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[h1]hackett looks promising this year, especially spending this summer with the Italian national team before he got knocked out by Mayo.
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[/h1][h1]Basketball | SoCal sinks USC[/h1][h2]Freshman Mayo scores game-high 29, Hackett notches triple-double in Gamecocks' first loss[/h2][h3]By SETH EMERSON - [email protected][/h3]
Brett Flashnick
Zam Frederick tries to drive to the basket against Southern Cal's Keith Wilkinson and O.J. Mayo.
Some may have come to see O.J. Mayo. Others may have been there to see a South Carolina men's basketball team that had shown major signs of promise.
In the end, it was Mayo's potential that went fulfilled, along with a key teammate that propelled Southern California to an 85-75 win.
In so doing, it delivered a quick come-down to an equally young Gamecocks team that entered this one feeling pretty good about itself. Instead, its firstloss of the season showed it still has plenty of work to do, as was evident to the announced crowd of 16,620 at the Colonial Center.
Among them were 16 NBA scouts, doubtless there to see Mayo, who most figure to be a one-and-done college player. The super-freshman lived up to his hype,scoring a game-high 29 points.
But the presence of teammate Daniel Hackett -- who missed last week's loss to Mercer -- may have been more important. The sophomore guard notched atriple-double, and along with Mayo hit key shots in the second half to keep South Carolina at arm's length.
"OJ Mayo is as good as advertised. Taj Gibson is a really good player," South Carolina coach Dave Odom said. "But as I was afraid, DanielHackett was the guy we couldn't control."
While South Carolina had its chances late, the latter part of the first half ended up being the difference.
After a back-and-forth opening 10 minutes, Southern Cal pulled away to lead by as many as 14, and by 10 at halftime. The turning point came when SouthCarolina sophomore forward Dominique Archie picked up his third foul at the 9:49 mark.
The Trojans led 23-19 at the time, then went on a 10-2 run once Archie left. Archie finished the game with a team-high 20 points in 23 minutes.
"He played tough tonight when he was out there. We lost a little toughness (without him)," South Carolina guard Zam Fredrick II said.
But Fredrick declined to use Archie's absence as an excuse. Instead the Gamecocks pointed to bad shot selection and transition defense.
"It was our first close game or real test in two years," Devan Downey said. "I'm not making excuses. But I think down the stretch we justdidn't make the big plays, and our shot selection really hurt us."
The Gamecocks, who averaged 97.5 points in their first games, were a different offensive team on Saturday night. Flustered by Southern Cal's traps andability to get back on defense, South Carolina played out of control at times.
It also could not hit 3s in the decisive first half, missing a number of wide-open shots. South Carolina shot 31 percent in that half, making just 2-of-11from beyond the arc; Southern Cal shot 51 percent overall and was 3-for-8 on 3s in the first 20 minutes.
The shots started falling for South Carolina in the second half, particularly from Brandis Raley-Ross. But whenever the game got close, the Gamecocks didnot convert on their end, while Mayo and Hackett hit key shots for Southern Cal.
Downey played the entire game, and Fredrick only sat for a minute. Unlike the previous two games, the Gamecocks could not afford to give them a break.
South Carolina never could cut the lead under five in the second half, despite several chances. When it got within five around the 5-minute mark, Mayodrilled a long 3, taking the final air out of the building.
The game finished with Mayo throwing down an open dunk, off a feed from Hackett that gave him his 10th assist. Hackett then turned to the student sectionand started for a few seconds.
On the other sideline, it does not get any easier: They could face two ranked opponents in next week's Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
"I told the guys, it's only one loss," Downey said. "That's a good team, an NCAA tournament team. You know, a few plays here andthere we could've won the ball game. We're still young, so I think that was a good test. Now we've just got to practice hard and get ready forOrlando."
Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.
Southern Cal 85 South Carolina 75
3-Point Goals: Southern Cal 6-17, (Mayo 3-10, Hackett 2-2, Johnson 1-2, Lewis 0-3).South Carolina 7-18, (Raley-Ross 4-5, Archie 1-3, Downey 1-3,Fredrick 1-5, Day 0-2). Turnovers: Southern Cal 9, South Carolina 9. Officials-Ted Valentine, John Cahill, Joe Lindsay.[h1]
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[/h1][h1]Mayo isn't fazed by cadets' taunts[/h1]
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By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 16, 2007
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- O.J. Mayo turned the ball over and the cadets cheered. Mayo clanked a jumper and the cadets shook their derogatory signs in glee.
The Citadel's cadets seated along the baseline near the USC bench Thursday night at McAlister Field House showed little restraint with the Trojans freshmanin his first college road game.
The cadets came equipped with signs reading, "Please don't assault our refs" and "Mayo: The Next Michael Vick." One even held upa poster with a picture of Mayo alongside a mug shot of O.J. Simpson.
Mayo drew a suspension as a high school senior for making contact with a referee and was cited for marijuana possession, a citation that was later dropped.
"The cadets, they did a nice job," said Mayo, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in USC's 74-47 win. "Our high school gamesare kind of like that, and playing in Kentucky was kind of wild like that."
Mayo also had a handful of supporters among a crowd that included his mother, Alisha, and other friends and family who had made the drive from Huntington,W.Va.
Although Mayo seemed to take the taunts in stride, others were outraged. Local resident Jerome Heyward called the signs racist and said he doubted that thecadets would similarly ridicule a white player. Heyward, who like Mayo is black, vowed to contact Citadel officials today and demand an apology to USC.
[/h1][h1]
[/h1][h1]Basketball | SoCal sinks USC[/h1][h2]Freshman Mayo scores game-high 29, Hackett notches triple-double in Gamecocks' first loss[/h2][h3]By SETH EMERSON - [email protected][/h3]
Brett Flashnick
Zam Frederick tries to drive to the basket against Southern Cal's Keith Wilkinson and O.J. Mayo.
