Really! No kidding! Plus other hoops musings...
From Adam Rose at All Things Trojan:
Prized USC recruit DeMar DeRozan's SAT score from last month "improved about 80 or 90 points" from his previous score, Compton High Coach Tony Thomas said Wednesday, meaning the McDonald's All-American should be eligible to play for the Trojans next season.
"He's pretty sure he's got enough based upon whatever grades he gets," Thomas said. "He thinks he'll be more than fine."
Are we sure, is he is even coming? Adam reports that so far he is:
DeMar DeRozan, the centerpiece of USC's incoming freshman class, said Sunday that he remained committed to the Trojans "as of right now" but would closely monitor a fledgling NCAA investigation into whether former star O.J. Mayo accepted improper benefits.
"As of right now, nothing's happened with the [NCAA investigation], so I'm going to stay committed to the school," DeRozan said during an interview at the Pangos All-American Camp on the practice courts inside the Galen Center.
Let me clear here, if he is having second thoughts then let him go he will be gone by the end of the season anyway. With that we are going through now and with his shaky academic record who needs the grief.
As for SC’s other "commit", it seems that Leonard Washington is having second thoughts:
Leonard Washington, a former USC signee who opened up his recruiting last year after he failed to qualify academically, said he would announce his college decision early this week.
Washington said he was considering USC, Indiana and Kentucky, with the Trojans as the front-runner.
The more interesting thing is in Adam’s next post on ALT.
In case you were wondering about the aforementioned issues surrounding Leonard Washington, here's a little nugget from a story in the Lexington Herald-Leader in November.
One reader recoiled at the thought of UK adding Leonard Washington to the team. The prospect's reputation has been marred by such incidents as refusing his coach's order to re-enter the Louisiana state championship game, instigating a fracas last summer that police quelled with pepper spray, and being ejected from a game for elbowing an opponent in the face.
Washington is also attending a second prep school in hopes of gaining his academic eligibility. The prospect's decision to put off a college choice until spring no doubt pleased a reader who hopes Washington never plays for the Cats.
"When you take guys like Washington, you (1) show deplorable judgement, and (2) are exhibiting desperation ... ," reader Ked Fitzpatrick wrote in an e-mail. "If Billy Clyde Gillispie takes this fellow, he either has a really big heart and wants to help him rehab. Or he's desperate already and won't last at Kentucky more than three years ...
Right, we really want this guy.
You’ll have to forgive me if my tone is sour when it comes basketball right now. It is beyond me that ANY player with the issues I listed above, regardless of their talent level, would still be a legitimate target for USC. I am not asking for choir boys but it would be nice to see SC get some players that will stick around for 3 or 4 years, attend classes and help build some chemistry for the program.
Maybe I’m asking for too much…