LeBron James’ son Bronny is about to become the most polarizing NBA Draft prospect ever
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With the 2023 NBA Draft over, Bronny James is now on the clock.
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How high he should be drafted is going to be hotly debated as teams weigh his talent and name.
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Bronny is not the best talent in the draft, but he is improving and comes with some other perks.
Cork Gaines (Insider) — Let the debate begin: How high will Bronny James go in the NBA Draft?
The 2023 NBA Draft is barely a week old. Outside the curiosity over whether the Charlotte Hornets would take Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson with the second pick (they took Miller), there was little debate among the more prominent names available.
That will change as we start the 12-month march to the 2024 NBA Draft, which is expected to include one of the biggest names ever: LeBron James Jr., better known as Bronny.
Unlike this year’s No. 1 pick, 7-foot-5 French prospect Victor Wembanyama who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs, Bronny James is not considered a generational talent like his father was coming out of high school. Instead, he is viewed as a defensive specialist with good upside potential who might also come with some intriguing perks.
Bronny, 18, is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard who recently completed his senior season at Sierra Canyon High School, just outside of Los Angeles, and is ranked No. 20 in ESPN’s Class of 2023.
The younger James recently committed to play college basketball near home at USC, but that is only expected to last a year before he jumps to the NBA.
How good is Bronny?
The consensus of NBA experts, college coaches, and talent evaluators seems to be that Bronny is already an elite defender who shows flashes of brilliance on the offensive end but is too inconsistent to be a team’s primary scoring threat. While several have noted that he might not be done growing, his NBA future at this point is probably as a role player or a reserve, one who specializes on the defensive end and supplements at the other end.
That doesn’t sound like a franchise-leading player NBA teams would hope to get near the top of the NBA Draft. However, that is also not the entire story.
In one ESPN mock draft, Jonathan Givony raised eyebrows by predicting Bronny would land at No. 10 in the 2024 NBA Draft. Givony says the overall draft class is considered “weak,” and others have noted that James showed continued improvement his senior season that other prospects did not.
“James has earned his spot in lottery conversations with the significant jump he has made … developing into arguably the best perimeter defender in his high school class while making strides in his perimeter shooting and playmaking ability,” Givony wrote. “James has grown, filled out his frame, found another gear with his explosiveness, and become an absolute terror off the ball defensively thanks to his outstanding intensity and feel for the game.”
And then there are the other intangibles
Bronny brings more to the table than just his emerging talent. Most notably, there is his dad.
Of all the advantages Bronny might have over other prospects, the biggest is that he can play one-on-one against one of the best basketball players ever and do it in his own driveway.
That influence is already rubbing off on Bronny as many scouts have already noted his “high basketball IQ,” something LeBron is well known for, and his emerging leadership skills.
LeBron also recently reiterated his hopes of playing in the NBA at the same time as his son, something that could happen as soon as next season. That has also opened the door to speculation that LeBron would leave the Los Angeles Lakers next year and join whichever team drafts his son.
That speculation was only enhanced this week thanks to an Instagram post from LeBron in which he commented on the possibility of the Atlanta Hawks selecting Bronny in the draft.
“Welllll ATL shawty the #JamesGang will be pulling up!” James wrote.
“The James Gang,” from left: LeBron’s mother Gloria James, Bronny’s younger brother Bryce James, and mother Savannah James.Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesSo, how high will Bronny James go in the NBA Draft? Some of that will be determined by how well he performs this fall at USC and whether he continues to grow.
But even beyond that, you can bet shows, columns, and podcasts will spend a lot of time between now and then debating just how high he should go.
yahoo.com
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So sad to hear of the passing of great Trojan Fullback C.R. Roberts this past week. May he R.I.P. Prayers to his family. My Grandmother told me about how Roberts and “Jaguar” Jon Arnett formed a formidable backfield for USC in the mid-1950s. Roberts was a bulldozer type and Arnett was like a gazelle. Very similar to LenDale White and Reggie Bush, a.k.a., Thunder and Lightning. USC went down and trounced the Texas Longhorns in early 1956 with C.R. Roberts gaining 251 yards and scoring 3 TDs. SC won 44-20. Roberts was highly scrutinized by the folks in Austin because… Read more »
I met C.R. about 16-17 or so years ago, and as you say, he was a real gentleman. Very articulate and understated. I would say he almost had an “elegant” way about himself, for lack of a better description. Here he is (6-1, 206; Carlsbad) with the diamond on his helmet, which USC wore in 1955, to help commemorate the school’s “75-year diamond jubilee anniversary.” FILE – Southern California fullback C.R. Roberts (42) leaps over a California defender during the first half of a college football game Oct. 22, 1955, in Berkeley, Calif. USC won 33-6. California’s Hugh Maguire (20)… Read more »
Thank you Allen for the information regarding the “diamond helmets”. I’ve seen photos of players wearing them and always wondered why SC wore those helmets. Now I know!
