Advertisement
YOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollectionsSports

Tim Floyd to stay at USC

Two days after imploring his players to wait on the NBA draft to remain with the Trojans, he takes his own advice and rejects Arizona.

April 03, 2009|Chris Foster

One is done. Now others have to make decisions.

USC basketball Coach Tim Floyd, saying he has "everything in place right here to do something special," declined an offer from Arizona -- and turned aside an inquiry from Memphis -- announcing Thursday that he would remain with the Trojans.

Advertisement

As he indicated last year when Louisiana State wooed him, Floyd said, "This will be the last time I look unless the administration gets tired of me."

Now comes the next chore: Keeping others from making the type of greener-pastures leap that he pondered for nearly 24 hours after flying to Tucson to meet with Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood.

The shape of USC's roster will be determined in coming weeks, as April 26 is the deadline for players to declare for the NBA draft. Freshman forward DeMar DeRozan, junior forward Taj Gibson and junior guard Daniel Hackett are all considering testing the NBA draft waters.

DeRozan is projected as first-round pick.

"Not yet," DeRozan said when asked if he was close to a decision. "I'm going to sit down with my family this weekend and make a decision."

The 6-foot-9 Gibson is projected as a second-round pick and NBA interest in Hackett rose during the Trojans' six-game late-season winning streak, during which they won the Pacific 10 Conference tournament championship and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"I had a long talk with the coaches, Coach Floyd especially, and we are going to evaluate every review we can get about the next level," Hackett said. "All I can say is I'm preparing to make a [NBA] run and I'm preparing for my senior year in college. Whatever decision I'm going to make will be the best one for myself."

Floyd, certainly, can understand that.

At the team banquet Tuesday, he implored players to stay at USC. A little more than 12 hours later, he was on a private jet to Tucson. He had also been contacted by Memphis but decided to go to Arizona because, he said, "I was curious to see what constitutes an elite program."

Floyd added, "I listened, I heard what they had to say. But there is something really special about building your own traditions and your own history."

Floyd said he discussed the situation with his wife, then talked with "a couple of our players and a couple of recruits." He called USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett on Thursday morning to say he would be staying.

Los Angeles Times Articles
|
|
|