The USC men's basketball program has turned the page from the 6-26 campaign of a year ago. And why not? The roster has almost completely turned over.
The 2012-13 Trojans are made up almost entirely of transfers (10 of the 13 scholarship athletes), so the players have dubbed themselves "The Second Chance Kids."
"We actually talked about it," head coach Kevin O'Neill said. "Including myself, it's a bunch of rejects...let's face it. But these guys all have one thing in common, they want to win."
Talent was never an issue for this group of Trojans, but they never really fit in at their past university for one reason or another. Now, they have matured as players and people, and found a home at Troy.
The undisputed leader of the bunch is senior PG Jio Fontan, who has recovered from knee surgery. O'Neill's team is extremely deep, but the point guard would be hard to replace without another veteran ball handler on the roster.
Otherwise, USC has a surplus of athletic wings and super-sized big men. As practice begins this week, competition for playing time will be fierce.
Here's a quick preview of the team with much more to come as camp begins...
The 2012-13 Trojans are made up almost entirely of transfers (10 of the 13 scholarship athletes), so the players have dubbed themselves "The Second Chance Kids." "We actually talked about it," head coach Kevin O'Neill said. "Including myself, it's a bunch of rejects...let's face it. But these guys all have one thing in common, they want to win."
Talent was never an issue for this group of Trojans, but they never really fit in at their past university for one reason or another. Now, they have matured as players and people, and found a home at Troy.
The undisputed leader of the bunch is senior PG Jio Fontan, who has recovered from knee surgery. O'Neill's team is extremely deep, but the point guard would be hard to replace without another veteran ball handler on the roster.
Otherwise, USC has a surplus of athletic wings and super-sized big men. As practice begins this week, competition for playing time will be fierce.
Here's a quick preview of the team with much more to come as camp begins...
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