Some may have come to see O.J. Mayo. Others may have been there to see a South Carolina men's basketball team that had shown major signs of promise.
In the end, it was Mayo's potential that went fulfilled, along with a key teammate that propelled Southern California to an 85-75 win.
In so doing, it delivered a quick come-down to an equally young Gamecocks team that entered this one feeling pretty good about itself. Instead, its firstloss of the season showed it still has plenty of work to do, as was evident to the announced crowd of 16,620 at the Colonial Center.
Among them were 16 NBA scouts, doubtless there to see Mayo, who most figure to be a one-and-done college player. The super-freshman lived up to his hype,scoring a game-high 29 points.
But the presence of teammate Daniel Hackett -- who missed last week's loss to Mercer -- may have been more important. The sophomore guard notched atriple-double, and along with Mayo hit key shots in the second half to keep South Carolina at arm's length.
"OJ Mayo is as good as advertised. Taj Gibson is a really good player," South Carolina coach Dave Odom said. "But as I was afraid, DanielHackett was the guy we couldn't control."
While South Carolina had its chances late, the latter part of the first half ended up being the difference.
After a back-and-forth opening 10 minutes, Southern Cal pulled away to lead by as many as 14, and by 10 at halftime. The turning point came when SouthCarolina sophomore forward Dominique Archie picked up his third foul at the 9:49 mark.
The Trojans led 23-19 at the time, then went on a 10-2 run once Archie left. Archie finished the game with a team-high 20 points in 23 minutes.
"He played tough tonight when he was out there. We lost a little toughness (without him)," South Carolina guard Zam Fredrick II said.
But Fredrick declined to use Archie's absence as an excuse. Instead the Gamecocks pointed to bad shot selection and transition defense.
"It was our first close game or real test in two years," Devan Downey said. "I'm not making excuses. But I think down the stretch we justdidn't make the big plays, and our shot selection really hurt us."
The Gamecocks, who averaged 97.5 points in their first games, were a different offensive team on Saturday night. Flustered by Southern Cal's traps andability to get back on defense, South Carolina played out of control at times.
It also could not hit 3s in the decisive first half, missing a number of wide-open shots. South Carolina shot 31 percent in that half, making just 2-of-11from beyond the arc; Southern Cal shot 51 percent overall and was 3-for-8 on 3s in the first 20 minutes.
The shots started falling for South Carolina in the second half, particularly from Brandis Raley-Ross. But whenever the game got close, the Gamecocks didnot convert on their end, while Mayo and Hackett hit key shots for Southern Cal.
Downey played the entire game, and Fredrick only sat for a minute. Unlike the previous two games, the Gamecocks could not afford to give them a break.
South Carolina never could cut the lead under five in the second half, despite several chances. When it got within five around the 5-minute mark, Mayodrilled a long 3, taking the final air out of the building.
The game finished with Mayo throwing down an open dunk, off a feed from Hackett that gave him his 10th assist. Hackett then turned to the student sectionand started for a few seconds.
On the other sideline, it does not get any easier: They could face two ranked opponents in next week's Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
"I told the guys, it's only one loss," Downey said. "That's a good team, an NCAA tournament team. You know, a few plays here andthere we could've won the ball game. We're still young, so I think that was a good test. Now we've just got to practice hard and get ready forOrlando."
Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.
Southern Cal 85 South Carolina 75
| SouthernCal | 40 | 45-85SouthCarolina | 30 | 45-75 | |||
| SOUTHERNCAL | MP | FG | FT | R | A | PF | PTS |
| Gibson | 31 | 2-9 | 4-6 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Johnson | 36 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Hackett | 40 | 6-9 | 8-8 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 |
| Lewis | 34 | 6-16 | 6-7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 18 |
| Mayo | 38 | 11-20 | 4-4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 29 |
| Simmons | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wilkinson | 13 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Cromwell | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cunningham | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 200 | 28-58 | 23-27 | 40 | 20 | 18 | 85 |
| SOUTHCAROLINA | MP | FG | FT | R | A | PF | PTS |
| Archie | 23 | 9-13 | 1-3 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| Holmes | 21 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Downey | 40 | 5-18 | 4-4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| Raley-Ross | 28 | 5-6 | 4-5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
| Fredrick | 37 | 4-15 | 5-5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Gray | 8 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Day | 16 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Baniulis | 10 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MuldrowIII | 17 | 0-4 | 2-2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 200 | 26-69 | 16-19 | 39 | 8 | 20 | 75 |
[/h1][h1]
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[/h1][h1]Mayo isn't fazed by cadets' taunts[/h1]
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By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 16, 2007
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- O.J. Mayo turned the ball over and the cadets cheered. Mayo clanked a jumper and the cadets shook their derogatory signs in glee.
The Citadel's cadets seated along the baseline near the USC bench Thursday night at McAlister Field House showed little restraint with the Trojans freshmanin his first college road game.
| Related Stories | |
| - | Hackett has impressive return in USC victory |
| |
Mayo drew a suspension as a high school senior for making contact with a referee and was cited for marijuana possession, a citation that was later dropped.
"The cadets, they did a nice job," said Mayo, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in USC's 74-47 win. "Our high school gamesare kind of like that, and playing in Kentucky was kind of wild like that."
Mayo also had a handful of supporters among a crowd that included his mother, Alisha, and other friends and family who had made the drive from Huntington,W.Va.
Although Mayo seemed to take the taunts in stride, others were outraged. Local resident Jerome Heyward called the signs racist and said he doubted that thecadets would similarly ridicule a white player. Heyward, who like Mayo is black, vowed to contact Citadel officials today and demand an apology to USC.
