First off, the strangest news of the day courtesy of the LA times:
Lamont Jones of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy signed a letter of intent today to play for USC, making the Trojans' point guard position stronger, according to a source familiar with the program.
What the heck is going on here? First off there were reports that Jones was going to sign with SC on Friday, but then apprently he did not have a timeline and would take a visit to Arizona and possibly Florida. And now he has signed his LOI to play for Floyd? Honestly, I am not really sure what to make of this situation. Momo is certainly a welcome addition to the roster if the news is true, but I think a few more days need to pass before anybody takes this news at face value. **UPDATE** Erik McKinney over at We Are SC has confirmed the news. Welcome to USC Lamont Jones!
Next up, the Jordan Brand Classic (probably the second biggest HS All Star game behind McDonald's) was played last night in New York City at the Madison Square Garden. Both Lamont Jones and USC (verbal) commit Renardo Sidney played in the game, and Sidney came away with MVP honors from the White team. From ESPN:
This time the big men spoke loudly and carried their teammates, befitting a true Jordan Brand All-American. On Saturday night the atypical ruled. Translation: Guard play was trumped by a pair of ultra-talented post players with bright futures. Derrick Favors of South Atlanta (Atlanta) and Renardo Sidney Jr. of Fairfax (Los Angeles) were the game's Most Valuable Players for the Black and White teams, respectively.
I watched the most of the game before I went out last night, and I liked most of what I saw from Sidney. In addition to 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists Renardo also had at least two blocks togo with a couple of other nice passes that really should have gone for baskets. The Fairfax PF showed really nice handles for a big man and his shooting form was better than that of most of the guards at the game. His flaws were on display though too as it was clear that Sidney needs to get in better condition to get back quickly on defense and he was getting too comfortable on the perimeter at times. Luckily conditioning isn't too difficult to work on and defense is Floyd's specialty, but the desire to improve has to come from Sidney. Really though, its not a stretch at all to compare his game to Chris Webber.
Finally, a quick women's hoops note. From Scott Wolf:
During a team meeting last week with the administration, women's basketball players were told they would have a new coach within two weeks. That should give USC and the Sparks time to settle any differences regarding Michael Cooper.
I've mentioned it before, but I think its worth bears repeateing. USC has a lot of talent already in place, and whoever takes over the program should be in a great position to make a potential run at the Pac 10 title. Although I'm not the biggest fan of women's basketball I still hope that SC makes a splash with the hire and continues the strong tradition that the prgram has built up.