The O.J. Mayo Business Venture is about to begin at Southern California, and part of me envies USC basketball fans. But part of me feels sorry for them.
This is going to be a crazy season for the Trojans, one way or the other. Possibly one way and the other.
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| USC will love Mayo's game, but may not care for his antics. (AP) |
He's a great player -- but he hasn't been a great kid, or even a good one. He was all but kicked out of North College Hill (Ohio) High after repeated behavioral issues including on-court tantrums and alleged off-court assaults. Despite that immaturity, he carries himself as a corporate conglomerate, surrounding himself with ass-kissers and yes-men who have attached themselves to his hide like parasites on a rhinoceros.
Mayo is a 6-foot-4 point guard who jacks up the kind of jumpers that have turned LeBron James into the best player in the world -- fading, falling 20-footers that look awful off almost anyone else's fingers, but coming from Mayo seem like a realistic proposition. He can score and he can pass and he can finish well above the rim, and he has been doing all of that for years.
Former players at the University of Cincinnati describe a scene from several years ago -- possibly an NCAA violation, though by now that's irrelevant -- when then-UC coach Bob Huggins stopped one of their summer pick-up games to introduce a new player to the mix. The kid was in the seventh grade, and Huggins put him on the team opposite UC All-American Steve Logan. The seventh-grader pointed at Logan and said, "I'll take him." The kid proceeded to tear up Steve Logan.
"Fellas," Huggins smirked when it was finished, "meet O.J. Mayo."
He's good, Mayo. Special, possibly magical. We'll have to see, and that's why I envy USC basketball fans. They're getting in on the ground floor, much like Texas fans of a year ago who got to see freshman Kevin Durant emerge as one of the most dominant offensive players in recent college basketball history. Much like the Ohio State fans who were first to see Greg Oden on a grand stage.
This season that stage belongs to several freshmen -- Kevin Love at UCLA, Derrick Rose at Memphis, Michael Beasley at Kansas State -- but it belongs to no one more than Mayo. Last week the Los Angeles Times wrote stories about Mayo on three consecutive days.
Day One: Mayo starts practice today.
Day Two: Mayo practiced yesterday.
Day Three: Mayo could turn pro after this season.
The L.A. Times realizes it has a phenomenon on its hands, a phenomenon we have been waiting to see for years. Could Mayo lead USC to the national title as a freshman? Yes, he could. But if you're a USC fan, leaven your ambition with some realism, because O.J. Mayo is going to cause some nasty headlines this year. He just will.
For one thing, he's that kind of guy. If USC coach Tim Floyd is to be believed, which requires a massive leap of faith, USC didn't recruit Mayo. He recruited USC, calling Floyd last summer and declaring he would play for the Trojans, then telling Floyd not to bother recruiting other guys -- Mayo would handle that. Floyd asked for his phone number but Mayo refused to give it, telling the coach, "No, I'll call you."
That's a story that makes Mayo look all kinds of bad, but it's a story that Floyd volunteered to the New York Times in March. If it's true, Mayo has all-pro NBA arrogance before playing his first college game. That will lead to problems over the course of a season, when shots aren't falling or teammates aren't happy or Mayo is tired of running wind sprints or attending class or doing whatever it is Floyd wants the future millionaire to do. Something ugly is going to happen this season. The only question is: Will Floyd be able to keep it from going public?
In addition to Mayo's character flaws, he attracts guys who have their own. He's being advised by a guy who already has been labeled by the NCAA as an agent's representative. Every sneaker and promotional leech out there is lurking, waiting for Mayo to turn pro so they can make their buck. They've been waiting for years, and they're tired of waiting, and these are the kinds of people who panic and try to get young players to break rules by accepting a taste of the forbidden fruit. Over the next several months Mayo will have to say no to a lot of people, and he will have to hope his family has the strength to say no as well, because the leeches and scumbags and operators will do anything they can to sink their teeth into the O.J. Mayo Business Venture.
In the meantime, USC basketball is embarking on a season that could end in heaven. Or go straight to hell.
