I really haven't taken the time to look at the basketball side of things and I really don't plan on getting too involved with it until after the football season is over but I did want to at least acknowledge USC's 2010 recruiting class.

Kevin O'Neill seems pleased with this class...

"This is a great class in terms of what we were looking to sign," first-year USC coach Kevin O'Neill said. "All of these guys are good players, good students and good athletes."

ESPN.com and MaxPreps rank the Trojans' class among the top 13 in the nation. The ranking includes 6-6 Dwayne Polee Jr. of Westchester of Los Angeles. He committed to USC but did not sign Wednesday. His father, Dwayne Polee, is the Trojans director of basketball operations. Because his dad is a university employee, Polee can join the team as a walk-on.

I am not sure I buy into any of these rankings but that is imaterial...

I am also still not sure about the whole Polee situation...I still smacks of the way Tim Floyd did business and that along with Mayo put SC in a bad light. O'Neill has no choice but to paint the most positive picture on a bad situation. The bigger question is how will he develop these kids and how will he interact with the coaches. He still has to calm the nerves of the fans and his detractors who point to the Arizona situation.

Kevin O'Neill obviously has a long road to hoe. The resignation of Tim Floyd and the loss of what was shaping up to be a stellar recruiting class basically turned USC basketball into a desolate wasteland. SC was finally making some progress. But with all the allegations surrounding O.J. Mayo any positive progress has been wiped away so Kevin O'Neill is basically starting from scratch. This season will be painful to watch with all the depth issues that we have.

There have been some rumors that the NCAA is close to finishing their investigation...sad to say, which one I do not know. But if the basketball program gets hammered it would not surprise me to see any one of these players ask to be released from their LOI.

Here is the official press release from the athletic department.

So, here they are. This a thumbnail sketch of this class from the OCR...

Four players have signed letters of intent to play basketball at USC next season, the school announced.

The four are forward Garrett Jackson of Portland, Ore.; guard Bryce Jones of Woodland Hills; guard Maurice Jones of Saginaw, Mich.; and forward Curtis Washington of Elizabethtown, Ky.

"This is a great class in terms of what we were looking to sign," said first-year USC coach Kevin O’Neill, who inherited a team with only one scholarship freshman. "All of these guys are good players, good students and good athletes. Everyone of them will come here and contribute."

Here are the vitals on each player:

GARRETT JACKSON

• Height: 6-6
• Junior stats: 21 ppg, 11 rpg
• School: Westview HS
• O’Neill says: "Garrett can play multiple positions on offense and defense. He is making leaps and bounds as a player. He is a workaholic in every way. I can’t wait to coach him at USC."

BRYCE JONES

• Height: 6-5
• School: Taft HS
• Junior stats: N/A (sat out as transfer)
• O’Neill says: "Bryce has a big-time motor," said O’Neill. "He is a great athlete who plays hard all the time on both ends of the floor. I would take Bryce over any two-guard in the country. I love his competitive spirit and his upside."

MAURICE JONES

• Height: 5-7
• School: Arthur Hill HS
• Junior stats: 27 ppg, 13 apg
• O’Neill says: "Mo will be fun for our fans to watch every second of every game. He is a great point guard who can run a team and score. I love what Maurice brings to the table."

CURTIS WASHINGTON

• Height: 6-9
• School: Elizabethtown HS
• Junior stats: 8 ppg, 4 rpg
• O’Neill says: "Curtis is a great shot blocker and rebounder. He will be a great addition to our front line. He has the ability to shoot to 17 feet and beyond. I think he will make huge strides over the next four years."

The Press Enterprise has a little more detail of each player...

The USC men's basketball program has received signed national letters of intent (NLIs) from guard Maurice Jones of Saginaw, Mich., guard Bryce Jones of Woodland Hils, Calif., forward Curtis Washington of Elizabethtown, Ky. and forward Garrett Jackson of Portland, Ore, the school announced in a release.

The Trojan recruiting class is ranked No. 6 by MaxPreps and No. 13 by ESPNU and tops among Pac-10 schools, according to the release.

"This is a great class in terms of what we were looking to sign," said USC head basketball coach Kevin O'Neill. "All of these guys are good players, good students and good athletes. Everyone of them will come here and contribute not only on the court, but to our great institution. We're proud to have these four guys and their families as part of our Trojan Family."

I will admit that I do not know anything about these players. So if anyone has some insight feel free to write up in a fanpost.