Johnson, Trojans ready for another title run


Junior Steve Johnson has accomplished what very few have been able to do. With strong play  and impeccable will and stamina, he walked away victorious from the NCAA singles championship match in Palo Alto, Calif., just a week after he led the Trojans to the NCAA team title. Johnson’s achievements could not have come at […]

Suing NCAA not a viable option for USC


Well, that was exhausting. Five years, one month and six days later, and the final chapter to the Reggie Bush era officially closed Thursday morning with the NCAA once again giving USC the cold shoulder, announcing the school’s appeal of last June’s sanctions had been denied. And it’s about time. For a case dating back […]

Foundation for men’s volleyball set in place


Four of the country’s top prep volleyball players — Tyler Cundiff, Ben Lam, Robbie McKnight and Austin Rysyk — will join USC for the 2012 season, USC coach Bill Ferguson announced on May 19. The new class features state and club champions, players selected to be part of the national team’s pipeline of talent and […]

Enforcement exercise condescending in tone


The criticisms have snowballed. Over the past year, since the words “lack of institutional control” and “failure to monitor” became ingrained into the mind of the average college sports fan, the NCAA has been under intense scrutiny. That’s no surprise. From USC’s two-year bowl ban to Ohio State’s “Tattoo Five” and, most recently, Boise State’s […]

USC’s top five sports moments of the year


It’s been a crazy year in college athletics. Scandals ran rampant across college football and college basketball. The NCAA tournament certainly defined madness. But amid all of this, it was clear the cardinal and gold still boasts some, if not most, of the top teams in the nation across all sports. So as the year […]

Onus falls on us to protect USC spirit


When the year began, I was warned that, despite any attempt to put a positive spin on a controversial situation, one truth would remain: The Trojans’ athletic program is fatally flawed. People near and far continued to tell me this year would be the first of a long, dark period for USC athletics. Nine months […]

The harsh realities of collegiate football


I’ve been coming to USC football games for as long as I can remember. I’ve been to games as a giddy kid, a drunken student and a dispassionate journalist. I don’t have to tell you which setting was the most fun. As I look back on the three years I covered the team and the […]

Offense still needs more time to mature


For the 16,850 USC fans in attendance, Saturday’s annual spring game at the Coliseum was not pretty, littered with interceptions, incomplete passes and missed field goals. With senior tailback Marc Tyler and sophomore wide receiver Robert Woods sidelined with various ailments, USC’s offense was noticeably out of sync and overwhelmed by a defensive front that […]

And the final chapter: what I learned at USC


Right about now, hundreds of thousands of high school seniors are making their life-changing decision about which college to attend. Only 3,000 will make the right choice and come to our side of warm, sunny Los Angeles for the next four years. I remember when I made my decision, and then changed it and then […]

Draft defections give USC an edge in Pac-12


After the USC men’s basketball team was ousted in the First Four of the NCAA tournament, I thought there was a slight possibility it could lose junior forward Nikola Vucevic to the NBA after a stellar season. After all, who would blame him? I’d probably get tired shouldering USC’s inconsistent offense and facing constant double […]