USC

USC football: Who’s the best No. 55 in Trojans history?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:36 +0000

We saved the best best-of for last. It’s a battle royal so fierce that we’re even altering the format slightly to accommodate all the combatants.

Yes, it’s USC’s fabled No. 55, reserved for linebackers deemed to have truly special traits.

In each of the previous three numbers games, we limited the participants to those who had earned first-team All-America honors. But in the case of the 55s, that would exclude Willie McGinest, who somehow never made first-team All-American — and is just as worthy as the other competitors.

Here are the final four. Check out their profiles, then cast your vote. And have a happy, safe Independence Day weekend.

LB JUNIOR SEAU
Quickie credentials: All-American and Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1989, when he had 27 tackles for loss and 12 pass deflections. USC finished in the top 10 in both of his seasons. Finished his two-year career with 107 tackles, including 33 for losses, 14 pass deflections, 4 fumble recoveries and 1 interception.

LB WILLIE McGINEST
Quickie credentials: Earned all-conference honors three consecutive years. Led USC with 23 tackles for losses, including 16 sacks, in 1992. Lombardi Award finalist in 1993. Finished his four-year career with 193 tackles, 48 tackles for loss (including 29 sacks), 25 pass deflections and 1 blocked field goal.

LB CHRIS CLAIBORNE (above left)
Quickie credentials: Unanimous All-American and Pac-10 DPOY in 1998, when he became USC’s first Butkus Award winner. Finished the ‘98 season with 120 tackles, 16 pass deflections, 6 INTs and 2 TDs. Finished his three-year career with 312 tackles, including 27 for losses, 23 pass deflections, 8 INTs and 2 fumble recoveries.

LB KEITH RIVERS
Quickie credentials: All-American in 2007. Member of USC’s 2004 national-championship team. Trojans went 47-5 during his four seasons. First-team all-conference in 2006 and ‘07. Finished his career with 240 tackles, including 18.5 for losses, 7 pass deflections, 6 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions.

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USC football: August practice schedule released

DAVID BEAN, OCREGISTER.COM — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:39:38 +0000

FROM USC MEDIA RELEASE

Here’s a tentative schedule for fall football practices …

Date, Time
Aug. 8 – Practice 3 p.m.
Aug. 9 – Practice 3 p.m.
Aug. 10 – Practice 3 p.m.
Aug. 11 – Practice 3 p.m.
Aug. 12 – Practice 3 p.m.
Aug. 13 – Practice 9 a.m.; Practice 4 p.m. (two-a-day)
Aug. 14 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 15 – Practice 9 a.m.; Practice 4 p.m. (two-a-day)
Aug. 16 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 17 – Practice 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 18 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 19 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 20 – Practice 9 a.m.; Practice 4 p.m. (two-a-day)
Aug. 21 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 22 – Practice 9 a.m.; Practice 3 p.m. (two-a-day)
Aug. 23 – OFF
Aug. 24 – OFF (First day of fall semester)
Aug. 25 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 26 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 27 – Practice 4 p.m.
Aug. 28 – Practice 4:15 p.m.
Aug. 29 – Mock game at 12:30 p.m. at the Coliseum
Aug. 30 – OFF
Aug. 31 – Practice 4 p.m. (Normal game week commences)
Sept. 1 – Practice 4 p.m. (Competition Tuesday)
Sept. 2 – Practice 4 p.m. (Turnover Wednesday)
Sept. 3 – Practice 4 p.m. (No Repeat Thursday)
Sept. 4 – Practice 4:15 p.m. (Review Friday – CLOSED to the public)
Sept. 5 – USC vs. San Jose State 12:30 p.m. (Coliseum)

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USC football: Who’s the best No. 42 in Trojans history?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:58 +0000

Onward and upward we go, into the 40s for the penultimate stop in this USC best-ever series.

I’m going to have to play God again and eliminate one of the Trojans’ No. 42s — LB-OG Pat Cannamela, an All-American and team co-captain in 1951.