Donna Heinel, 61, ex-USC administrator sentenced in Varsity Blues scandal, was released from prison on July 5
LAT — Heinel was sentenced in January to six months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in Nov 2021 in connection with the scheme, although prosecutors had sought a two-year sentence.
Although not as high profile as other public figures in the scandal, such as Lori Laughlin or Felicity Huffman, prosecutors had called Heinel “one of the most prolific and culpable participants.”
Heinel allegedly took approximately $160,000 from the scheme’s mastermind, private consultant William “Rick” Singer, who was sentenced in January to 3½ years in prison.
latimes.com
Now investigate Haden
I agree 100% about Haden. I read an article some time ago about how he formed a foundation whose real purpose was to get his daughters into USC.
Haden was board director of a foundation which he looted. Giving him,his daughter and son in law huge salaries basically draining the foundation’s money.
It is more than a coincidence that Varsity Blues happened under his watch. And as he hired and extended Jimmy Sexton’s fraudulent crappy clients over and over.
I wouldn’t trust Haden with bake sale money.
Haden’s certainly untouchable now. And probably for good reason IMO. To the best of my knowledge, he was never tied in any way to the Varsity Blues shenanigans. I really think he would have been crucified and punished already if he had been. It seems like the Feds dug hard into USC all over the place here, and went after all the guilty parties big-time. Lots of USC people, as well as those who aspired to be, really took it on the chin in this massive educational corruption scandal. I sure wish Haden never took the USC AD job. This… Read more »
I have zero experience in being an AD and would fail miserably, but I wouldn’t hire Clay Helton to coach my football team. I would have asked “how much money can we offer?” And went out and found the best guy for that money. Bad coaches can look OK at USC. Average coaches can look good, good coaches can look great, and a great coach can become a legend. I think we now have a great coach ready to be a legend. Clay, was unfortunately, a really bad coach who had no resume and no business heading up our program.
What if … as the AD, the agent of said coach offered you a million in kickback money for hiring and extending that coaches contract ??? see Haden/Jimmy Sexton/Kiffin/Suckisian/Swann/Gomer
Haden was the highest paid AD in the country. And only left when forced out as Varsity Blues exploded and the football program fell apart.
Sadly, Haden went from Trojan football lore to just another con man.
Allen: I agree with you in wishing Haden never took the AD job. At first, I held him in high regard as he was the USC QB when I was a Freshman and Sophomore at USC. After his Rhodes Scholar time in Oxford and a short-lived stint with the California Sun football team, he was a decent NFL QB for the Rams. His consecutive completion record of 19 stood for years until Tom Brady broke it. After retiring from the NFL, his stint as a TV analyst for Notre Dame football really baffled me. Talk about sleeping with the enemy!… Read more »
It’s a Date!
#1 2024 RB Taylor Tatum is deciding between USC and OU.
The Texan will announce on July 21 at 9 a.m. PT on Youtube and Facebook.
OU is viewed as the team with the momentum here.
yahoo.com
I’m sure Lincoln Riley would love to sway him to come to SC and stick it to OU one more time.
I don’t see LR winning this battle, but I believe USC will do just fine without Tatum. OU RB coach Demarco Murray has a big-time longstanding best-friends-type relationship with Tatum’s dad. And the truth is, the Sooners, now ranked only #33 by 247 in 2024 recruiting with only 12 commits, need Tatum, who might love baseball more than football (not a good sign), more than USC does. Plus, Norman, Ok, is a “good college town”, and Tatum has openly expressed his comfort with that environment. L.A. is about as far opposite from Norman as you can get. Add it all… Read more »
Only thing about losing this kid is having to listen to the insufferable Sooner idiots … would rather have that big DT out of Georgia
Steve Sarkisian has always been known as Seven Win Sark, way back since his days at UW where he went 34-29 in five seasons before Pat Haden disastrously made the ill-informed decision to hire him as USC’s HC. Now in year three at TEXAS with nine underperforming years as a CFB HC, Sark’s record stands at 59-47. He only coached five games at USC in 2015 before being dismissed for his drunken behavior in front of both his team and Trojan fans. Winning 59 games in 8 1/2 seasons translates into exactly 6.94 wins per year. Some nicknames are perfectly… Read more »
Suckisian is a lazy, no talent, puke … always has been always will be.
Horns will toss him aside if this season is like the last two.
Yes, they gave Herman three years, Sarks neck is now on the chopping block. UT is impatient. Especially now, as they join the SEC. Sarks claim to fame…he coached with Pete Carroll !
