Conquest Chronicles - All Posts

The LA Times and NY Times file application to unseal NCAA docs

2013-06-19T11:40:17Z

The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have filed an application to intervene with the California Court of Appeals asking that the appellate record in the Todd McNair vs. NCAA case be unsealed.

Acting on behalf of the two major media organizations, the law firm of Davis, Wright Tremaine, considered the nation's top media law practice with more than 500 attorneys in offices from LA to San Francisco, from Anchorage, Portland and Seattle to Washington, D.C., New York and Shanghai, filed both its request to intervene along with a 7,039-word argument that, with its extensive exhibits attached, totals 227 pages.

Included are 18 pertinent articles on the USC/McNair/NCAA case -- three from USCfootball.com, as well as 29 federal and state law precedents that the attorneys for the two media organizations argue show that there is no way material filed with the court in this case should be kept out of view from the general public.

You can read the full 227-page application here.

While this needs to get out for all to see, I think we are far enough down the road that there will be very little relief if the documents show malfeasance by the NCAA. I have no doubt that they do indeed show that, but what does USC get out of it at this point?

Haden has said there will be no lawsuit...and even if the USC BoT decide to sue it could take years for any meaningful results.

I understand that by releasing the Documents it could give all of us a sense of moral victory but it won't help us on the field, especially if we still have Kiffin as the HC.

Success on the field is all that matters at this point.

Mark Emmert and his crew can't be any more shamed or embarrassed after the handling of the Miami situation. The USC situation could add insult to injury but nothing more than that.

I won't deny that I will enjoy reading the documents, if released, but I don't expect anything to come of it to help the team on the field.

It should be an interesting set of oral arguments!

FIGHT ON!

UCLA is "Linebacker U"??

2013-06-18T20:37:40Z

Now this is funny!

UCLA isn't close to be being "Linebacker U" in all of D-1 let alone in the city of Los Angeles.

The traditional "Linebacker U" schools trump it. UCLA has produced the same number of 1st round linebackers (2) as Penn State since 1980. The comparisons end there. Penn State has produced more than twice as many top three round picks (15) as UCLA (7). Their track record doesn’t compare to Miami (14 in 1st-3rd, 5 in 1st), Ohio State (12, 5) or Alabama (11, 7).

However, to entirely disprove the premise, one need not leave UCLA’s 20 mile radius. Crosstown rival USC has had 15 linebackers chosen in the first three rounds since 1980. Nine of those were chosen in the first round. Six of those were chosen in the Top 10. UCLA can push forward Ken Norton Jr. USC can counter with Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews and Lofa Tatupu, just from 2005 onward.

Is this Junior's way of trying to make his own statement? Maybe trying to say the monopoly is over?

Anything for attention I guess.

UCLA wouldn't even be on the front page schools with top Linebackers....Norton Jr. is the only one and he has pretty much disowned the program after Slick Rick ignored him.

But while we are on it, this post from the mother ship does great job of breaking down positions, teams and where players have been taken over the years in the NFL Draft.

I know USC is struggling right now, but you can't deny Mora has done a decent job in his first year...I mean, he did beat USC. But Junior doing this is like something Kiffin would pull from his past.

Speaking of Kiffin Read the paragraph in the BigLead article.

Over/Under on Kiffin doing something stupid with this?

FIGHT ON!

Caryl Smith Gilbert named head of USC Track

2013-06-17T21:24:20Z

This is an interesting hire by Pat Haden.

From Ripsit:

Smith Gilbert was a six-time Conference USA Coach of the Year at the University of Central Florida. She recently led the women's team to a fifth place finish at both the 2013 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor and Indoor Championships.

"I know we can win championships at USC and we will be a powerhouse program for both men and women," Smith Gilbert said. "I am from the West Coast and I look forward to getting back there. The academic and athletic tradition at USC is unparalleled and I plan to continue the tradition of winning and add to the numerous national championships USC has already won."

During her career, Smith Gilbert has produced 4 NCAA individual champions and more than 50 conference titlists. She spent the past six seasons (2008-13) at University of Central Florida overseeing the women's track and cross country programs. She was previously an assistant at Tennessee, Alabama and Penn State.

One Teeny Tiny problem here though...Smith Gilbert has never coached a men's track & field team.

I know there are some that will not be happy with this move. I admit to not being a T&F expert but hiring a coach who has never coached up the men's side of the ledger is kind of a red flag.

We welcome Coach Smith Gilbert, but I can't wait to hear the opinions on this.

FIGHT ON!

Phil Steele ranks USC's Defensive Line as #2 for 2013

2013-06-15T14:31:47Z

The USC D-line has always had the potential to be special.

