The countdown continues to the 2012 USC Hall of Fame induction dinner on May 12.  The black tie gala is open to the public and NFL Hall of Fame WR Lynn Swann will be the emcee.

Click here for tickets.

Tina Thompson is a women's basketball icon for her success at USC, the Olympics and the WNBA. 

At Troy, Thompson was a first team All-American in 1997.  She sits fifth all-time in the Trojan record books in scoring and rebounding.

After leaving USC, she became the first player ever drafted into the WNBA.  In her 15 years in the league, Thompson has made the all-star team nine times and won four consecutive titles with the Houston Comets. 

The WNBA legend is the only player to compete in every season of the league's history.  She is the all-time leader in points and games played.

Teaming with fellow Trojan Lisa Leslie, Thompson has brought home gold twice from the Olympics in 2004 and 2008.

Click here for the complete list of the USC Hall of Fame class of 2012. 

 

USC football season ticket sales are up 10% from this point a year ago. 

The Trojan Family's passionate response has fueled a ticket drive on our new site ReturnofTroy.com, which includes a special season ticket t-shirt (pictured below). 

Next up: Mini-plans go on sale May 15, which is your best chance to secure seats for the Oregon and Notre Dame games outside of purchasing a season ticket.

The NFL Draft is only a day away, so all media outlets are posting final projections of where the players will fall. 

General consensus: LT Matt Kalil will land between No. 3 and No. 6 in the first round with a likely possibility that he goes to the Vikings.  However, ESPN's Todd McShay has him falling to the Rams in his latest mock (paid link).

DE/OLB Nick Perry (photo via OC Register) looks pretty solid as a late first round pick with many experts matching his pass rushing skills with the Patriots, a team that needs sacks.  NFL Network's Mike Mayock slots Perry at No. 27 overall.

Among the seven round mock drafts, TE/FB Rhett Ellison looks like a Saturday selection probably in the 5th round.  DT DaJohn "Juicy" Harris is the other Trojan who should expect to hear his name called as he has been linked with teams in the 5th and 6th rounds.

USC boasts the most NFL first round picks of all-time with 75 and the most players drafted by the NFL all-time with 473.

USC men's water polo senior reserve goalie Michael Shashoua earned a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue his studies in microfinance in Spain.

Click here for the full story.

"My research will be exploring the access to finance for small and medium cooperatives, including the use of microfinance (traditionally "micro" loans to poor people, as small as $10) for financial and social inclusion," Shashoua said.

"On the microfinance front, I will also be working with the Spanish government to create efficient legislation and best practices for microfinance institutions. The goal is to supplement the power of microfinance in developed countries and establish microfinance as a tool against the severe economic situation in Spain."

The Fulbright Grant provides a full year of paid research for Shashoua, who will be working with host affiliations Autonomous University of Madrid and FICO, the official credit agency of Spain.

Name - Soma Vainuku

Position - Fullback

Class - Redshirt Freshman

Size - 6'1", 250 lbs.

Age - 19

High School - Eureka (Eureka)

Comparison - He is wearing Stanley Havili's old number and has similar running skills, but needs to progress as a receiver to match the previous No. 31.  Vainuku has already displayed a tremendous work ethic.

Prep Career - He ran for 2,202 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2009 before sitting out 2010 to concentrate on qualifying academically for USC.

Spring Ball - Vainuku has been at Troy since spring 2010, and he has improved dramatically in the last year.  He is entrenched as the starting fullback going into fall camp and could contribute as a short yardage runner.

To Quote Vainuku - "I'm just trying to do everything like [Rhett] did and perfect the game like he did."

The countdown continues to the 2012 USC Hall of Fame induction dinner on May 12.  The black tie gala is open to the public and NFL Hall of Fame WR Lynn Swann will be the emcee.

Click here for tickets.

The man on the ladder!  Dr. Arthur C. Bartner has been a fixture leading the Trojan Marching Band since 1970.

Bartner has turned the marching band into the "Spirit of Troy" by increasing the popularity of membership fourfold and blanketing the USC sporting landscape with music and support.  Plus, the band has taken center stage with two platinum albums and countless television and movie appearances.

He lists his greatest career moment as leading the All-American College Marching Band at the 1984 Olympics.

USC baseball is 14-5 at home this season and Dedeaux Field will host four more games this week starting tonight at 6 p.m. against Long Beach State.  The Trojans take on Oregon State in a three-game Pac-12 series this weekend.

If you have never been to a baseball game on the USC campus, check out this review of Dedeaux Field.

On the menu tonight, all fans are treated to $1 tacos and (hopefully) a Trojan victory.

As part of the Olympic buildup, USA women's volleyball will scrimmage against Bulgaria at Galen Center on July 16 and July 18.  The U.S. Olympic team is favored to win gold at London 2012.

Click here for tickets to the exhibitions.

The United States team features USC alum Nicole Davis as the libero (pictured below).

USC women's tennis opened some eyes with its upset of No. 1 UCLA.  The Trojans dominated their rivals in Westwood beating the Bruins 6-1 to earn a share of the Pac-12 title.

Here's a look at the match via Tennis Channel...

All dressed up with no place to go, the USC football stars decided to take a stroll around campus in full pads and uniforms.

They dropped in on some classes, grabbed some lunch and joined a campus tour.  Just your average day in Troy...