Andy Stankiewicz, a strong 34-23-1 in his first season as HC at USC, continues to reel in impressive new players. The Trojans claimed another thoroughbred addition Tuesday with the commitment of ALA transfer pitcher Brock Blatter (6-6, 230; 91-95 mph fastball). He finished his time in the SEC 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA, striking out 12 while walking eight. A Billings, Montana native, Blatter returns to the West after ALA went through a tumultuous season that saw its HC, Brad Bohannon, fired due to a betting scandal. Blatter, 2022’s No. 1 Montana player, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 19th… Read more »
I would think NILs could work nicely for USC baseball. They should be able to get low level drafted players away from the Minor Leagues for more pay. What is the scholarship limit for baseball, 7.5, for a roster of 33? Guys can come for the NIL even if no scholarship money is available. What say you college baseball gurus?
This is how On3.com ranks USC’s 2024 commits after just-adjusted rankings
WR Xavier Jordan now leads
The difference in the position rankings makes me wonder how accurate the rankings really are. I guess it is all based on expert opinion?
Expected Points Added (EPA) is a measure of success that defines the value of each play by the effect it has on the offense’s likelihood to score per PFF.com.
For every play, EPA is attributed equally to both teams, and the metric is fairly reliable in identifying the best teams in football.
Another definition — EPA, for short, is the number of points added or lost on any given play, vs. the expected number of points that most teams score (or give up) in the current drive (if they score) or next drive (if they turn the ball over).
If Caleb stays healthy, I expect LR will be #1 again. Caleb has a truly rare opportunity. If SC goes undefeated in the season and wins the PAC, he will become the 2nd two-time Heisman winner. I loved Trent Dilfer’s explanation of Caleb. And Caleb has that chance because of LR. I am still amazed at what LR has done in only two years. When you look at what a dumpster fire SC football was when he took it over, it is truly an amazing accomplishment.
The Southern California News Group has bought the San Diego Union Tribune. (when I said for an undisclosed sum, my better half said, “probably $1.25”)
This is the local paper for San Marcos so we don’t buy it here. It’s printed on cheap paper and politically opposites with the rest of the syndicate. Speaking of which the LA Times sold their presses so their paper will be pared down according to what I’ve read the sports section will not have box scores or late scores. I think the newspaper (as an institution) is on its death bed.
I wonder about network news. I simply ignore it as propaganda. My wife loves to watch it, but then she loves “90 Day Fiancee” and “My 600 Lb life”. I simply detest those shows – we solved it by having two TVs in adjoining rooms. And, i think most network national news is simply entertainment on the level of “90 Day Fiancee” or “The Jerry Springer Show.”
Two TVs and spring closing toilet seats are the key to a long marriage!😍
Spring-loaded toilet seat? Does that mean it ejects me before I have finished reading the chapter of my current bathroom book?
Good one! It doesn’t slam down when you drop it closed.
I get the on line version of the SDUT. A printed newspaper is just a waste of paper. I’m hoping the new ownership will drive the editorial board back to some balance. I also saw the New York Times is dropping its sports section.
I was talking with Stew Mandel a while ago and he told me the New York Times had bought The Athletic, which he was on the ground floor with, sometime last year. Now it’s a different cast of characters, as these switchovers become grounded.
That was very well-planned by the NYT so they could keep their foot in the sports door in a very big way online.
Northwestern coaching candidates Willie Fritz The veteran head coach of Tulane is coming off his most successful season in New Orleans, leading the Green Wave to an 11-2 record where they won the AAC title and defeated USC in the Cotton Bowl. He was strongly considered for the Georgia Tech opening during last fall’s coaching cycle before ultimately sticking with Tulane. Turning 64 next year, this could be his final shot at a Power Five gig and the amount of respect he has garnered around the sport would make him a good candidate to hold things down at Northwestern. Draftkings… Read more »
This upcoming season reminds me of the 1987/1988. A surprising 1987/2022. High expectations, with a great qb returning. And with a challenging schedule.The 1988 team blew through their’s until ND (with a couple of nail biters, early at Stanford, late vs Washington). Winning on national tv at BC and then the big clash vs Oklahoma. This year could be the same. The schedule isn’t easy but a win at Notre Dame could launch the Trojans as national contenders. They would be flying high coming home vs Utah, and you know they will play pissed off for that one. Then a… Read more »
The GameDay crew should likely be at South Bend when USC rolls into town. Perfect.
ND should be, at least, 5-1 … if they beat OhioSt, it will be 2005 all over again!!
1988 was my first year at SC as a grad student. Every home game that season the Coliseum was rocking and we had the national media at every game. Hated losing to ND which I wasn’t at that game because I went home for Thanksgiving.
This season should be great if the defense plays anywhere near the top 25 or top 50.
The loss of Cleveland Colter and Tex Williams for the ND game was huge. Colter alone was a force vs ND option game. No way Rice makes that long TD run with CC in there.
