Truth & Rumors > NCAAB

How USC landed O.J. Mayo

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05:21 AM ET 05.13 | The prize recruit with the breathtaking hang time just happened to land in Tim Floyd's lap. Remember the charming tale Floyd told last year about the stranger who walked unannounced into his office at USC and asked if he had ever heard of O. J. Mayo? Of course he had, Floyd said he told this mystery man, who proceeded to say that Mayo, soon to be a West Virginia high school senior, one of college basketball's most wanted, was very much interested in blessing his program. When Floyd asked for Mayo's number, he was told: "O. J. doesn't give out his cell. He'll call you." When Mayo did, he asked Floyd how many more scholarships he had left, besides the one reserved for him. Floyd told him he had three. "Don't worry about recruiting," Mayo said. "I'll take care of it."

New York Times

O. J. Mayo, Jamie Squire/Getty Images O. J. Mayo, Jamie Squire/Getty Images
May 13, 2008  07:24 AM ET

Not shocking as most of this was already known due to an article in about this last year. So far both Mayo and his agency are playing dumb. The problem is the evidence is over whelming. Receipts just can't be printed out on your home computer. Lesson learned. Don't EVER skrew over one of your homies because you are a greedy SOB.

But at the end of the day, this won't matter because my left nut has more integrity than the NCAA.

May 13, 2008  08:07 AM ET

The NCAA should also look at whether or not USC is telling recruits that the school can fly in parents for 3 games.

May 13, 2008  08:38 AM ET

Whats the story here?

May 13, 2008  08:53 AM ET

So pretty much this article just shows that OJ was a self righteous, ego maniac at 18 years old. Not sports news by any means.

May 13, 2008  09:06 AM ET

Someone should have put this kid in his place back in junior high. Very arrogant. And while he's good, he's not that good. If I were an NBA gm I'd pass on him. He couldn't spell team if his life depended on it. He can spell "me" and "I". And Floyd is just another coach(like Sampson at Indiana)who sell their souls to try to win.

May 13, 2008  09:21 AM ET

I dont care if he got money, I seriously doubt Kansas St. landed Beasley without any cash as well... Ever see the interview with his mother? She is dumber then Lebron's... News flash, great recruits get gifts... Im surprised you didn't know that already lol

May 13, 2008  09:24 AM ET

Is it any wonder why coaches have no problem "selling their souls to win"? Every coach is on the hotseat.

The NCAA have to be the biggest group of idiots on the planet...second only to the jurors that acquitted another former Trojan named O.J. Did anyone actually think that this age limit wouldn't create situations like this?

May 13, 2008  09:48 AM ET

Mayo was bought and paid FUR......

May 13, 2008  10:04 AM ET

LSU...Probably not even at 18. I think this cat was 20 by the time he graduated HS.

May 13, 2008  10:07 AM ET

so what...its been going on since the beginning of time....he should have never had to go to college....the nba rules are to blame .....how do you expect people to live??

May 13, 2008  10:10 AM ET

It's a stupid regulation. The only folks who complain about kids getting gifts or other items on the side are people who hate college sports or fans of loser programs (that attempt to lure athletes with similar bribes)

This is why no one should care about this issue:

A) college athletes are largely adults who can make their won judgements regardless of financial background.

B) What their school does, your school has already tried and failed..NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY IN COLD WEATHER WITH UGLY WOMEN SURROUNDED BY THEM!!

C) This is a big one: COLLEGE SPORTS ARE A BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY!!! DON''T BE UPSET IF SOME KID GETS $20,000 WORTH OF PERKS IF HIS PERFROMANCE RAKES IN MILLIONS FOR HIS SCHOOL.

May 13, 2008  10:15 AM ET

Agreed, antonio.

Sending these guys to college is ridiculous. They don't want the education, for the most part, as is evidenced by the horrible graduation rate among 1-A athletes.

You wanna go pro? Go pro. Or create a minor league system. But college for anyone whose real goal is to be a professional athlete is just a hornet's nest of conflicting interests and wasted scholarships.

May 13, 2008  10:17 AM ET

Baseball avoids this problem VERY easily with a minor league system. If you want a college education, go to college. If you want to be a pro ballplayer, go into the minor leagues. Or do both.

But it makes NO sense that you should have to go to college in order to be a professional basketball player. None. Take the money from the schools and put it into a professional prep league.

May 13, 2008  10:19 AM ET

The idea that these schools get hundreds of millions of dollars for selling basketball games while the athletes get none is insane.

It's like saying it's OK for a movie producer to make money, but not an actor.

is it any wonder the dirty money finds these kids anyway?

May 13, 2008  10:20 AM ET

They are actually more productive scholarships than that of your typical filed hockey star. Schools like Georgia get 60% of their annual income from the football team. If you have star players who win a lot of games, then you get more money from merchandise and from qualifying for big games.

May 13, 2008  10:21 AM ET

* field hockey

stupid little comment box; can't read a thing.

Comment has been removed
May 13, 2008  10:25 AM ET

DSS, I'm sure the scholarships make a TON of money for the schools.

But the fact that the schools make money while the athletes work for free is the root of the problem. It's like child labor, and it breeds abuse. The schools want all of the upside of the entertainment they're selling, but take no responsibility for the athletes who are providing it.

Memphis, for instance, gets rich on TV money and graduates 1/3 of its players. Where's the accountability?

May 13, 2008  10:26 AM ET

(the above comment by "joelee22" is about to be removed.)

 
May 13, 2008  10:48 AM ET

But the fact that the schools make money while the athletes work for free is the root of the problem. It's like child labor, and it breeds abuse. The schools want all of the upside of the entertainment they're selling, but take no responsibility for the athletes who are providing it.

Memphis, for instance, gets rich on TV money and graduates 1/3 of its players. Where's the accountability?

Yankee64 | 05/13/08, 10:25 AM

Are these kids there for studies or just to go to the NBA? If all they want to do is play basketball for a year, go over to Europe if it's that serious. Yes the colleges and NCAA are making a ton of money off of these kids. But it's only for 1 yr. In the big picture, is that "flat screen" and all the other things he got worth what he's about to go thru?

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