Como se dice ...
Mayo and Simmons said the trip to Mexico would be their first time outside the country. Asked if he knew how to say anything in Spanish, Mayo said only ``como estas.''
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Matthew Kredell broke into the Daily News in 1998, working part time
at the paper while going to USC. The basketball team’s Elite Eight
run in 2000-01 was USC’s athletic highlight in his time at the
school, when the football team was stuck in the Paul Hackett-era.
After graduating in 2001, he started writing for the Daily News full
time. He’s in his second year covering USC, which coincides with the
rise of the program. He’ll take credit for the success, though Tim
Floyd may have more to do with it. A third-generation Los Angelean,
he grew up reading the Daily News while at El Camino Real High School
in Woodland Hills.
Matt commented on Francis closure
td4troy commented on Como se dice ...
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Mayo and Simmons said the trip to Mexico would be their first time outside the country. Asked if he knew how to say anything in Spanish, Mayo said only ``como estas.''
Dwight Lewis says he added 15 pounds and Keith Wilkinson says he added 10 pounds in offseason weight-lifting.
``We came in last year as freshmen, kind of small and not really muscular,'' Lewis said. ``But now we're growing and can't really get pushed around anymore.''
Floyd said the improved strength of the returning players is what stood out in the first days of practice.
``Anyone who's lifted will tell you that it helps in terms of ability to finish (around the basket), ability to hold their ground in the post and stamina,'' Floyd said.
I heard freshman Mamadou Diarra had a tough time catching balls around the basket in a drill, similar to Abdoulaye N'diaye's problems with his hands in recent years. It's something he'll have to work on. N'diaye never really improved in that aspect of his game.
Marcus Simmons was another freshmen participating in his first official USC practice. Simmons said the practice was rough because he's learning all the plays. In one drill, he was asked to set screens, something he said he had never really done before. But, after practice, Simmons was more excited than frustrated. He was one of the last players to leave the court, staying to battle one-on-one with both Kasey Cunningham and Dwight Lewis.
``Believe it or not, I was in the locker room just hollering and running around before hand,'' Simmons said. ``It was exciting for me. I got out there and it made me feel good, like I'm part of something.''
Simmons perhaps didn't see the midseason Tim Floyd.
``When we met in his office, he said he'd be hard on me,'' Simmons said. ``But I thought he was pretty soft today and I'm happy with that.''
Former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell and former Pepperdine coach Jan van Brenda Kolff watched practice at Floyd's invitation.
``They are guys I value,'' Floyd said. ``I wanted them to observe and help me in any way they can.''
Floyd added that the guest coaches would probably be out at practice all week.
Floyd attended some of the trial in Louisiana of D'Anthony Ford, who was convicted earlier this month of second-degree murder for shooting former USC basketball player Ryan Francis. Ford faces an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
``I went out there because of my love for Paulette (Francis, Ryan's mother),'' Floyd said. ``I felt it was important for our university to be represented at the trial. I just wanted to give any level of comfort for what I knew would be a trying time for her.''
Floyd said all the players are aware of the conviction, at that it helps bring some closure to the team.
``I'm very happy for Paulette because I didn't want her to have to live with the idea of Ryan's killer being on the streets in the same town she was in on a daily basis,'' Floyd said.
``It was fun,'' Mayo said of his first official USC basketball practice. ``I learned a lot. It was my first college practice, so I was really excited.''
Mayo didn't have much time to talk after his first practice because he had to do a photo shoot for USA Today along with Taj Gibson, then run to eat before a 6:30 p.m. class. USC is holding a press conference tomorrow afternoon in which he will talk more.
Coach Tim Floyd said the structure of the practice -- halfcourt offensive drills -- didn't allow for Mayo to make any of the spectacular plays that made him the top basketball recruit in the nation.
``It was nice to see all our freshmen and they were all just listening,'' Floyd said. ``The other guys have been practicing five days, so they had a chance to observe and then go out and repeat what (the returning players) were doing. I haven't had the chance to really even watch them go up and down the floor other than a little street ball to start the practice.''
Keith Wilkinson said that Mayo wasn't just sitting back and listening in his first practice.
``You can tell he's a leader and a winner even though we weren't doing much,'' Wilkinson said. ``He's really vocal out there, encouraging guys and telling them where to go and what to do.''
Looks like all the freshmen are practicing except Angelo Johnson, who is still awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse. Walk-on James Dunleavy, son of Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy and brother Indiana Pacers player Mike Dunleavy Jr., is participating in his first USC practice. Dunleavy went to Harvard-Westlake High in Studio City. Daniel Hackett is practicing. I'll find out later if this means Hackett will be making the trip to Mexico.
O.J. Mayo and the incoming freshman class are practicing with the team for the first time. The practice is taking place upstairs on the practice courts. The main Galen Center court is fitted for volleyball. The practice appears to be closed to the media, but I'll see if I can view any of the latter stages. I'll have notes and quotes from Mayo and the rest of the team at the conclusion, probably around 6 p.m.
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