What a brutal loss. But I have to say that Tony Rice was one of the absolute best opponent QBs I ever saw perform against SC. He made me ill. I also traveled back to ND and saw Rice do big damage against USC as both a runner and a passer. He always seemed to have a knack for getting the extra yard, if I remember him correctly. Very frustrating trying to stop him because he was so slippery and capable of the big play. Here’s a video of Tony Rice that I found very interesting. Great question — would… Read more »
Colter was incredible vs Oklahoma’s option. Tracy Butts was a solid player but no Cleveland Colter, he stops that play.
Rice was a handful in 1988 and that classic 1989 game. ND would had been interesting in 88/89 had Rice not been allowed in school. Granny Holtz, that notorious cheater, pulled one over there.
My high school coach was also the HC of Lou Holtz in Ohio at East Liverpool. They had remained good friends, and when ND would roll into town every other year, I often spotted my HS coach (usually wearing his hat) on the Irish sidelines in the Coliseum. The horribly frustrating Irish winning streak vs USC under Holtz was pure torture. It seemed like there was demoralizing close loss after close loss, regardless of who the players were each year. Holtz was very demanding of his troops about the rivalry. He could be a real tyrant and really schooled his… Read more »
I don’t think Ara Parseghian ever coached a regular season game after USC’s amazing win in 1974 called “The Comeback”. I was a Sophomore at USC that year and for SC to drop 55 points on the Domers after falling behind 24-0 was a highlight in my watching USC football since 1965.
That is the game.that made me a Trojan lifer!
I’ve never heard the LA Coliseum as loud as it was when Anthony Davis ran the second half kickoff back 102 yards for a TD. Even my Grandmother, who was 80 at the time, was jumping up and down on her seat cheering the Trojans on.
Great win … Brad Otten was on fire in 2nd half. And Mike Riley calmly setting up the winning TD toss and 2 pt conversion run was classic.
Delon Washington just barely eeked in for the two-point conversion to tie it 20-20.
For your viewing pleasure! Washington’s two-pointer is at roughly 6:18 in the clip.
What a memory!
https://youtu.be/rX7EIexA_-s
Wasn’t Rodney Peete ill for that ND game, but played anyway?
Good memory.
Peete had a case of laryngitis heading into the ND game. He wasn’t supposed to talk until the Thursday before the big reckoning, but Peete denied feeling ill outside of losing his voice, which had returned by game time.
Freshman Todd Marinovich was Peete’s stand-in voice in some ND practices, calling the snap count.
Measles before UCLA game … he was out of gas by the ND game the next week. Tall order to win those games back to back, UCLA was unbeaten and #1 most the season and had a great team. It was a huge emotional win (cover of SI) and then they had #1 ND the next week. SC was simply flat vs ND. Who had a nice game plan, they copied some from UCLA, who were effective blitzing Rodney from the inside and playing SC good but not fast WRs man to man. UCLA didn’t do it enough, Barry Alvarez… Read more »
Pat Fitzgerald Fired by Northwestern Amid Hazing Allegations
Pat Fitzgerald’s time as the HC of Northwestern football (since 2006) has reportedly ended.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the B1G’s Wildcats pulled the trigger earlier today.
bleacherreport.com
Our next DC … he knows Big 10
Trent Dilfer compares Heisman winner Caleb Williams to Aaron Rodgers, using car analogies… Top QB evaluator Trent Dilfer, now the HFC at UAB, told SI what gives Williams the advantage over the rest of the 2023 CFB signal callers. “He’s rare,” Dilfer explained. “I always go to these car analogies because they resonate with people the most, but he’s got muscle car horsepower, he’s got sports car twitch, he’s got SUV joint structure, he’s got Tesla brains. And he’s got Formula 1 intuitive qualities. He’s just everything you’re looking for. “We had him that COVID year at Elite 11 and I… Read more »
Great metaphors!
The Angry Giraffe!
USC still lists Eric Gentry (aka the Angry Giraffe), who missed spring ball because of an October high ankle sprain against UTAH in the 2nd half which doomed the Trojans), at 6-6, 205 pounds.
Various reports have the Angry Giraffe up to as high as 225 pounds now.
Does anyone here have a link to Gentry’s actual weight now?
IMO, Gentry was the most valuable player on last year’s D. The D was playing relatively well when Gentry was healthy; when he went down, the D turned to crap. Interesting to see if he is fully recovered for the 2023 season AND, assuming he is fully recovered, whether he will start on the D and in which position. Arledge argues that Gentry, if fully recovered, should start at ILB, no matter his weight.
Gentry said he gained 23 pounds since January.
