Post-weekend forum

Since you said that you are often asked about Mitch Mustain's motivation, let me ask you a different question - Does Mitch Mustain have "the eye of the tiger"?

Scott:

If the basketball team makes the NCAA Tournament, will you be accompanying them on the road or is the Daily News sending another reporter?

SW, with so many former Trojans getting a look see as a possible DB coach, who would you like too see PC bring back in to the coaching stable? Also, what former Trojan do you think has the best future as a coach? Fight On!

In my nearly 30 years of following SC sports, our Basketball team has been overshadowed by UCLA's program. We blamed this mostly on SC's inability to consistently attract top players due to our inferior practice and playing facilities. With the Galen Center in its second season, there must be a sense in HH that the national BB media is paying a little more attention to SC. I realize that OJ Mayo's signing has also elevated SC, but since he's a "1 and done", what does SC now need to do (other than win) to keep the men's BB team in the top half of the Pac-10? UCLA's PP is a joke compared to USC's GC, Coach Floyd's resume is as good as Coach Howland's, so why are top BB players still selecting UCLA over USC?

Whatever happened to the "Pete Carroll Mic'd-up At The Rose Bowl" videos? Right after the Rose Bowl the "Pre-Game" video was released. Then a week later the "1st Quarter" appeared. These were on USCs offical website as well as PeteCarroll.com. Then mysteriously the "1st Quarter" video disappeared and the others never appeared. Did it have anything to do with Pete Carroll's reaction to Desmond Reed's flip in the endzone where Pete clearly gets upset and calls Reed, "You Motherf***er!"

The sports media columnist at your paper recently ranked Pete Arbogast as the worst play-by-play announcer in LA. I couldnt agree more. What is your opinion of Arbogast and are there any experiences you can share of dealing with him during your time as the USC beat reporter?

If you have watched any of the off-season workouts, could you tell us how Mitch Mustain has been performing? If they have just been very casual workouts and hardly anything competitive or above mere throwing the ball around, then you can just ignore this question.

Thanks in advance, Scott.

Does the athletic department or anyone else sell dvds of all the footballs games from the past season? I'm going through serious football withdrawal right now. I'd also like to double down on the question above about the Pete Carroll mic'd up videos.

How are jersey numbers allocated and when can we expect to know the numbers of the new recruits?

You mentioned that PC was the forth choice for SC. I know Oregon's Bellotti and Erickson (when at Oregon State) turned down the job. Who else? Was it Dennis Franchione? At the time I thought ASU made a better hire with Dirk Koetter from Boise. Shows you what I know.

Many question why Chauncey Washington was given so many touches this past season and believe they would have been better spent given to the younger players. It's safe to assume the younger players would have started 2008 more prepared than they will but do you think the program would have had the same level of success in 2007?

What's going on with the Taverna? Is this a potentially serious blow to recruiting?

What do you attribute to the dramatic drop in the physical quality of the USC Song Girls these past eight or so years? They have, to put it diplomatically, become very homely, would you not agree? Some people attribute the drop in Song Girl standards to the university's increased academic profile but that is an extremely weak and flawed excuse. After all, was it not as recent as 2006 that the now-Mrs Ryan Kalil became world famous for cheering on Texas in the Rose Bowl? So clearly increased intelligence is not a legitimate excuse for why the Song Girls went downhill so fast and have been eclipsed by many other universities' cheer squads, with Oregon being the new gold standard.

Can something be done so that the USC-Cal game is on TV somewhere on Thursday? ESPNU, KDOC... something. In this day and age, with literally 1000 channels our cable/satellite systems, how is it possible for a Pac-10 game of this magnitude to not be televised?

JDStar:
Sir, with ALL due respect:
1. Have you researched USC basketball recruiting classes lately?
2. Tim Floyd is NOT John Wooden. By the same token he has elevated the Trojans basketball program and the players like him and respect him. He's a good recruiter also.
3. Again if you research rivals.com Demar DeRozan is the second best recruiting basketball player in the nation and has committed to USC.
4. Mayo's recruiting class is the second best in the nation; Kansas was #1 by a few points.
Finally who knows if OJM comes back?
Respectfully stated

In general do the basketball players like Coach Floyd? Is he considered a player's coach or more of a task master? Is he a branch on another older coach's coaching tree? Do you see Floyd ever making a Final 4 while at SC (if he stays for a min. of 5 more years)

WOLFIE, Say team X signs 30 guys, but none are eligible to enter in the Spring, and all 30 qualify academically---can team X pick ANY 5 guys that they want to, and tell them--sorry, you have to grayshirt? Thanx in advance, Wise One.

Do you have a good relationship with Arbo?

Scott:

Yet another one of your blog posts has become a national issue on Sports Illustrated; this time the issue with the song girls. Good job!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/sioncampus/03/05/campus.clicks0305/index.html