Football team buying into new beginnings


Everything about the first football practice of spring this Tuesday seemed a little bit different. No one was wearing No. 7 for the first time in what seems like an eternity. Gone were all four team captains from last season. In their wake was a brand new crop of players wearing unfamiliar numbers, playing roles […]

Floyd might just be man for the job


When news broke of USC Athletic Director Pat Haden’s three-hour meeting with former USC men’s basketball head coach Tim Floyd, my reaction was similar to that of fellow editor Alex Shultz’s, at least at first. I was a bit surprised, to say the least. But once that initial shock subsided, my next thought was simple:  […]

Talks with Tim Floyd send wrong message


On Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that USC Athletic Director Pat Haden reached out to former USC men’s basketball head coach Tim Floyd. The two met for over three hours to discuss the Trojans’ coaching situation beyond this season. Haden declined to comment, but Floyd said everything “went well.” At this point, I’d like […]

Questions abound for USC this spring


The countdown began as soon as USC departed El Paso, Texas, on New Year’s Eve. The countdown continued in earnest as head coach Lane Kiffin announced a perhaps less-than-desirable recruiting class on national signing day. But the countdown to the 2013 season now takes a backseat. Cue spring practice. Battered and bruised after a 7-6 […]

Playing on senior day a privilege, not a right


As an outgoing senior, I’m often overcome by nostalgia these days. In the next two months, I will experience a bevy of “lasts” at USC — my last bike ride down Trousdale Parkway in the wholly unnecessary bike lanes, my last chicken-chipotle panini at Popovich Cafe and my last signature on a Monday 9 a.m. […]

Kiffin’s latest remarks a big step backward


If nothing else, USC head coach Lane Kiffin provides for some solid sound bites. He didn’t disappoint on Wednesday. Quoted in an ESPN L.A. article, Kiffin discussed quarterback Matt Barkley’s draft status. Barkley took a tumble down the draft boards this season, and it’s possible he falls out of the first round. Kiffin said Barkley […]

In Fontan, Trojans have true leader


Before Saturday’s game against Arizona State, USC’s men’s basketball team will honor its five seniors before their final home game of their Trojan careers. Five names will be called, but the day will really belong to one player in particular. Senior point guard Jio Fontan knows plenty about the highs and lows of Division I […]

Kiffin ignoring biggest problem


Spring practice is right around the corner. Matt Barkley, Robert Woods, Khaled Holmes and Nickell Robey are making the rounds at the NFL Combine. This should be a period of positive thoughts and new beginnings for Trojans both past and present.   Instead, the focus of USC football continues to be on a recurring topic […]

Basketball team has room for progress


In the minutes prior to tipoff between the USC men’s basketball team and UCLA on Sunday afternoon, the Galen Center video board flashed a montage of highlights from the Trojans’ upset win over the Bruins on Jan. 30. It showed flashy dunks and some last-minute free throws, preserving the victory in the minds of fans. […]

Amid doubts, Barkley shows fire at combine


Simply put, Sept. 15, 2012 was a rough day for a journalist intent on covering a potential national title run for USC. Weaving my way through the horde of fans mobbing the 50-yard line of Stanford Stadium after USC’s then-shocking 21-14 upset loss to Stanford, I forged ahead down a tunnel in disbelief to a […]