The New York Times Kills Its Sports Desk Yahoo.com — Sports will no longer be part of The New York Times. The newspaper is eliminating its sports desk and folding such coverage into The Athletic, the subscription-based sports outlet the Times purchased last year for $550 million. The paper’s sports writers and editors will be moved to different roles in the newsroom and no layoffs are planned, executive editor Joe Kahn and deputy managing editor Monica Drake announced in a memo to Times staff. “We plan to focus even more directly on distinctive, high-impact news and enterprise journalism about how sports intersect with money, power,… Read more »
Is Brent Venables the right man for the Sooner job? I don’t think so.
The Big 12 media picked TEXAS to finish #1 (41 first-place votes) and KSU #2 (14 first-place votes) over #3 OU (only 4 first-place votes — the same as TT received).
Last season, Venables led the Sooners to a 6-7 season, their first losing campaign in 24 years.
BV is the defensive version of Kiffy and Suck. Supposed gurus due to running their mouths and being assistants at the right place at the right time. Like those multi fired losers, BV will fail miserably and get canned.
JFC, he lost to Suck 49-0!
I truly feel sorry for SDS now. I don’t how the Aztecs get out of this one. Talk about being in a bad position. Apparently, neither the Pac-12 nor the Big 12 want them, despite all the dragged-on cheap talk about their excellent basketball team and their beautiful San Diego location. In the end, or at least so far, neither of those elements has translated into SDS’s favor. Unfortunately, the Aztecs overplayed their confusing hand big-time. The president of SDS as well as their AD look about as idiotic as you can right now. They both make George Kliavkoff seem… Read more »
I don’t feel any sorry for SDS. They made one of the dumbest moves in collegiate sports history. It may still work out, but it was really really dumb. They had best hope for something outstanding to happen in SDS athletics in 2023 to make them attractive to another conference. As SDS is clearly not in the class of Cal, Stanford, UW or even Utah academically, I wonder is those three want them in the conference, unless they can bring significant financial returns. But, then again I do not see much distinction between ASU, WSU, OR, CO or Oregon State… Read more »
You’re a heartless bully RJJ! 😂
What’s wrong with having empathy for those who hurt themselves with utter stupidity? I felt supremely sorry for USC football for at least 10 years before LR arrived. Remember when USC used to be totally dumb in football? It wasn’t that long ago.
Without Mike Bohn amazingly (some would say luckily) landing LR out of the complete blue, I hesitate to speculate about where USC football would be right now. Maybe hitched up to yet another mediocre coach and stuck in neutral for all we know.
Pac-12 is two weeks from media day, and everyone in college sports is watching Matt Zemek (Yahoo Sports) — The Pac-12 Conference is two weeks from its media day gathering in Las Vegas. If you follow college sports with a reasonable degree of regularity — not obsessively, but enough to know what is generally happening in the industry — you know that the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff are expected to have their long-awaited media rights deal finalized by then. The industry expectation is that Kliavkoff will use his public remarks at media day to break a very long silence… Read more »
It appears SDS is in self-destruct mode !
Now, does Kliavkoff have a rabbit to pull out of his hat at media day ?
The PAC is about to be shown where they stand in the Power 5 conferences.
Can USC become the Elite program that it is in the PAC when in the BIG…
It will have much more competition…
Oh, how money alters everything.
WSU transfer forward D.J. Rodman gets DeMar DeRozan’s blessing to wear jersey No. 10 at USC
USC men’s basketball has many new faces this season, with PG Isaiah Collier and combo guard Bronny James the most notable.
With both Bronny (#6) and Collier (#1) already choosing their USC numbers, now Rodman has his: #10.
Chicago Bulls star and Trojan legend DeMar DeRozan gave Rodman his blessing to wear his retired #10 jersey.
Current Bulls star gives former Bulls star’s son the okay, nice.
I plan to travel to one home and one road game this year. I have a buddy who is a duck and has season tickets. I might go to that game. He will be a pompous jerk if we lose, but the guy is hilarious and the best cook I know. Plus, we stay on his boat. Hard to beat that. Flipping a coin between the gutties or huskies. Which do you think will be the bigger game for us?
I’d say USC has to beat ORE in Eugene. There are lots of reasons for that IMO, including our recent losing record (1-4, often lopsided) vs the Ducks over the last five years.
The past decade is all but forgotten besides the laughs … new era now.
Our opponents totally thrived on USC’s last lost decade, both with their comments off the field, and their play on it.
They’ll never let us forget it, so we have to kick butt on our way out of the Pac-12. Sure hope we have a great season. I do believe it’s a real possibility.
Huskies … will be a great one
Still hard to believe it happened like this at the Cotton Bowl on Jan 2, 2023. Tulane scores 16 points in final 4 minutes.
The greatest example of a total team meltdown. Even the towel waivers dropped their towels! If USC football future wasn’t so bright 😎, it would be painful, to me I just scratch my head and smile. It seems to have been a wake up call for the staff to up their game.
