Black Out Leaves Trojans In The Dark

Even before The Trojans clad themselves in the black uniforms, and fans sported black T-shirts and hoodies, a dark cloud had already come over Southern California. Word of Daniel Hackett possibly missing the remainder of the season with back surgery already dimmed the lights on a team that had the potential to make a great March run.

Hosting the Bruins on Sunday night, USC went hobbling in with a missing star, and the Bruins came running out, with a healthy Mbah A Moute taking the court for the first time in a week. The Bruins controlled the game from beginning to end, as the Trojans racked up 22 turnovers, with O.J Mayo committing 10 alone, while scoring only 4 points. And though the game was close, you can only wonder what could have been.

UCLA was superior for 40 minutes, but the gap between the two programs has definitely decreased. Under Floyd, USC is no longer the walk over game. Floyd has a legitimate Pac 10 contender, and despite the loss of Hackett, the Trojans should make a lot of noise in the Pac 10 tournament.

Rick Neuheisel Gives USC The Keys To The House

Pete Carroll and the new shot caller in Westwood, Rick Neuheisel, have agreed on both teams wearing their home jerseys for the next crosstown rivalry game. It's not surprising that they would want a throwback game, considering Carroll has always requested it, and Neuheisel played on those UCLA squads that shared the coliseum with USC.

But though it has good intention, and is a long time coming, they still don't have it right. The original purpose for both programs wearing home attire was because both shared the same home field. When the Bruins and Trojans both called the coliseum home, it wasn't much of an oddity to see each uniform representing the home team. But the game these coaches agreed on will be played in December, and in the Rose Bowl. What's the significance of both teams wearing home jerseys in the Rose Bowl? The historic venue has always been USC's home away from home for postseason games, but it was never the official home of the Trojans. If you want a throwback game, with both teams wearing home uniforms, then that game should be played in the coliseum, where it holds the significance.

And why are the Bruins submissive enough to allow any opponent to claim the Rose Bowl as their home, if even for just a day? Defending their house was the only thing the Bruins had left, with the popularity of the football program dwindling in recent years. Now they don't have anything to call their own. In December, it won't be "your house", because it becomes "our house".

Let's thank Rick Neuheisel for telling the rest of the nation what people in L.A have known for a long time. The Bruins lease the Rose Bowl, but the Trojans own the joint.

Fight On!

Unlimited Night and Weekend Minutes-The Kelvin Sampson Calling Plan

Indiana and coach Kelvin Sampson are the newest targets of the NCAA governing bodies. And of all the possible violations that can lead a program and their fanbase to have their hearts skip beats with fear, this is about exceeding the number of calls allowed to recruits.

Let me first begin by saying anyone who believes Sampson and Indiana are the only persons violating this rule, are the same ignorant people believing Reggie Bush is the only college football player to receive illegal benefits, the New England Patriots are the only NFL team to steal defensive signals, and steroid use in baseball is exclusive to Barry Bonds. The link between the aforementioned is not that they stand alone, but that they all got caught. But being one of many doesn’t make an infraction lesser or petty, since the NCAA does have this “calling rule” set in stone, and anyone in violation will gain an unfair advantage over those in compliance.

Fewer dropped calls than any other network

In case you’re wondering how a simple phone call can make a difference, you have to remember that we’re talking about the egos of high school kids. These are celebrities on campus, in their hometowns, and in many cases nationwide. Nothing strokes the ego more than feeling wanted by a college basketball power program. Coaches and recruiters set out to create a relationship between themselves and their possible future stars, which eventually includes a campus visit and a trip to the player’s home. But it’s the personal phone conversation that may keep them dangling on the hook, feeling that the head man of a big program is taking the time to call.

Eventually you reach your limit, and phone recruiting comes to an end. But what happens when another coach ignores the limitations, and continues to call? As a recruit, you feel the others have lost interest or the lone caller is the one caring the most, giving your ego the greatest stroke. He cares so much that he’s bending the rules, just to punch your digits.Exceeding the limit doesn't automatically give one program a player's ink on a letter of intent, seeing that the majority of the nation’s top recruits aren’t exactly flocking to Indiana or Oklahoma. But i may keep those schools on a player's short list, which is better than not being on their list at all. Maybe Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Ben Howland have better reception than Sampson. Who knows?

Usage Charges

Kelvin Sampson is a repeat offender. The alleged wrongdoing in Indiana was factual in Oklahoma. This speed dialer has already sacrificed a $500,000 raise in pay and one scholarship, simply because he couldn’t stay off the damn phone. And with this infraction, the Hoosiers themselves may be facing possible postseason bans, loss of scholarships, etc, etc. And for what? A phone call? You’ve gotta be kidding me!

This resembles a parent withholding a child’s allowance for excessive texting that ran the bill sky high. It looks like a parent grounding a child because they continually go over their monthly cell phone minutes, and you’re trying to teach them responsibility. But at least those are examples of fairness. If the NCAA comes down hard on Indiana over phone calls by a coach, let’s just categorize this under “cruel and unusual punishment”. The punishment should fit the crime, and anything harsh from the NCAA would not.

Go directly to the source. Impose a coaching ban on Sampson for a season. Force him to sit out or find work in South America. Habla espanol, Kelvin? You can even extend the punishment to the individuals that did the hiring, already knowing the man’s past. But to punish the University and it’s basketball program over phone usage is laughable, and would make the NCAA the joke of the sporting world.

Free upgrade

I’ll end this by saying the rule itself is ridiculous. Why is there a limit on phone calls made to recruits? Who has an overall advantage in this? If there’s a school out there that would drop out of the recruiting race because they ran out of change for the pay phone, they were never really in the hunt to begin with.After being bombarded by calls about the Dish Network, local paper subscriptions, auto and home refinancing, and winning those supposedly free vacations, I doubt a parent would complain about someone calling everyday to offer their child a free education. And I hardly doubt you would get complaints from the egotistic recruit, who happily walks his high school campus saying, “Georgetown called again last night. They’re all up on my sac right now”.

Is Kelvin Sampson a violator? Yes. Is the rule necessary? No. Well, unless there's someone out there that can tell me why we need this rule in place.

Pete Carroll Receives An Extra Large Package Of Trojans

The 2008 recruiting war has finally come to an end for USC. Terrell Pryor doesn't have the Trojans on his list, so there's no one left to pursue. With the smoke now clearing, we won't see Southern Cal finishing at the top of recruiting, but we will see that Pete Carroll got exactly what he wanted.

Under Carroll's watch at USC, size always matters. Both the Trojan offensive and defensive lines took big hits with players lost to graduation or early entry into the NFL draft. But no fretting, let's just put another box of extra large Trojans on the counter for future use. No five star running backs and quarterbacks in this year's class, but they bring the weight to continue to push around and bully their opponents in the Pac 10.

At 6'5, 360, Abilene's Daniel Campbell is probably the largest Trojan in the box. But the additions of Armond Amstead, Jurell Casey, Tyron Smith, Khaled Holmes, Wes Horton, Malik Jackson, Matt Kalil, Matt Meyer and Nick Perry represents a good supply of beef. Outside of the size, Carroll also got a steal in DB T.J Bryant from Tallahassee Florida. In anyone appeared to be a lock for Florida State, that player would have been Bryant. Instead, the Noles were snubbed and the Trojans were rewarded.

2008 will have some inexperience in the trenches, but it's another quality class that has great potential to make an immediate impact.