February 2012 Archives

Written by Paul Goldberg, USC Sports Information

All-Americans Robert Woods and T.J. McDonald are hard at work preparing for the start of spring practice, which is just a few weeks away. 

On Wednesday in USC's Sports Information Office, the standout wide receiver and safety got a little work done honing their interview schools with a group of eighth graders from nearby Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy.

The students have been immersed in a sports journalism program at their school designed to develop their reasoning, writing and social development skills. On Wednesday, they got a chance to test out those skills during Q&A sessions with both Woods and McDonald. When Matt Barkley stopped by the office to do a radio interview, the students were able to get a few words with the quarterback as well.

You hope to continue to play baseball for as long as possible but do you have any plans or goals to put your graduate studies to use?

In a perfect world, it's just sort of a back pocket thing after many, many years in the big leagues.

• Offense was not at a premium for the Trojans on Sunday evening. Kevin O'Neill's squad shot just 31.3 percent and only two players made a field goal through the first 20 minutes of play. Despite their shooting woes, USC only trailed by two at the half but couldn't buy a bucket coming out of the locker room after halftime. The Trojans didn't make their first field goal of the second frame until the 5:33 mark. During that time, the Cardinal built a 10-point lead and never looked back. "We forced 18 turnovers and held them to around 40 percent, which should be enough to win but only if you score," O'Neill said. "I liked our effort, how hard our guys played and the fact that we made a run, but we just didn't have a second run in us in the second half. We just don't have enough depth and that's not going to change."
  
  
• Freshman Byron Wesley has shown significant strides at the offensive end of late. On Sunday, he recorded double-digit points (13) for the fourth straight game and led the team in scoring along with Greg Allen.  "I think Byron [Wesley] is going to be a big-time player," said O'Neill. "I love the way he is playing as a freshman. The guy fights hard."
  
  
• Guard Maurice Jones (pictured above by AP Photo/Chris Carlson), the team's leading scorer, however, struggled from the field (2-for-14) all evening long. The sophomore missed his first eight shots of the contest and finished with 10 points and four assists. In his last four games, Jones is shooting just over 32 percent (16-for-49). "Maurice [Jones]' shots when he's at the point are not nearly as good as when he plays off the ball," said O'Neill. "He had a lot of wide open looks that just didn't go down. Let's face it, the guy has to be fatigued playing the amount of minutes he has all year long."

• Maurice Jones loves playing against Cal.  USC's leading scorer dropped 17 points (8/13 shooting) on the Bears for the second time this year.  He had the Trojans competing with a veteran Cal team before foul trouble and a cut on his left hand forced him to the bench for a stretch.  "When Mo is not in there, we don't function very well," head coach Kevin O'Neill said. 
  

• Byron Wesley (photo by Pierson Clair) is emerging as a bright spot from this injury plagued season.  The freshman scored 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while playing multiple positions within the offense and defense.  However, if he is going to take his game to the next level in the offseason, he must improve his jump shot.  "We are going to have to change his shot," O'Neill put the onus on Wesley to get in the practice gym.  "He's going to be a very, very, very good player."
  

• Cal likely has the best case for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth from the Pac-12 conference, which did not distinguish itself in non-league play.  The Bears feature talented guards Allen Crabbe (19 points) and Jorge Gutierrez plus veteran big man Harper Kamp (18 points).  "They are at the top of the league for a reason," O'Neill said.  The head coach believes the Pac-12 will get three teams (Cal, Washington and Arizona) in the Big Dance.

USC hosts Stanford on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. pacific.

• USC is capped at 75 total scholarship players for the next three years, which is down from the normal 85.
• The Trojans can only sign 15 scholarship athletes per recruiting class for each of the next three years.

2012:

• USC signed 5 players as spring early entrants, but that total counts towards the 2011 fall recruiting class, which had the normal maximum of 25 scholarship players.
• Lane Kiffin added 12 student-athletes Wednesday as part of the 2012 fall recruiting class, which means the Trojans are still three scholarships away from the cap.

2013:

• Those three scholarships will likely be handed out to early entrants for the 2013 spring semester.
• Kiffin will have 15 more scholarships available at this time next year for the 2013 fall class, but if he does not use them all, they will be rolled over again to the 2014 early entrants.

2014

• The final year of the sanctions.  The fall class will again be limited to 15 and the coaches will likely sign all 15 players since they will have 25 scholarships made available in 2015.

When the 2012 fall camp opens, Kiffin will have added 17 new players for this year's team (5 early entrants + 12 fall recruits).  Next year, he can add as many as 18.

As for the total number of players, USC is over the 75 cap as of today by a small margin, but Kiffin is not worried.  With normal roster erosion from transfers, academic ineligibility and other factors, he says that they will not have a problem meeting the mark.

• The USC coaching staff used the quality over quantity strategy to combat the scholarship limits.  With 12 players comprising this fall class (17 total counting the spring entrants), the Trojans will be able to sign as many as 18 players next year, which helps balance out the scholarship reductions.  "We didn't reach," Kiffin explained.  "We had a specific plan which was targeting quality players.  As you missed [out on some of them], [it] gives us some room for next year."

• The primary focus of the class was improving the depth and long term prospects of the offensive line.  "The size is what sticks out," Kiffin said about Jordan Simmons (335 lbs.), Zach Banner (335 lbs.) and Max Tuerk (6'6").  "We made sure we got guys for down the road, not so much for next year."
  

• Kiffin, who recruited Florida as an assistant under Pete Carroll, dipped into the Sunshine State for two more talented players today in WR Nelson Agholor (top photo by Tampa Tribune) and DE Leonard Williams (photo right by Orlando Sentinel).  Monte Kiffin and Orgeron were credited with closing two standout players in SEC country.

• The rich got richer at LB, DB and TE.  The Trojans return the entire starting back seven defensively and four young tight ends, yet elite prospects at all three positions were happy to jump into the competition.  "One common attribute of these signees is their ability to compete," Kiffin said.  "None of them were worried about depth charts or playing time. They were excited to be Trojans."

• Who will backup Curtis McNeal at running back?  The line is short with only D.J. Morgan banking any playing time and George Farmer moving back to wide receiver.  "We really don't have a great answer for that," Kiffin cited Jahleel Pinner as a possible power back and Agholor as a versatile offensive piece.  The head coach would like to sign two running backs next year.
  

• No Signing Day is perfect, but Kiffin did not want to dwell on the ones that got away.  "Our starting pitcher pitched six great innings today, but our bullpen got rocked," said Kiffin, who used the metaphor to describe a day that started out well, but closed disappointingly.

• Some current roster notes: Patrick Hall is no longer with the program due to academics as well as transfers Brice Butler, Kyle Prater, T.J. Bryant and Amir Carlisle.  Kiffin is not worried about getting under the 75 total scholarship cap.