Phil Steele puts USC at #2 to start the 2013 campaign...

Ask any coach out there to describe the biggest difference and "defensive line" is bound to be one of the first things that slip out of his mouth. It truly is all about the trenches in the SEC, both defensively and offensively. The offensive lines deserve some love for just putting up with their burly counterparts, but the defensive lines really do get all the attention.

So it should come as no surprise that when Phil Steele ranked his top 15 defensive lines in college football that the SEC was represented by five teams -- the most of any conference.

While none ranked first or second -- that was reserved for Notre Dame (No. 1) and USC (No. 2) -- South Carolina topped the SEC lines at No. 3 on Steele's list. Florida ranked sixth, Ole Miss was 12th, Alabama was 13th and LSU was 14th.

This is all well and good but USC needs to earn this spot in the upcoming season.

The defense in general will be asked to do a lot as the offense adjusts to a new QB and reduced production at WR with some unknowns as the team heads into fall camp.

We find out in around 70 days.

FIGHT ON!

The Year in Troy 2012-2013

2013-06-15T12:59:11Z

This is a great video!

Even though it was a disappointing season for football, Baseball and basketball lived up to their expected poor showings.

But USC had a great year in sports all around...the non-revenue sports carried the day.

We need to get the big three back on track!

FIGHT ON!

Matt Barkley Zings Adam Schefter

2013-06-15T12:52:01Z

So Matt Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last week. So, of course someone was going to make a comment.

You can look at the tweet below one of two ways.

1) Barkley is getting that Philly sense of humor or 2) Barkley is over sensitive with his faring in the NFL draft.

@AdamSchefter yeah, because my signature has changed. Duhhhh #thanksforthecommentaryAdam
— Matthew Barkley (@MattBarkley) June 13, 2013

I laughed at this when I read it.

I have never been a real big fan of Schefter, so Barkley dropping the political correctness and shooting one across the bow of Schefter to me is fine. On the other hand, it is hard not to see Barkley's sensitivity in his plummeting in the draft...that is just human nature, especially when clowns like Shefter touted Barkley the previous year as a top 10 pick.

I have been on record that I didn't think Barkley was a top pick because he didn't improve like he should have as a 4-year starter. Regardless, he owes nothing to anyone for wanting to stay the extra year and enjoy the college life. If cost him the wallet then so be it. Guys like Schefter have a job because of the insatiable appetite the fans have for the NFL. But one these days he will bite the hand that feeds a little too hard.

I hope Barkley lights it up in Philly!

FIGHT ON!

Thank You Ron Allice!!

2013-06-09T22:54:35Z

A legend is hanging it up...

Ron Allice, who coached Southern California to the 2001 NCAA women's track and field team championship and helped the school's men's and women's track athletes win 32 individual NCAA titles, is retiring after 19 years.

He announced his plans to leave June 30 on the final day of the NCAA outdoor championships on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. The Trojans' men's team finished fifth, and the women's team tied for 21st.

Among the Olympians that Allice coached were 1996 gold medalist Balazs Kiss in the hammer throw; two-time Olympic 400-meter hurdles champion Felix Sanchez; and Bryshon Nellum, a silver medalist in the 1,600 at last year's London Games.

Allice is another in the long line of USC coaches who have had long successful careers.

It is a sad day to seem him go and he will be missed.

Good Luck Coach Allice!!

FIGHT ON!

Nikola Vucevic has come a long way

2013-06-09T22:48:05Z

USC has had some players make some noise in the NBA.

I am not sure how many thought Nikola Vucevic would be one of those players.

This is an interesting read...

DeMar DeRozan seemed to be everything Nikola Vucevic was not.

DeRozan arrived at USC in 2008 as one of the most-hyped prep prospects in the nation, surrounded by an entourage that included rapper Percy "Lil’ Romeo" Miller. DeRozan had a vertical leap that made him a SportsCenter highlight waiting to happen.

The closest Vucevic came to SportsCenter was religiously watching the nightly sports news program from his Troy East apartment, desperate to learn English to communicate with his peers.

Yet the two former teammates found themselves hugging before a November game between DeRozan’s Toronto Raptors and Vucevic’s Orlando Magic at the Air Canada Centre.

According to Vucevic, "DeMar said, ‘Man, you have come a long way. When you were a freshman, nobody knew who you were, and you did not play a lot. Now you are starting in the NBA.’

"I did not really think about it until then," Vucevic mused.

I really don't watch much of the NBA, but even I know that Vucevic has had more of an impact than DeRozan...maybe even more than OJ Mayo.

This is one of those great stories that hopefully Andy Enfield can use as he builds the USC basketball program.

Sometimes great play comes when you least expect it.