Jio Fontan Class: Senior Hometown: Paterson, N.J. High School: St. Anthony's Last College: Fordham Height / Weight: 6-0 / 175 Position: Guard Birthdate: 01/04/1990

BREAKDOWN: Jio Fontan (JEE-oh Fon-TAN) is a 6-foot, 175-pound senior point guard who became eligible after the Trojans' 10th game last season following his transfer to USC from Fordham in January 2010. He is a true experienced court general and leader who possesses the ability to distribute the ball to his teammates and play tough defense.

2010-11: Sat out the first semester due to transfer rules and became eligible to play his first game as a Trojan on Dec. 18 at Kansas. He started and scored 15 points, had two assists and made two free throws with 1:36 left to give the Trojans a 68-66 lead, but Kansas' freshman Josh Selby answered with a three-pointer and No. 3 Kansas went on to defeat USC 70-68 and run their home winning streak to 65 games. Fontan played in 24 games, all starts, and was second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and in assists with 94. He scored in double-figures 12 times, scoring 21 points twice, Dec. 23 vs. Lehigh and Feb. 24 vs. Arizona and 20 points at Washington on March 5. Led USC with 14 points in the NCAA first-round 59-46 loss to eventual NCAA semifinalist VCU. He had 14 games of four assists or more, including the last five. He averaged 4.6 assists over the last 10 games. Scored eight points or more in 19 of 24 games.

2009-10: Played in five games for Fordham, averaging 15.0 points and 4.2 assists before transferring to USC. He began classes at USC on Jan. 11, 2010.

2008-09: Fontan was named to the Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team as he averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. He was also named to the All-Metropolitan Conference third team, as he ranked ninth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, fourth in assists and 12th in assist/turnover ratio. Fontan ranked 10th in the country in scoring among freshmen. He appeared in all 28 game for the Rams, making 27 starts. He scored in double figures in 16 of the final 17 games and in 20 of the last 22 contests. Dished out 11 assists, the most for a Ram since 1992, and had 10 points vs. Xavier on Jan. 1. Scored a season-high 25 points at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 28. Netted 23 points, shooting 5-for-8 from three-point range, and added five assists at La Salle on March 4. In all, he scored 20 or more points six times. He had a season-best six rebounds twice and had a season-high five steals at Rhode Island on Jan. 18. He made 60.2 percent of his free throws (100-for-166), 33.0 percent of his three-pointers (31-for-94) and had a team-leading 33 steals. Was twice named Rookie of the Week in the Atlantic 10.

HIGH SCHOOL: Fontan graduated from St. Anthony's HS in Jersey City, N.J. and helped lead them to a perfect 32-0 record in 2007-08 and the number one national ranking in both the USA Today Super 25 and the ESPN High Elite 25 polls. Fontan was ranked as the No. 13 point guard recruit in the nation by Scout.com for the 2008 class. He averaged 10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists as a senior. Fontan was also a four-year honor roll student at St. Anthony's HS. Played AAU ball for The PlayazClub and scored a game-high 41 points in the IS8 championship game to earn MVP honors. He led Playaz to the 2007 Spring Fling title, earning MVP honors in the process.

PERSONAL: Fontan was born on Jan. 4, 1990 in Paterson, N.J. His full name is Jiovanny Sa'mir Fontan. His parents names are Samar Fontan (stepmother), Jorge Fontan and Salina James (birth mother). He has a brother Jorgio and sister Jianni. Lists his favorite recording artist as Eminem and his favorite movie as The Pursuit of Happyness. His favorite sports figure is Michael Jordan and his favorite non-sports figure is his father. Fontan was featured in a PBS documentary in 2010 titled, "The Street Stops Here," which focused on well-known high school coach Bob Hurley Sr. Fontan was described by the filmmakers as, "co-captain of the St. Anthony High School team and is often seen as the soft voice of reason. Smart and strong-minded, Fontan is determined to learn from his father's transgressions and work hard in school to ensure that he is defined by more than just basketball." His father Jorge is described as someone who spent time in prison as a young man and dedicated his life to helping Jio and teammate Travon Woodall "learn from his mistakes and escape a life of drugs, crime and poverty." Fontan is a Communications major at USC.