Pacifi c in an exhibition game in the Galen Center on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and then open the regular season against UC Irvine on Nov. 15 in the Galen Center at 12:30 p.m.


Oct. 26, 2008

USC Men's Basketball Upcoming Events

TIP OFF WITH THE MEN OF TROY

- USC To Host Fundraiser For The Ryan Francis Endowed Scholarship -

LOS ANGELES – The USC Athletic Department will be hosting a “Tip Off With The Men Of Troy” event on Oct. 21 at the Galen Center to introduce the 2008-09 men’s basketball team and raise funds for the Ryan Francis Endowed Scholarship.

This academic year Ryan Francis would have graduated from USC and the Trojans are committed to raising the remaining funds needed to complete the scholarship which will ensure the memory of this extraordinary young man lives on in the minds of all future Trojans.

Francis was a 2005-06 Pac-10 honorable mention All-Freshman team member, who was senselessly gunned down while visiting his mother, Paula, back in Louisiana. Francis averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 assists for the Trojans in his one season, but whose spirit and attitude forever touched the lives of the Trojan family.

This exclusive event will allow fans a chance to watch the Trojans practice from 4-5 p.m., participate in a silent auction, meet the players, hear from USC head basketball coach Tim Floyd and attend a VIP reception in the Founders Club.

To purchase tickets or to make a donation, please call the USC Development Office at (213) 740-4155. E-mail questions can be directed to athdev@usc.edu.


USC MEN’S BASKETBALL TO HOST “DRIBBLE FOR THE CURE” AND ANNUAL CARDINAL &GOLD SCRIMMAGE ON OCT. 26

LOS ANGELES – The USC men’s basketball program has partnered with the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF) and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) for the third annual “Dribble For The Cure” charity event to be held at the Galen Center on Sunday (Oct. 26) beginning at 11 a.m. Following the fund-raising festivities, the 2008-09 men’s basketball team will be on display for the annual Cardinal and Gold scrimmage to be held at 2 p.m.

The third annual “Dribble For The Cure” will feature a festival of games, activities, food and entertainment, as well as a meet and greet with the USC men’s basketball team and head coach Tim Floyd. Each participant, asked to collect pledges to earn prizes on the day of the event, will join the USC basketball team and dribble a basketball through a course winding across the USC campus, beginning and ending at the Galen Center. In addition, each participant will receive an official “Dribble For The Cure” T-shirt.

Immediately following the “Dribble For The Cure,” all fans are invited to attend the free Cardinal and Gold intrasquad scrimmage at 2 p.m. and get their first look at the 2008-09 Trojans in a game-like situation.

The USC men’s basketball team is coming off its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 20-win season, going 21-12 last year. Juniors Taj Gibson (All-Pac-10, Third Team), Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis along with senior Keith Wilkinson return to anchor the Trojans’ squad. They will be joined by the No. 7 ranked recruiting class according to HoopScoop.com, featuring McDonald’s All-American DeMar DeRozan, a consensus top five recruit. Despite the departure of O.J. Mayo to the NBA as the third player taken overall, early season rankings list this Trojan squad as a top 25 team with The Sporting News ranking USC No. 11.

This promises to be an exciting season of Trojan basketball and it all begins on Oct. 26. Come out to have some fun, check out the Trojans and help generate proceeds for pediatric cancer research and the treatment of children with cancer at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

NICK YOUNG DOCOMENTARY TO AIR ON ESPN2

UPDATE: The documentary on former USC basketball player Nick Young will air tonight at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2 instead of tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. as it was originally scheduled.

“Second Chance Season” Depicts Former Trojan’s Journey To Success

LOS ANGELES – The documentary “Second Chance Season” which depicts former Trojan Nick Young’s compelling story of loss, redemption and success will air on ESPN2 on Thursday (Sept. 25) at 9:30 p.m.

The movie, directed and co-produced by Daniel H. Forer, orginally was screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival in the summer of 2007. That same summer Young was selected with the 16th pick in the NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.

Young averaged 7.5 points in 75 games last year during his rookie season with the Wizards. Young played for USC during the 2005-07 seasons and finished sixth all-time in school history with 1,486 points.

The 90-minute documentary mostly follows Young during his senior year of high school, one that almost didn’t happen if not for an eleventh hour reprieve by the school board. The movie also explores the long-term residual effects that the senseless murder of Nick’s brother had on the family and how they coped with the tragedy. Young is able to overcome it all, have a successful career at USC and parlay that into the fulfillment of a dream with his selection in the NBA Draft.

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