The Wildcat Online has an article asking if O.J. Mayo is bad for college basketball? Among the reasons, writer Alex Dalenberg cites:

• Mayo’s been suspended for fighting
• Mayo was cited for possession of marijuana (the charges were later dropped)
• Mayo was ejected from a game after allegedly assaulting a referee (video’s show otherwise)
• For the his final basket of his high school career Mayo threw a pass to himself off the backboard and dunked the ball and then threw it into the crowd and celebrated, drawing a technical foul (he later described it as emotional)
• Everyone knows Mayo is a one and done player and only going to USC to springboard his career

Meanwhile, writer Cameron Jones gives reasons why Mayo is good for college basketball, and more specifically, the USC Trojans:

• USC will sell out every game
• USC will have a record number of games nationally televised
• USC and be the lead story on SportsCenter all because of O.J. Mayo
• O.J. Mayo’s USC jersey will fly off the shelves in the campus bookstore
• USC wiill not only be thought of a football school, but O.J. Mayo will put USC basketball on the map

So while Mayo may not be the poster child for college basketball, I doubt anyone at USC is complaining. Mayo may be the basketball devil, but he’ll also be the Trojan saint.

McDonald’s All-American and future USC Trojan O.J. Mayo wears a University of Southern California shirt under his uniform before scrimmaging for the 30th anniversary McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Game that will be played on Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky. The game will be televised on ESPN at 8 PM eastern time.

DraftExpress has an interview with O.J. Mayo at the McDonald’s All America Game Practices. Some interesting points include:

• At USC, Tim Floyd said O.J. Mayo will play the point guard position since that is what he will play in the NBA
• Mayo would have still went to college if the NBA did not have an age rule
• O.J. says he never considered skipping a year by playing overseas, in the D-League, or just training

You can view the entire interview at DraftExpress.com

The New York Times has an article on O.J. Mayo and how he ended up committing to USC (University of Southern California). Some memorable points in the article:

• Head coach Tim Floyd said he did not bother to call Mayo or even send him a U.S.C. brochure.
• Mayo wanted to market himself before going to the N.B.A., and that Los Angeles would give him the best possible platform.
• O.J. Mayo wanted to be a pioneer for a new era
• Floyd answered the phone, he heard a teenager’s voice on the other end: “Coach, this is O. J. Mayo. I’d like to come to your school.”
• Mayo said that if he did not go to U.S.C., he would probably enroll at an African-American college.
• “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of. I kept thinking, ‘Either this kid is nuts, or he’s got the biggest vision I’ve ever seen.’ ” - Tim Floyd, USC Head Coach

Read the entire article.

The Huntington Highlanders (25-2) easily won the Class AAA boys basketball state title game against South Charleston (22-4) in a 103-61 victory Saturday . O.J. Mayo, playing in his final game before joining the USC Trojans, finished with 41 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. But it was the 6-foot-5 seniors final 2 points that will have people talking for years to come. With one minute left, Mayo made an alley-oop pass to himself off the backboard for a dunk. He then grabbed the ball and tossed it at least 25 rows into the stands over top of the Huntington student section, receiving a technical that was quickly forgotten as he received a standing ovation for several minutes.

Future USC Trojan, O.J. Mayo, only had 14 points in a 103-39 blowout in the Class AAA quarterfinal against Fairmont Senior. Mayo had all of his points in the first half. Mayo actually vomited in a bucket while sitting on the bench in the second half, saying he ate some greasy pizza before the game and it won’t happen again.

Huntington (23-2) will take on Bridgeport (20-3) at 5:30 Friday in the Class AAA semifinals.

The charges were dropped against USC Recruit O.J. Mayo, who had been cited for marijuana possession in Huntington, West Virginia, last week after police found a small amount of marijuana inside a car with 3 other passengers. At the time, nobody would claim the drugs belonged to them but 2 of the passengers have now claimed responsibility and thus the charges were dropped.

In other OJ Mayo news, it looks like he will be coming to Los Angeles early as Tim Floyd was quoted saying he expects Mayo at USC in June, taking a summer course before the fall semester.

O.J. Mayo and three other young males were cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana Friday night when
a suspicious Cadillac was pulled over with Mayo inside. Mayo, who will be attending USC next year, was seated in the front passenger seat of the car. The driver had a small amount of marijuana on him along with some in a spare set of shoes in the back of the car.

All four individuals were cited with possession because none of the passengers claimed ownership of the marijuana. Mayo was not arrested or taken into custody.

O.J. Mayo finished with 18 points and 10 assists playing point guard for the majority of the game. A 17-foot jumper on the game’s first possession gave Mayo, who will be at USC next season, 4,000-points for his six-year career. The Highlanders blew out the Spring Valley Timberwolves 83-47. Huntington will play the winner of Friday’s Region VIII, Section 1 final between Cabell Midland and Hurricane on Tuesday at Veterans Memorial Field House.