Things are kind of crazy right now with work, a bunch of meetings/live surgeries and a possible trip to Berlin in 3 weeks is keeping me busy so lets get to it.
Over the weekend Scott Wolf reported that SC has lost 2 players to shoulder injuries for the upcoming season.
Williams tore his labrum during USC's first spring practice, after originally injuring the shoulder at Arkansas. He underwent surgery in April. USC coach Pete Carroll said Williams underwent a similar procedure on his other shoulder last week and it will prevent him from practicing.
[...]Freshman offensive tackle Martin Coleman also underwent surgery on his shoulder for a torn labrum and will sit out the season. Coleman, who graduated early and enrolled at USC in January, suffered the injury at Edison High School.
I'm not going to get worked up over these injuries. Williams is not eligible to play in 2007 due to his transfer from Arkansas and Coleman had a lot of competition to get on the field. I'm more concerned about Jamere Holland's pulled hamstring and hope that he will be ready when the fall campaign starts.
Wolf also is reporting that Sedrick Ellis and Sam Baker made the Outland Trophy watch list.
On the basketball front O.J. Mayo arrived at USC today in his much anticipated arrival. USCHoops.com has some video of some of Mayo's work in the Kingwood Classic. Sleuth has done a great job on this site with some great interactive stuff and a great layout. Make sure to check it out.
Daniel Hackett is turning heads with the Italian National Team.
From the USC website:
Hackett averaged 5.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 37 games, including 16 starts, as a freshman this past season for USC. He was second for the Trojans in assists with 103 and second in free throw shooting with a .792 percentage.
The 6-5 guard had one of his best games for the Trojans during its second-round, 87-68, victory over Kevin Durant and Texas in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
That will be a great experience for him in the coming season, as the European game is much more fundamentally sound. Good for Him!
USC's 2007 Basketball Class has been rated #1 by ESPN, #2 by HoopsReport.com and #3 by Rivals. I'm not sure what the rankings actually mean, but being at the top means we have picked up some top talent and in the end that is all that matters. I think Tim Floyd will do some great work this season and the expectations are high.
Scout has their 2007 player draft rankings out. Nick Young is at #13, Gabe Pruitt is at #26 and Lodrick Stewart is at #73. Again I'm not sure what this all means after the first round picks. Lets hope that Gabe and Lod have in a good showing in their pre-draft workouts.
Witt the baseball season over the postseason awards are coming out. Both Grant Green and Brad Boxberger were named Second Team All-Americans by Rivals.com.
Green batted .316 (72-for-228) this season for the Trojans with 14 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs, 24 RBI and six stolen bases with a .966 fielding percentage. His 10 triples set a school single-season record, breaking the previous mark of eight triples.
This is a great accomplishment for the baseball team. Let's hope that coach Kreuter can build on this and get things back on track. There is no reason why USC should not be competing for a Pac10 title.