I mentioned two weeks ago that offensive lineman Roy Hemsley might be transferring to San Diego State. Linebacker Olajuwon Tucker is also expected to transfer and safety Jamel Cook, who always seemed to be at cornerback instead of his natural position, could also be departing.
Ronald Gasser was found guilty of manslaughter Friday night for fatally shooting former USC tailback Joe McKnight last year. Gasser faces up to 40 years in prison. A Louisiana judge will sentence Gasser on March 15.
Here is who will visit USC this weekend (officially and unofficially): Cornerback Julius Irvin (Servite); linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu (Mater Dei); quarterback JT Daniels (Mater Dei) and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (Mater Dei).
USC is poised to get commitments from top-rated cornerbacks Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Olaijah Griffin and Julius Irvin. Maybe they saw some of the corner play last season. Griffin wanted to commit to USC last summer but then committed to UCLA when it seemed like UCLA backed off. He re-opened his recruiting after Jim Mora got fired.
“In our long range plan to compete for championships year after year, Clay Helton continues to move that forward.”
— USC athletic director Lynn Swann
USC says assistant basketball coach Tony Bland is no longer employed by the school. Why now all of a sudden? It seems reactionary especially after Arizona fired assistant coach Book Richardson earlier this week. Or did the feds happen to give the schools more information?
The USC-UCLA game on Feb. 3 at Pauley Pavilion will be at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
With no running backs coach, USC is short when it comes to total number of people available to recruit and make home visits. So USC has activated one of its support staff members to replace Deland McCullough as a recruiter.
Former USC athletic director Pat Haden activated himself four years ago as a recruiter when there were coaching vacancies. Remember he famously offered a basketball scholarship to the sister of defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, who ended up at UCLA.
FINAL: #USC defeats #Stanford 69-64 #FightOn @USCScoop pic.twitter.com/juvAPlEwfI
— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) January 25, 2018
USC led by 15 points at halftime then held on for a five-point victory over Stanford as Jonah Mathews scored 18 points with four 3-pointers.Chimezie Metu added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Stanford actually cut the lead to 66-64 with 32 seconds remaining. Bennie Boatwright did not play because of a “plantar wart” on his foot.
The crowd: It was announced as:4,116.
What kind of crowd will USC get for a 6 p.m. game at the Galen Center vs. Stanford? The Trojans have won 9 of 11 games. The crowd for this game would be bigger if the game were determined by a halfcourt shot like the meeting at Palo Alto.