Saturday, April 29, 2006

Trojans Moving on to the NFL


Congratulations to USC's two most recent Heisman Trophy winners, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, who were selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Bush was picked by New Orleans, while Leinart was chosen by Arizona.


In the second round, Winston Justice (Philadelphia), Deuce Lutui (Arizona) and LenDale White (Tennessee) were selected.


In the third round, Frostee Rucker (Cincinnati) and Dominique Byrd (St. Louis) were drafted.

The Oakland Raiders selected Darnell Bing in the fourth round and announced that they plan to convert him to linebacker. In the fifth round, the Seattle Seahawks picked David Kirtman.


LaJaun Ramsey was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round and Fred Matua was selected by the Lions in the seventh.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

For CSTV: Jordan Farmar and Nick Young



We just finished a video report on two of the best college basketball players in Los Angeles, UCLA's Jordan Farmar and USC's Nick Young. (The Trojans host UCLA at the Sports Arena on Sunday.)

The piece was done for CSTV, a cable network owned by CBS that covers college sports.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Another Trojan to Leave?

With the deadline for players to declare themselves eligible for the NFL Draft having just passed, it would appear that the Trojans are done suffering defections for a while.

But InsideUSC has learned that the UCLA football program is trying to entice USC linebackers coach Ken Norton to return to his alma mater and coach the Bruins.

On Tuesday, UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell fired defensive coordinator Larry Kerr, who also served as the team's linebackers coach.

A source close to the program said that four former Bruins have contacted Norton to lobby him to move across town. Were Norton to return to UCLA, it would likely be as linebackers coach and not defensive coordinator.

But first, Dorrell would have to mend some fences. In recent years, he and Norton haven't even been on speaking terms.

The two played together at UCLA from 1984-86, and Norton pushed the athletic department to hire his former teammate and showed up at the press conference where Dorrell was announced as the new head coach to show his support.

After the hire, Norton approached Dorrell several times about joining the UCLA coaching staff. Each time, he was turned down.

Norton then contacted USC coach Pete Carroll, whom he played for with the San Francisco 49ers. Carroll offered him a position as a graduate assistant. When Dorrell found out, he tried to counter by offering the same at UCLA. But it was too late.

"I gave them every opportunity to let them know what I felt and let them know what I wanted to do, and they weren't receptive," Norton told the Pasadena Star News in a 2004 interview. "It was up to them. I let them know that I was available, and it was up to them to make a decision. It didn't work out."

"I let [Dorrell] know that I was interested in coaching, and it was up to him to decide what was available for me," Norton said. "He knew that I was available."

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Houston is on the Clock

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

No Surprise: Bush to go Pro

At a 10:30 am news conference tomorrow in USC's Heritage Hall, Reggie Bush will announce that he's foregoing his senior season to make himself eligible for the 2006 NFL Draft.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Post Game Radio Interview

Reaction to the Rose Bowl:

Nathan Gotsch on AOL's Sports Bloggers Live

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Bush Knows Texas Tax Code


On Sunday night the USC Trojans took part in their half of the annual Beef Bowl at Lawry's the Prime Rib restaurant in Beverly Hills. Each year, Lawry's separately hosts the teams in the Rose Bowl for a complimentary prime rib dinner, a tradition going back 50 years.

Before the event, Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush spoke to the media about the results of the so-called "Bush Bowl," the game between the two worst teams in the NFL. The loser of that game, the Houston Texans, got the first pick in April's NFL Draft, which many predict they'll use on Bush if he declares himself eligible after the Rose Bowl.

Bush said the fact that the Texans have the top pick won't influence his decision whether to turn pro, but he did say he was familiar with the team. "I do know a lot about the Houston Texans."

When pressed to elaborate, Bush spoke of his familiarity with the state's financial regulations. "I know Texas doesn't have [personal] state [income] tax."

Bush reiterated that he's still undecided about turning pro. "I haven't made my decision yet," he said. "I've talked to people. As of right now, I'm focused on [the Rose Bowl] and helping us with this game. It's a big game. We've got our work cut out for us."

Bush did say that the outcome of the Rose Bowl would not affect his decision. "No, not at all."

VIDEO: Watch Reggie Bush discuss the Houston Texans (QuickTime)

More Video from the Beef Bowl

Pete Carroll talks about all the activities leading up to the Rose Bowl