Mayo: The One Year Wonder

As we’ve established previously, I don’t know squat about basketball. Frankly, I’m proud to admit it, even if some people give me a hard time. USC has no significant history or heritage of success in basketball, so why as a true and honest Trojan would I, or any other USC fan, give one hoot about hoops?

When it comes to intercollegiate athletics, USC is a football school. Sure we have great history in baseball, track, volleyball … but football is king.

Admittedly, I am a bandwagoneer when it comes to Trojan round ball or anything non-football. But when the Galen Center opened last month, I was at least somewhat excited because the new offices and locker rooms there mean that there is now more room for the football team in Heritage Hall.

Then, I hear that fat guy we hired to coach our basketball team (who by the way, seems to have lost a lot of weight and picked up a slight southern accent) says that the Galen Center will bring us a national championship. Even I know we’re a long way from that … right?

Apparently, not so much. This because some kid who calls himself O.J. and wears No. 32, wants to come play in the Galen Center and take USC to the "promised land." He thinks he can do for USC basketball what Patrick Ewing did for Georgetown back in the day.

This sounds well and good, but I can’t help but remain skeptical. Does this Mayo kid realize that Patrick Ewing built the Georgetown program over the entire four years of his eligibility, including an Olympic gold medal in between? Apparently not, since Mayo is supposedly “one and done.”

I have to ask: Is this how we’re supposed to build a basketball program? It feels kind of cheap to me.

Again, I don’t know jack about hoops, but I’ll believe the hype about this young man when I see it. (I use the term “young man” loosely because I have seen video of him, and he looks like a 30-year-old.)

In the meantime, we’ve got USC Football and all the history and heritage - and winning - that goes with it.

Fight On! Beat the Bears!

Note: Again, I plagiarized myself here, having posted a "guest blogger" version of this post on Conquest Chronicles.
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