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Reaching for the stars carries big risk - COMMENTARY: USC basketball landed top recruit Mayo, but with investigations looming, was he worth the effort?

When O.J. Mayo committed to USC, Trojans coach Tim Floyd said the basketball phenom wanted to make the same impact as Reggie Bush did with the football program.

Well, Mayo partially succeeded. He did not win a national championship or Wooden Award, but he leaves USC under the cloud of another major NCAA investigation.

And what does USC's basketball program have to show for its troubles? A first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament and an up-and-down 21-12 season hardly seem worth the potential misery facing the Trojans.

With the NCAA, Pacific-10 Conference and even USC's own compliance office investigating the matter, the bigger question might be how much Floyd is willing to tolerate in the name of building a winning program.

Instead of just figuring out whether Mayo allegedly took thousands of dollars funneled from a sports agency through his mentor, Rodney Guillory, there needs to be some reflection on what USC really wants to be in basketball   Read Full Article...