Here are a few pictures from The Women of Troy's Senior Day. The Trojans honored seniors Heather Oliver, Aarika Hughes, Hailey Dunham, and Daniela Roark.
STATEMENT FROM USC HEAD COACH KEVIN O'NEILL (3-9-10):
"I have had to make the difficult decision of telling both Phil Johnson and Gib Arnold that I have not retained them on our coaching staff.
"Everyone connected with the USC men's basketball program appreciates the time and effort they gave us. They are outstanding coaches and I firmly believe both would make excellent head coaches.
"This is a decision I wrestled with for a while. It had nothing to do with their coaching ability or performance, or with any issues related to the current status of the Trojan program. It simply has to do with the vision I have for how I want to structure this program. I want to move in a different direction.
"We thank both of them immensely."
STATEMENT FROM GIB ARNOLD (3-9-10):
"Having been raised in this game, I am well aware of the business side of college basketball. I have known for some time that Coach O'Neill would like to bring in his own guys to assist him. I understand and support this decision and wish Kevin, his new staff and the USC basketball team all my best.
"I am thankful that I was able to help Kevin during his transition year. I am also very grateful for the five wonderful years I spent as part of the Trojan family. This five-year period produced more wins, NCAA appearances and NBA players than any other such span in USC basketball history. I am very proud that I could play a role in that success.
"As for now, I am looking forward to pursuing other coaching options and to continue building championship programs. Fight On!"
STATEMENT FROM PHIL JOHNSON (3-9-10):
"This is best for Kevin O'Neill and for Phil Johnson. I'm proud of being part of threestraight 20-win seasons and three-straight NCAA appearances, both school records.
"I have no doubt that Kevin and his new staff will do extremely well and I'm sure exceed that.
"I appreciate everyone at USC. I have really enjoyed my time at USC and would like to thank everyone in the Trojan family. It has been a great five years and I will always have fond memories of my time at USC."
Relive the Trojans heart-breaking double overtime loss to Arizona, including the controversial finish to the 2nd half.
Click here to watch "The Melt: USC vs. Arizona."
The Trojans hit the practice floor for the final time this season at the Galen Center in preparation for their last road trip to Arizona to take on the Sun Devils tomorrow night, before heading to Tuscon to play the Wildcats on Saturday.
"We aren't going to to play this road trip like its the last road trip," said Head Coach Kevin O'Neill. "We are going to finish it out right."
These last two games in the Desert will be the last for seniors, Mike Gerrity, Dwight Lewis, and Marcus Johnson.
Gerrity, who joined the team during the December recess due to NCAA transfer rules, will only dawn the cardinal and gold uniform for twenty-two games. The former California Southern Section player of the year, made an immediate impact for the Trojans leading them to a championship at the Diamond Head Classic, while earning the tournament MVP award along the way.
Dwight Lewis will leave USC as the all-time leader in games played, and a four year starter. For him, this last weekend in the desert represents one last chance to showcase his abilities on the collegiate level in preparation for a shot at the NBA.
Marcus Johnson has showcased glimpses of greatness throughout the season. His 39" vertical leap is only one dimension of his playing arsenal that he hopes will land him in a professional basketball role.
For them, and the rest of the Trojans, this final road trip presents the opportunity to showcase their full potential, with nothing to lose and only everything to gain.
Here are a few pictures from today's action.
By: Josh Moser
"We aren't going to to play this road trip like its the last road trip," said Head Coach Kevin O'Neill. "We are going to finish it out right."
These last two games in the Desert will be the last for seniors, Mike Gerrity, Dwight Lewis, and Marcus Johnson.
Gerrity, who joined the team during the December recess due to NCAA transfer rules, will only dawn the cardinal and gold uniform for twenty-two games. The former California Southern Section player of the year, made an immediate impact for the Trojans leading them to a championship at the Diamond Head Classic, while earning the tournament MVP award along the way.
Dwight Lewis will leave USC as the all-time leader in games played, and a four year starter. For him, this last weekend in the desert represents one last chance to showcase his abilities on the collegiate level in preparation for a shot at the NBA.
Marcus Johnson has showcased glimpses of greatness throughout the season. His 39" vertical leap is only one dimension of his playing arsenal that he hopes will land him in a professional basketball role.
For them, and the rest of the Trojans, this final road trip presents the opportunity to showcase their full potential, with nothing to lose and only everything to gain.
Here are a few pictures from today's action.
By: Josh MoserClick here for a great feature on Jacki Gemelos by Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
After dropping two home games this weekend to both Oregon and Oregon State, the Trojans stepped back onto the floor this afternoon trying to regain a sense of focus moving forward. They will finish out the season this week with a road trip to the Grand Canyon State to take on Arizona and Arizona St.
"It's hard to be successful when you drop back-to-back games at home," said Head Coach Kevin O'Neill. "Our defense is fine, but when you can't score 50 points in your own building, it makes it very difficult to win."
Practice was light today, with players completing a twenty minute shoot around. The Trojans will hold their final full-speed practice tomorrow at 4:30 before catching a flight to Arizona on Wednesday.
Here are a few pictures from today's shoot around.
By: Josh Moser
"It's hard to be successful when you drop back-to-back games at home," said Head Coach Kevin O'Neill. "Our defense is fine, but when you can't score 50 points in your own building, it makes it very difficult to win."
Practice was light today, with players completing a twenty minute shoot around. The Trojans will hold their final full-speed practice tomorrow at 4:30 before catching a flight to Arizona on Wednesday.
Here are a few pictures from today's shoot around.
