OJ Mayo Debuts Today!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Southern California has stumbled in overtime in its last two season openers, but this year, there's one major difference. O.J. Mayo will be in uniform.</p>

The highly touted freshman, who was ranked among the top recruits in his class throughout high school, will make his collegiate debut when the 18th-ranked Trojans host Mercer on Saturday afternoon.</p>

The 6-foot-5 guard didn't play the recruiting game and instead hand-picked USC, much to the delight of third-year coach Tim Floyd. Among the reasons for his choice was the opportunity to help turn around a program that wasn't a traditional power.</p>

"When he called I said, 'This guy has either got greater vision and is more mature than any kid his age that I've ever recruited or he's wacky and he'll change his mind tomorrow and again the next day and again the next day and there's no way this will happen,'" Floyd said.</p>

It did happen, but Mayo will have to act fast, as most expect him to play just one year at USC before entering the NBA draft. It didn't take him much time in high school to become a dominating force, having led teams to a combined three state championships in Ohio and West Virginia.</p>

"We've never had a player like O.J. Mayo," Floyd said. "He's a terrific talent, everything that he's advertised to be."</p>

The Trojans hope Mayo's presence helps them avoid another disappointing start. They have opened the last two seasons by losing at home in overtime - 80-74 to South Carolina last season and 81-76 to Cal State Northridge in 2005.</p>

The buzz surrounding Mayo's arrival is already strong in Los Angeles, where 7,500 season-ticket packages were sold and the Trojans were tabbed with their highest preseason ranking since the 1978-79 season. USC also is coming off a season when it reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001-02, and defeated Kevin Durant and Texas to advance to the regional semifinals.</p>

The Trojans lost three of their top four scorers from that team and don't have a single senior on the roster, but the arrival of a six-player freshman class that includes Mayo, talented 6-foot-8 forward Davon Jefferson and point guard Angelo Johnson made up for it in the polls.</p>

"We lost more than anybody in the Pac-10 last year," Floyd said. "Hopefully we have gained more than anybody in the league."</p>

USC does return 6-foot-9 sophomore Taj Gibson, who set school records for rebounds and blocked shots by a freshman last season. Gibson, who averaged 12.2 points, 8.7 boards and 1.9 blocks, is expected to play despite an ankle injury.</p>

Forwards Dwight Lewis and Keith Wilkinson, who started a combined 16 games last season, also will be asked to play bigger roles. Sophomore guard Daniel Hackett, a starter in 16 games last season, is out with a broken jaw suffered when he received a stray elbow from Mayo in practice.</p>

The Trojans were picked to finish sixth in a loaded Pac-10, with crosstown rival UCLA tabbed to win the league. They didn't play any exhibition games, though Mayo scored 34 points in the Cardinal-Gold intrasquad scrimmage.</p>

USC has never played Mercer, which went 4-11 on the road last season and finished sixth in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They were one game better than Gardner-Webb, which won at No. 20 Kentucky earlier this week.</p>

The Bears are led by sophomore guard James Florence, who led Mercer with 19.3 points per game in 2006-07 and was named the Atlantic Sun freshman of the year.</div></p>

Source: CSTV</p>