Mayo cited for pot possession

USC Coach Tim Floyd said he was unaware that star recruit O.J. Mayo had been cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana in Huntington, W.Va., and declined to comment on the latest incident involving the Trojans’ signee.

“I’m not going to have any response on it until I know more about it,” Floyd said after USC lost to Oregon, 81-57, Saturday in the championship game of the Pacific Life Pac-10 tournament at Staples Center. “I’m going to talk to O.J. before I talk to you guys.”

Mayo, a 19-year-old senior at Huntington High, was one of four men cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession late Friday after the car they were riding in was pulled over. Police found what they described as a small amount of marijuana on the driver and an amount in the backseat in a spare pair of shoes.

Mayo was neither arrested nor taken into custody, and Cabell County Sheriff’s Deputy Doug Adams told the Huntington Herald-Dispatch that none of the men claimed ownership of the marijuana. Adams said none of the other men played for Huntington’s high school team.

Mayo must appear in Cabell Magistrate Court at an undetermined date.

Widely considered one of the top high school players in the country, Mayo has made headlines for reasons other than his basketball prowess over the last few months. He was suspended for three games after being ejected from a game and making contact with a referee in late January.

Mayo also was suspended three times as a student at Cincinnati North College Hill High, twice for fighting and once for academic issues. Mayo attended North College Hill before transferring to his hometown Huntington High before this school year.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com