Mayo ended with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists but shot 6-for-20 from the field, including missing 7 straight shots at one point. Rose finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists but had 5 turnovers.

“I’m just trying to get better as a player,” Mayo said. “I’m not perfect, but I strive to be perfect. Nobody plays perfect but I just try to get better.”

“I feel like as a ballplayer and as a competitor who wants to win, anything short of a national championship will be a failure for the team this year”

Slam Online posted the full transcript to their interview with O.J. Mayo. It’s quite a long read but very interesting. Among the many points:

On why bother worrying about academics if he is going to be a “one and done” player as everyone says he will be:

I don’t want to think that. I mean, that could be a goal—it could be—but you never know. You never know what type of season we may have. We might come close to winning a national championship, might wanna just go and knock it out the next year. You never know. But right now I’m just worried about learning stuff in college, the experience, being independent.

On what the coaches at USC expect from him:

Being a point guard, coming in and being a leader. My main thing, I just want to come in and perfect winning.

On UCLA super freshman Kevin Love:

I’ve been knowing him since the eighth grade, I’ve watched him grow, he’s watched me grow, we’re getting better as players, we’re cool as friends. But I’m self-motivated. I gotta take care of my family. That’s enough motivation.

On Kobe:

I just think he takes his job serious. It’s not something just to be paid off of, be in magazines, you know, it’s serious. You step out on the court, it’s business. Like, “I’m here to show you that this is what I do, and I’m the best.”

On why USC?

Like a lot of people are like, “Why USC?” Well, you gotta go somewhere to learn, you know what I mean? And what better place to learn about than L.A.? Out here, a lot of people do things in real estate, in business. There’s a lot going on outside just basketball and the fast life, Hollywood and movies and stuff. There’s a lot of people that make things happen out here.

And finally a message to the kids:

I just want to let them know, if you got a dream, it’s cool to dream big things, because it can happen. Nothing’s really impossible anymore. As long as you work hard, you stay focused, and you know that, “This is what I wanna do, and I’m gonna do it, I don’t care, nothing’s gonna hold me back.” I just want people to know that it’s OK to dream big, make things happen.

Read the entire interview at Slam.

“He looked good. He looked like he had been doing it all his life.” - Marcus Simmons, Freshman Forward

“He showed flashes where if he had to take over, he could take over.” - Dwight Lewis, Sophomore Guard

“He’s like every other freshman… He’s got to learn what we’re doing right now, and as he gets more confident in the system of play and in what we’re doing, he’ll grow like all the freshmen will.” - Tim Floyd, USC Head Coach

“It was all right. It was fun… My first college practice, I’m real excited.” - O.J. Mayo, Freshman Guard

Source: LA Times

Which is the reverse of the No. 23 made famous by his idol LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

“When I was younger and playing point guard, I guess it was because of Magic Johnson. I’ve just kept it since then.”

“I plan on making a living at this. I know that’s going to be a lot of hard work and determination. But I feel like that’s why I was born and put on this Earth, to be a leader, to be one of the greatest basketball players to ever play and to be a great example and role model for the kids and for different people out there who look up toward me.” - O.J. Mayo

“I have a goal to be a NBA Hall of Famer. That’s what drives me.”

“Los Angeles is a great basketball city and needs a (college) powerhouse. It’s the perfect situation. After (football) players like Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, the school is ready for a player of my caliber.”

“I think USC is the best situation for me. It’s the perfect opportunity with coach (Tim) Floyd there. He coached in the NBA and knows what it takes to reach the league. Plus, Los Angeles is great city, unlike a small college town where all eyes would be on my every move. I just want to blend in and enjoy my time at school”

Mayo also said that signing with the Trojans was “solely my decision, there wasn’t anyone else influencing me.”

“He’s [Mayo] probably second only to LeBron James in the last five or six years in terms of perimeter players coming out of high school”