That leaves three contenders, including two all-time USC greats who just barely missed some potentially explosive collisions on the practice field.

Check out their profiles, then vote for your favorite.

RB RICKY BELL (right)
Quickie credentials: Unanimous All-American in 1975 and ‘76. Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1976, third place in ‘75. Rushed for 3,390 yards and 27 TDs in those two seasons, including school-record 51-347 vs. Washington State in ‘76. Member of USC’s 1974 national-title team and ‘76 runner-up. Finished his career with 3,689 yards and 28 TDs.

S RONNIE LOTT
Quickie credentials: Unanimous All-American in 1980. Member of USC’s 1978 national-championship team. Tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions per game in 1980. Tied for fourth on USC’s career INT list with 14. Finished his career with 250 tackles, including 22 for losses, 37 pass deflections, 10 fumble recoveries and 2 TD returns.

WR ERIK AFFHOLTER
Quickie credentials: All-American in 1988, when he also was USC’s Offensive Player of the Year. Led USC in receiving in 1987 (44 catches) and ‘88 (68). Ranks 12th on USC’s career receiving list. Finished his career with 123 receptions for 1,737 yards and 13 touchdowns.

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USC football: Who’s the best No. 16 in Trojans history?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:51 +0000

The numbers game continues as we jump into the teens.

With all due respect to Brice Taylor — USC’s very first football All-American — this is a three-man battle among high-profile skill-position stars.

(Taylor, fascinatingly, was a 5-foot-9, 185-pound guard. Which basically makes him me. Except that he was born without a left hand and was a member of a world-record-setting mile relay team.)

So here are USC’s sweetest No. 16s. Check ‘em out, then cast your vote!

HB-DB-K FRANK GIFFORD
Quickie credentials: All-American in 1951, when he led USC in rushing (841 yards) and total offense (1,144). USC’s leading scorer in 1950 and ‘51. Led the Trojans in interceptions (3) in 1950. Finished his three-year career with 877 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns, 64 PATs and 2 passing TDs.

QB PAUL McDONALD (above right)
Quickie credentials: All-American in 1979. Starting QB for the 1978 national-championship team. Ranks 10th in USC history in pass completions and 13th in total offense. Finished his three-plus-year career with 4,138 passing yards, a .597 completion percentage and a 37-13 TD-INT ratio.

QB RODNEY PEETE
Quickie credentials: All-American and Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1988, when he passed for 2,812 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 5 TDs for a 10-2 team. Ranks third in USC history in total offense and fourth in pass completions. Finished his four-year career with 8,225 passing yards, 54 TD passes and 12 rushing TDs.

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USC basketball: Reports say staff staying, Williams going

Michael Lev, staff writer — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:00:03 +0000

New USC basketball coach Kevin O’Neill will retain Tim Floyd’s assistants, according to ESPN.com. Keeping Phil Johnson, Gib Arnold and Bob Cantu aboard would be a positive move to maintain some of the continuity that was lost this spring.

Meanwhile, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports that one-time USC commit Derrick Williams is joining the mass exodus of would-be Trojans to Arizona.

If Williams is indeed Tucson-bound, that’d increase the total to three, also including Solomon Hill and Lamont Jones.

And think about this: If Floyd were there too, he’d have three-fifths of his original ‘SC recruiting class.

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USC football: Who’s the best No. 3 in Trojans history?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:00:52 +0000

USC has had more standout football players than there are numbers available.

With more than 150 all-time All-Americans, digital repeats are inevitable.

And that leads to debates such as this one, where we try to determine who’s No. 1 among those who have worn certain numbers.

We’ll begin the series in the single digits — with No. 3 — and work our way up.

Here are the candidates. After reading their profiles, cast your vote!

WR-KR CURTIS CONWAY
Quickie credentials: All-American in 1992. All-time USC leader in kickoff return yards (1,723). Holds USC record for longest punt return (96 yards). Finished his three-year career with 71 receptions for 1,004 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus 3 return touchdowns.