Is it true USC had the worst special teams in the nation last season? No where to go with that but ….!
I can’t imagine what was going through Lincoln Riley’s mind when the TUL game was finally over and USC had simply pissed away victory. Total and complete failure.
But LR’s been absolutely lights out ever since in all aspects of Trojan football. What a wild ride it has been.
Never playing Mario Williams on kick returns had better be one thought. Probably letting CW run the ball out of his own end zone another. Replacing Grinch, obviously.
I don’t blame Grinch for players not making tackles. I never blamed my coaches for any tackles I missed either.
I was there in person. I have attended in person between 150 and 250 SC football games and I have seen a lot of really bad D. This was the worst SC D I have witnessed in person. I have taken the position that this game ended Grinch career. Do not know if I am right or wrong. I witnessed Chip Kelly’s Ducks destroy Monte Kiffin’s D in the Coliseum. Thought at that time that game had ended Monte’s career as a collegiate DC (turns out I was correct). Grinch has a huge “hole” to dig out from Hope the… Read more »
I think LR gave Grinch a solid lifeline in terms of massive extra talent as well as coaching support that will give USC a good, at least solid, if not great D in 2023. The Trojans have been very busy, and that has been a terrific sight to see since the Cotton Bowl disaster.
Excellent point. It was probably a good thing that SC lost that game. If it not had a meltdown on special teams and fumbled the kick off out of bounds, SC would have won the game. Instead, LR was forced to face the reality that was the SC D and the SC special teams. Both stunk. In fact, the D had stunk for the previous seven games. But, it did not matter as Caleb kept pulling games out of the fire. And LR certainly made changes! I hope the word about Zachariah Branch is accurate.
It’s been insightful to see that USC’s ridiculous last-4-minute loss to TUL still reverberates through the Trojan community with such intensity. No doubt, the most insanely brutal meltdown in USC football history.
If anyone has a bigger one, please advise.
I think USC’s 48-41 1996 collapse to UCLA in double OT was about as bad a final Q as I’ve seen USC play — until I saw the last Cotton Bowl.
Grinch was awful last year … the opponents continually scoring on 3 play drives after the SC O all but wrapped up games was embarrassing.
USC’s defensive talent was also brutally bad IMO. Grinch had nothing to work with from what I saw, though he didn’t do himself any favors with either his schemes or his post-game comments.
I’ll be interested to see if USC’s D can continue to cause turnovers this season. If so, I think our defense will be at least solid, regardless of Grinch.
The worst meltdown possible. Everything had to be done as poorly as possible to lose, which is exactly what happened.
Lincoln Riley showed he had some very major weaknesses on both defense and special teams against TUL.
I keep hearing that Zachariah Branch may be the best special teams player we’ve had since Adoree Jackson, and maybe better.
LR has always shown a lot of ways to skin a Cat. ✌
I’ve re-watched a few of last years games ,we were smoke and mirrors on D. Our D line was really undersized and pushed around all over the place. I don’t think that will happen with the new guys. We are lots bigger and stronger.
Hopefully that was the last Gomer demon to be exorcised.
Great photo of McKay. Never seen this one before.
These classic pics of Coach McKay in his retro SC garb are simply fantastic
He was always an amazing presence. Iconic stuff.
Mountain West insists San Diego State has left the conference, and it wants its exit fee San Diego State informed the Mountain West it wanted to stay in the conference after all Friday, something the conference is now disputing Ryan Young (Yahoo Sports) — “San Diego State may want to remain in the Mountain West after all, but the feeling apparently isn’t mutual. “The Mountain West insisted in a series of letters last week that SDS formally announced it was leaving the conference and said it is going to withhold a $6.6 million payment as the first installation of an… Read more »
What a mess! For whatever reason, SDS is now without a conference and has ZERO leverage in negotiating for entrance to any other conference, including the PAC. And we complained about the incompetence of the SC athletic department under Haden and Swann! The SDS Athletic Department and Administration has to be the most incompetent in history! I have seen some discussions of this, but the MW does not want them because they cannot count on SDS being a solid member. It would be like taking your wife back after you told you she was leaving for another man, filed for… Read more »
I don’t think GK has much latitude to control anything if you ask me. The Pac-12 was already too far gone when he took over. Then USC bolted behind closed doors and the P12 football party out west was officially neutered, make that shattered.
The SDS battle with the MW should be fun to watch. Crazy negotiations as we speak!
From the very beginning Kliavkoff was a desperation hire.
