USC loses two more basketball recruits
Forward Derrick Williams from La Mirada High and point guard Lamont Jones from Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy have been granted releases from their basketball scholarships by USC.
The Trojans have now lost five recruits and four of their best returning players since the end of a season in which they won the Pacific 10 Conference tournament and made a school-record third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. The returning players all declared their intentions to turn pro.
The latest recruiting losses came a day after Tim Floyd abruptly resigned as coach.
Williams said he met with USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett, telling him “I wanted to keep my options open just in case something happens.”
USC’s basketball and football programs are under investigation by the NCAA.
The allegations against the basketball team are that Floyd delivered a payment to an associate of O.J. Mayo who helped steer the star guard to become a Trojan. That associate, Rodney Guillory, has also been accused of accepting cash from a sports agent and funneling some of it to Mayo, who played for USC during the 2007-08 season.
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