"This isn't like that," Guillory told me.
As Guillory's influence with Mayo has increased, Dwaine Barnes' influence has decreased. Barnes is the man Mayo once described as his "grandfather," and who was pushing Mayo to play for Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and later Kansas State. Until replacing Barnes with Guillory, Mayo hadn't been considering USC. Now, Mayo is linked exclusively to USC.
His relationship with Mayo has produced a profit for Guillory, who used Mayo's North College Hill (Ohio) High team as the centerpiece for the Rise or Fall Invitational in December in California. Guillory said he had planned to bring Mayo and North College Hill to another event this season -- and hold it at USC -- but backed off that plan because of how it would have looked. Down the road, Guillory said, he hopes to handle Mayo's promotions and endorsements ... playing the role of Ornstein to Mayo's Bush.
"If that happens," Guillory said, "that would be great. But I haven't even looked that far."
Before Mayo signs, USC would be wise to look hard -- very hard -- at the Guillory connection. Looking the other way may have helped put USC knee-deep in the Ornstein-Bush mess; sources say Ornstein found his way onto the sideline for USC football games as a guest of Dana and David Pump, Adidas kingpins who once used Ornstein as an auctioneer for their annual fundraiser.
Connect the dots. One way or another, Ornstein met Bush and ultimately became his marketing rep. Bush signed with Adidas. The NCAA is looking into what illegal benefits, if any, Bush received from Ornstein while still at USC.
Now Mayo -- the Trojans' top basketball recruit since Paul Westphal -- is being advised by Guillory. And Guillory not only was once labeled by the NCAA as an agent's representative, but helped get a former USC player (Trepagnier) suspended.
Irony doesn't begin to describe this situation.
