Trojan Family ties too strong?


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It seemed like an unusual location for the USC football program to hire multiple assistant coaches. I had to double-check what conference the school was in — Conference USA — and what in the world its team name — the Hilltoppers — represented (no explanation, though Wikipedia describes its mascot as a “red, furry blob”). […]

USC finds its own path to success


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A long three-year rebuild finally paid its dividends after USC upset No. 7 Arizona at the Galen Center on Saturday night. The win gave Andy Enfield his first signature win as head coach of the Trojans, while matching last season’s Pac-12 win total at three games. The Trojans have jumped back into the national picture after […]

COLUMN: Timing of Helton hire raises questions


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USC’s newest football coach, Clay Helton, may turn out to be a masterful hire. He loves physical football, dedicates coaching time to both sides of the ball, and has that “it” factor with his inspirational speeches. He seems to be a no frills type of coach who just loves football, a model that has worked […]

COLUMN: Kobe, Helton and LA’s future


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Despite growing up in L.A., I was never a big Lakers fan. There were plenty of good opportunities for me to jump on the bandwagon, but I just was never that into basketball. In fact, I would go as far as saying I disliked the Lakers. Kobe Bryant, the face of the franchise, always came […]

Helton is ultimately the right hire


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When I woke up this morning to the news that head coach Clay Helton is here to stay, I was ecstatic. As the day went on though, I began to read more criticism of the Helton hire and grow wary of Haden’s decision. Why not just wait until the end of the season and conduct […]

Saturday is more than a rivalry


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Do it for the seniors” is a common theme in locker rooms, but never has it been more relevant than this weekend. If USC doesn’t beat UCLA on Saturday, the seniors on the team will graduate having never won a game against their crosstown rivals. For a school that prides itself on being a national […]

USC fans have the right to be frustrated


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Nothing has been more emblematic of the current state of the Trojan football program than Saturday’s exercise in futility against the Oregon Ducks. In yet another game, the Trojans were thoroughly outcoached, yet by sheer force of raw talent still had a semblance of a chance going into the fourth quarter. That is the Trojan […]

COLUMN: Words draw power to sports


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It’s hard to believe that this is actually my last column as sports editor of this publication. For the past year, I’ve had the privilege of fully immersing myself in USC athletics, and time sure does fly when you’re having fun. Going into last January, I remember saying that I wanted my tenure as sports […]

COLUMN: Pac-12 weakened by strength of schedule


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The Pac-12 finds itself on the outside looking in after both of its one-loss teams — Stanford and Utah — suffered dramatic defeats. The losses mean the Pac-12 is guaranteed a conference champion with at least two losses. As of now the only other conference guaranteed a champion with one loss is the SEC. The […]

Herman could be next head coach


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There was no shortage of crazy games this weekend in college football. Of course, that’s to be expected of any weekend in college football. But this was a particularly packed weekend of important games for USC fans outside of the Trojans’ showdown with the Buffaloes in Colorado. Thankfully, the Trojans’ matchup was on a Friday […]