By: Josh Moser
USC saluted its four seniors on Saturday night - Kasey Cunningham, Mike Gerrity, Marcus Johnson and Dwight Lewis. Check out the video that played at the Galen Center to honor them during the Senior Salute.
Take a look at these action photos from senior night. Photos courtesy of Pierson Clair of PC4Photo.
Check Below for a look at the behind-the-scenes festivities from tonight's game.
Click here for the full write-up from the AP on tonight's game.
The Trojans didn't have enough senior magic down the stretch and fall to Oregon State, 49-44.
Final Stats for USC:
Scoring: Gerrity-13, Lewis-11, Washington-6, Stepheson-4, Vucevic-4, Smith-3, Johnson-3
Rebounding: Vucevic-8, Washington-8, Stepheson-6, Johnson-5, Gerrity-3, Lewis-2, Smith-1
Assists- Gerrity-3, Lewis-2, Vucevic-1, Smith-1
Final Stats for USC:
Scoring: Gerrity-13, Lewis-11, Washington-6, Stepheson-4, Vucevic-4, Smith-3, Johnson-3
Rebounding: Vucevic-8, Washington-8, Stepheson-6, Johnson-5, Gerrity-3, Lewis-2, Smith-1
Assists- Gerrity-3, Lewis-2, Vucevic-1, Smith-1
Mike Gerrity drives the length of the court and converts on a tough lay up amongst the trees to cut the game to two. Oregon State calls timeout up two, 46-44 with just under 30 seconds remaining.
USC trails by two, 44-42, Here we go....
Oregon State calls a quick 30 second timeout with 1:23 remaining. USC applied great pressure on the inbound and forced the Beavers to call a timeout instead of giving up the turnover. The score is still 44-41 OSU.
Josh Tarver hits them both, the Trojans trail 44-39 with 1:57 remaining.
42-39, OSU.
An extended 1-3-1 defense by the Beavers has been plaguing USC's offensive attack. The Trojans have only four points on the half. Head Coach Kevin O'Neill has switched to a two-point-guard front with both Mike Gerrity and Donte Smith on the floor. The added speed he hopes will allow the Trojans to get into the middle of the zone and break it from there.
USC clings to a one-point, 25-24 lead. In the locker room Head Coach Kevin O'Neill urged his team to play with assertive energy. " We're all over the place," he said. " Play like we have practiced and don't let them [Oregon State] come out with energy to start the half." "We need to win the first four minutes."
USC leads by 6, 23-17, after a great drive by Mike Gerrity. Head Coach Kevin O'Neill wants his team to push the tempo, and make it more of an up and down game.
The Trojans lead 19-10 with Mike Geritty stepping to the line for two.
In the timeout, Head Coach Kevin O'Neill told his team to stay active, and not give Oregon State anything. "We break them right here," he said. "Let's make another run."
In the timeout, Head Coach Kevin O'Neill told his team to stay active, and not give Oregon State anything. "We break them right here," he said. "Let's make another run."
The Trojans are currently trailing 5-3 with 15:00 minutes remaining in
the first half. Dwight Lewis has the lone field goal for USC.
The Trojans can still clinch a share of the Pac-10 regular season title with three games remaining on the Pac-10 Calendar. USC will need to win out, while Arizona State must beat first-place Cal on February 27th, followed by Stanford knocking off Cal in their rivalry game on March 6th. Arizona State then must lose to UCLA in their last game of conference play on March 6th. This will then force a three-way tie for the Conference Championship.
USC's Keys to the game:
Stay tuned for live updates from the Trojan Bench.
- Share the ball
- Great energy
- Play with Passion\
Stay tuned for live updates from the Trojan Bench.
The Trojans will step onto the floor at 11:30 for a light practice before tonight's game, but tonight is about the four seniors on the Trojan roster : Casey Cunningham, Marcus Johnson, Mike Gerrity, and Dwight Lewis. Come support the Trojans in their last home game this season. Tip Off is at 7:30 PM PST.
The Trojans held an optional shoot around today needing rest after last night's 54-44 loss to Oregon. USC ran out of gas in the second half, scoring just 12 points in the last twenty minutes of play.
The Trojans will be back on the court tomorrow at 11:30 AM PST for practice before tomorrow night's game against Oregon St. This will be the final home game on the season. USC will honor seniors Dwight Lewis, Mike Gerrity, Marcus Johnson, and Casey Cunningham before tip-off at 7:30 PM PST.
Take a look at these action shots from tonight's game vs. Oregon. All photos courtesy of Pierson Clair of PC4Photo.
Check out this special behind-the-scenes slideshow of images from tonight's 54-44 loss, brought to you by Josh Moser of the Trojan Fever Basketball Blog:
Here's what Coach Kevin O'Neill had to say to the media following USC's 54-44 loss to Oregon on Thursday night:
- "We didn't have it tonight. It's a shame to play that poorly in the second half."
- "We had a general lack of energy and didn't play how we needed to play. It's unfortunate."
- "If you score 12 points [in a half] at this level, you're not going to beat anybody."
- "We didn't play too well in the first half, honestly. We didn't come out with any oomph at all."
- "In my estimation, our team has started to wear down."
- "We have three games left to play. We've got to play our butts off each game. We have to be men about it."
The Trojans had scoreless streaks of nine-plus and six-plus minutes in the second half and were outscored 31-12 after halftime in their brutal 54-44 defeat to Oregon on Thursday night at the Galen Center. Here are the stats from the game.
USC scored just 12 points in the second half while allowing 31, giving Oregon a 54-44 win over the Trojans at the Galen Center tonight.