No formal connections with CFB…EVER completely ignorant of the nuances required, he’s a frugal Larry Scott and lacks the ability to lead. Look at the other strong P5 conferences, their Commissioners “GET IT “
Alfa, spot on. In hindsight, the Kliavkoff hire was a mistake. I do not know if anyone could have saved the PAC, as I do not think the University Presidents realized just how bad a position they had allowed Larry Scott to put the conference. In hindsight, the PAC needed to hire a very experienced commissioner and let him or her run the show. I also do not know if anyone with that level of talent and vision was available or would had taken the job if offered. As to Kliavkoff, as you correctly noted that he had no experience… Read more »
From your post, “I view Scott as one of the most successful conmen in recent times. He sold his board “snake oil” and they loved it. All the while, he made a fortune.”
Replace Scott with Helton and it’s all still true.
Scott and Helton are both true charlatans. One effectively destroyed the Pac-12. The other took USC down to a very dark place before the rescue party finally came. Then, USC left. Can’t wait to see how USC responds to the new B1G challenges with LR as our leader.
Helton was to USC what Scott was to P12. Fortunately, USC had a Joker to play, whereas I don’t see the P12 having anything up its sleeve.
I am unbelievably excited about the direction of the fb program and all the great matchups we’ll now get to enjoy. Sure, there will be some heartbreaking moments, but I believe there will be many more thrilling ones.
Now the lawyers get involved. What constitutes a “formal” announcement to withdraw? Should be clear in the bylaws of the conference. Outside of San Diego what media markets does the MW have? Maybe they figure SDS is already gone anyway.
It shows that jumping conferences should be taken very seriously.
The conference you are leaving are not going to take care of you or like you.
Even shoping around can cause problems.
Have to trust the conference that you are going to.
Happy July 4 to all the TrojanDailyBloggers! Hope it’s a great one for you.
I think fall camp starts at the end of the month. Fun off season, but ready for the real thing. In the meantime, I’ll kill my weekends on the boat pretending to try and catch fish.
Change your bait and quit pretending.
Just looking at 247 Sports 2024 football recruiting rankings. USC is #5 overall, leading the Pac12. Oregon is close behind at #8. Surprising, Stanford is not too far behind at #13. The rest of the Pac12 is far behind, with Arizona at #47. Maybe Stanford football is not dead yet?
Of course, we should be looking at the BIG10 for 2024. USC is third close behind OSU and Michigan, with Penn St.close at #4.
USC might just beat STAN by 40 points this season. Wait until you see how bad they are.
They’ve got lots of 3-stars coming in for 2024, and the Portal may as well be a spaceship to them.
They should change the name of the so-called Big Game to the Little Game, just for the sake of accuracy.
How about the “Who Cares Any More Game”!?😂
Ya Allen, Stanford vs Cal, should attract around 6-7 viewers.
Maybe he will be the MD domino that starts the others? I hope we land him along with Breland.
He says USC and tOHS are very similar. So why travel. Alabama is a distant 3rd…right now.
How many DBs do we need in this class? Don’t we already have about 6 of them?
Overall, I would say our DBs have been at least slightly disappointing for years now, especially our corners. Maybe LR is finally fixing that problem?!
What is needed is LB and DL.
The DBs are ok.
Just want to wish everyone a Happy 4th. With the security upgrades on the blog, I had some issues logging in, so changed my email and ID. I used to be rleeholder1 and now am going with a backup email account and the ID of TrojanRon.
The Big 12 Conference officially added four teams Saturday as the calendar turned to July 1. Houston, Cincinnati, BYU and UCF join the conference nearly two years after Big 12 presidents voted to expand the league. It’s July 1. Big day,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “Big day for the Big 12 Conference, our fans. Welcome UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, BYU. We are so thrilled to have you in the conference. We’ve waited a long time for this moment. Can’t wait to be on campus this fall. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Glad to have you in the Big 12.” The Big… Read more »
Deyvid Palepale!
USC recruiting is on fire. The DB from Texas is the real deal. I read his write up on Ryan’s board and he is a real find. Starting playing DB as a sophomore. Great flexibility as he can play all three DB spots (CB, Nickel, or Safety). Now we get a DT from PA, whom both MI and Penn State wanted. We would never have stood a chance with him without becoming part of the B1G. Right now the only program on the West Coast competing with SC is Oregon; in the B1G, SC is right up there with Ohio… Read more »
Where Riley is reaching out to for players is amazing. Not only is he driving the Texas schools crazy, but the east coast is getting into play also. It seems LR was planning on going into the B1G ready to play serious football. The days of worrying about the ducks is over, we really need to go to Autzen and beat them badly this year on our way out of the Pac. What gets me is that he is not afraid to go after the 3 star that is so under rated. Conley and Palepale are both 3 stars, and… Read more »
Bronny James is the 27th ranked recruit on 247. Isaiah Collier is #1 in the nation but gets no mention in this story. Bronny James will not even be the best player at USC. A lot of hype. Let’s see what he can do before talk of NBA draft.
Golden, I agree. This is all because of his daddy. This is not journalism. Collier is the guy for USC basketball.
