ESPN.com reported this past Wednesday that O.J. Mayo, the No.
1-rated high school basketball player in the class of 2007, would
soon make his college decision known.
Why should this matter to Bruin fans, since he clearly
won’t be attending UCLA in the future? Because it is now
widely believed that Mayo, billed as the “next LeBron
James” by the basketball-hype machine, will declare his
intentions to play for USC.
Mayo reportedly told USC players and coaches on a recent
unofficial visit to the campus that he would become a Trojan in the
near future.
He was expected to hold a press conference to verbally commit to
the Trojans over the past weekend while he was participating in the
Reebok ABCD Camp in New Jersey, but has yet to make his decision
public.
If Mayo’s decision seems stunningly rushed and out of the
blue, that’s because it is. The favorite for Mayo’s
services appeared to be Bob Huggins and Kansas State, but
apparently that isn’t the case.
Apparently, Mayo is enamored with playing in a major media
market such as Los Angeles on his presumed one-year stopover before
declaring for the NBA Draft. At USC, he could become a one-man
star.
Mayo reportedly hadn’t even met USC coach Tim Floyd until
his recent visit. ESPN also reported that Mayo was impressed by the
way football stars Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart were marketed and
would like to be in a similar situation.
I’ve got news for Mayo: Your little plan isn’t going
to work. Los Angeles loves winners. As much as I am a true
blue-blooded Bruin, Bush and Leinart were superstars during their
time at USC because they won, not just because they played near
Hollywood.
Angels fans popped up all over Southern California after the
team won the World Series in 2002. UCLA attendance at basketball
games significantly declined during the Lavin era before starting
to rebound recently under coach Ben Howland. Even USC football has
only recently begun to sell football tickets after years of
futility before the Pete Carroll era.
Mayo’s mere presence isn’t going to change the fact
that USC has a less-than-stellar history in basketball. But
that’s just what he’s looking for. Playing in L.A. in
order to feed the hype machine appears to be his main
objective.
Mayo will help fill some seats in the new Galen Center, but
he’ll quickly realize that, unless he wins, he’ll never
reach star status in L.A. like Bush and Leinart.
If Mayo does in fact attend USC, Bruin fans still won’t
have to worry, because Ben Howland has already built the
foundations for a true basketball powerhouse in Los Angeles. One
player, even Mayo, won’t change the fortunes of a program
like USC’s overnight.
If anything, Mayo’s potential commitment to USC helps UCLA
and the Pac-10. Wherever Mayo decides to play, the media is sure to
follow, as he has been endlessly hyped since he was in the eighth
grade. Maybe some East Coaster will actually stay up and watch
Pac-10 games instead of endlessly touting mediocre Atlantic Coast
and Southeastern Conference players.
Even with all the hype, Mayo isn’t the real prospect
I’m concerned about. Rather, I’m more interested in
learning the intentions of one Kevin Love.
Love, a senior from Oregon and the No. 1 center in the class of
2007, will likely choose between UCLA and North Carolina sometime
this fall.
His presence in Westwood could be more important than any
player’s in a long while, certainly since I’ve become a
Bruin fan, and it would continue the momentum created by this past
spring’s Final Four run.
So hold off on the Mayo for me ““ let me know when Love
decides where he’ll play.
E-mail Lee at jlee3@media.ucla.edu.