WR KEYSHAWN JOHNSON
Quickie credentials: Unanimous All-American in 1995. MVP of the 1996 Rose Bowl, catching 12-216-1. Ranks seventh on USC’s career receiving list despite playing only two seasons. Finished his two-year career with 168 catches for 2,796 yards and 16 TDs.

QB CARSON PALMER (above)
Quickie credentials: All-American and Heisman Trophy winner in 2002. MVP of the 2003 Orange Bowl. Set or tied 33 Pac-10 and USC total offense and passing records. Finished his four-plus-year career with 11,818 passing yards, 72 passing touchdowns and 9 rushing TDs.

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USC basketball poll: All done with one-and-dones?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

USC coach Kevin O’Neill apparently isn’t, a subject I touched in in my NBA draft story about DeMar DeRozan, the second one-and-done Trojan in as many years to go in the top 10.

The other, of course, was O.J. Mayo, whose recruitment essentially was the beginning of the end for Tim Floyd — and, probably, USC’s recent run of hoops prosperity.

Which begs the question:

Should USC continue to pursue potential one-and-done players?

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NBA draft: Undrafted Daniel Hackett headed for Europe?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:38:36 +0000

POLL: SHOULD USC STOP PURSUING ONE-AND-DONE PLAYERS?

Daniel Hackett shocked former USC coach Tim Floyd, among others, by declaring for the NBA draft and hiring an agent. It wasn’t a huge surprise when Hackett went undrafted Thursday night.

Few mock drafts included Hackett, and, sure enough, the real one didn’t either.

That leaves Hackett with three options:

Make a team as a free agent.
Work his way up through the D-league.
Return to his native Europe to play pro ball there.

The third option seems the most likely, although Hackett told me a few weeks ago that just because he’s from Italy, that doesn’t mean he wants to go back.

“My goal is to play in the NBA,” he said. “I’m sure I won’t be a top-10 pick, but I feel comfortable enough to say I can play at that level.”

Hackett joins Davon Jefferson in the dubious category of early-declaring Trojans who didn’t get drafted.

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NBA draft: Taj Gibson, first-rounder after all

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:12:38 +0000

POLL: SHOULD USC STOP PURSUING ONE-AND-DONE PLAYERS?

USC’s Taj Gibson went earlier than just about anyone expected, going with the 26th pick to the Chicago Bulls, who seem to be perpetually in need of big men.

Gibson is like the Bulls’ Joakim Noah in a lot of ways — excellent shot blocker, very good rebounder, awkward spin on his foul shots. If he can play with Noah’s energy on a consistent basis, Gibson can last a long time in the NBA.

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NBA draft: DeMar DeRozan … the next Amare Stoudemire?

Michael Lev, staff writer — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:45:28 +0000

POLL: SHOULD USC STOP PURSUING ONE-AND-DONE PLAYERS?

Just as ESPN.com’s Chad Ford has been predicting for weeks, USC’s DeMar DeRozan went to Toronto with the ninth pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

Here’s what ESPN analyst Jay Bilas had to say about DeRozan, including an interesting note about Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo’s history with the ninth pick in the draft (read: Amare Stoudemire):

“He’s a great finisher. He’s an outstanding athlete that can play in the open floor. He can get to the basket. He’s not a very good shooter — yet — but I think he can become a good shooter in time.

“He’s just a young kid. He has played only one year of college basketball. In the second half of the year, DeMar DeRozan got better and better. He shot just about 60 percent from the field. His feel for the game started to improve.

“He needs to improve his shooting consistency, there’s no doubt about that. He needs to learn how to get his own shot and learn the game. And he’s also got to upgrade his handle - just polish up his offensive game.

“You’re going to have to wait on him a little while. But remember: Bryan Colangelo years ago at the No. 9 spot was the guy who spotted Amare Stoudemire. No. 9 has been good to Bryan Colangelo.”

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