Three-star Texas CB Braylon Conley (6-0, 170) becomes USC’s 16th 2024 commit.
Donte Williams scores again.
TEXAS, TT, ARK, AUB, ORE, UTAH and UW came up short here.
Allen did you reset everyone’s passwords updating the site? Just want to be sure.
John’s doing some important site security work that has necessitated this.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
No worries Alan. I just wanted to be sure. Moved to the big D in Texas. It’s surprising how the have so much faith in Cutty Sark. Looking forward to the season and curious if we can make the playoffs. Nonetheless, the program is on a fantastic trajectory and we will be a contender moving forward. Fight On!!!!
The Legend of Seven Win Sark Somehow Lives On! 🙄
Wishing you the best in the BigD, Trojan96. I see there are others that call Sark by the name of Cutty Sark. It will always amaze me how he got away with the drinking at UW before he came to USC. The AD at the time he was the Huskies HC was Barbara Hedges, a long time USC Assistant AD. She was highly respected and I’m sure some of the UW players talked about Sark’s being drunk at practice and during games. I will always be perturbed that Pat Haden didn’t do proper due diligence on Cutty Sark before he… Read more »
Haden, very accomplished in some aspects of his life, was simply out of his league as an AD. He had no idea or experience about how to conduct a big-time CFB search, and nobody wanted the job then, remember? Once Chris Petersen turned Haden down, Barbara Hedges smartly realized she could probably get Petersen, while handing off unpopular Seven Win Sark to USC at the same time. What a perfect move on her part. But I don’t think Haden or USC looked bad by firing the former big-time drunk. Haden handled that aspect of Sark’s termination very well, which is… Read more »
Allen: I agree with you on Swann. Mike Garrett is often put in a bad light and I think unreasonably so. He was the one who hired Pete Carroll. I met Mike when he spoke at a luncheon at my parents’ retirement home, Villa Gardens in Pasadena. The home had several retired USC professors and alums. Mike was invited to speak in August of every year my folks were there and he showed up every year. Haden never accepted the invitation to speak and that was a big mistake because I would estimate that the annual donations from the residents… Read more »
I had to reset my password and recreate my avatar, my dog Tigger.
Very cool! ✌
How can I take a basketball player named after My Little Pony seriously? Daddy wasn’t around much to clean the dribble of his chin
Three-star Pennsylvania DL Deyvid Palepale set for Saturday announcement on 247Sports youtube channel DL Deyvid Palepale (6-3, 288, originally from Anchorage, Alaska) will announce his decision between USC, MICH and PSU tomorrow on the 247Sports youtube channel at 11 am PT. Palepale — “Coach (Shaun) Nua is big on faith and family, and he also builds from the ground up with the basics, starting with your feet and all the way through your hands in striking a guy. “For me, the biggest thing, I was just using my core values. Having my family behind me was really good to humble… Read more »
Pennsylvania DL David Palepale just publicly committed to USC over MICH and PSU. He is USC’s #17 commit (11 are from out of state) which now puts the Trojans at #5 per On3.com and #9 on Rivals.
Definitely a come-from-behind victory for USC here.
Wow! San Diego State to tell Mountain West it’s not leaving after all SDS told the conference earlier in June that it planned to leave in 2024 Nick Bromberg (Yahoo) — Now San Diego State doesn’t appear to be changing conferences anytime soon. According to ESPN, the school is “expected” to rescind its withdrawal request from the Mountain West. Two weeks ago, SDS told the Mountain West that it “intends to resign” from the conference. The notice was given so that SDS could pay a significantly smaller fee to the conference by giving notice before July 1. SDS has served as… Read more »
There were millions of reasons they didn’t jump, but I heard they weren’t invited
If true, I think that just shows how poorly the Pac-10 continues to be run. SDS deserved better treatment IMO. If the Pac-10 truly didn’t want SDS, surely they knew so a long time ago during this dragged-out disaster with still no media contract as any hoped-for fireworks turn out to be duds again. This last-minute June 30 SDS announcement that they are sticking with the Mountain West leads me to believe the Aztecs were strung along, assuming you are correct (seems logical), and they never even got an invite — and should have never notified the MWC of any… Read more »
Biggest sports story in 2023 – the survival of the Pac in 2024. This is not good news about the Pac’s media deal. I read it to mean that no media company was willing to pay more tor the 2024 Pac media rights with SDS in the package. Let’s say the number was $200 million a year with SDS or withour SDS. Why would you then add SDS? I have no idea what the final number is going to be, but given this clue, I find it hard to accept that it will be in the $30 million per school… Read more »
I’m pretty sure LaBron and Bronny don’t play one-on-one in their driveway. More like a private indoor court, training facility, or a top-of-the-line sport court.
So much for that idea! 😂