O J Mayo

"History has to start from somewhere, and I was thinking [of] maybe getting USC turned around." -- O.J. Mayo during his official visit to USC in November 2006 Well, there's always next year . . . or maybe not. Barring an unexpected run to the Final Four or an even more unlikely return for a second season of college basketball, Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo hasn't had quite the impact he envisioned 15 months ago. USC didn't suddenly become a college basketball blueblood.

O.J. Mayo turned the ball over and the cadets cheered. Mayo clanked a jumper and the cadets shook their derogatory signs in glee. The Citadel's cadets seated along the baseline near the USC bench Thursday night at McAlister Field House showed little restraint with the Trojans freshman in his first college road game. The cadets came equipped with signs reading, "Please don't assault our refs" and "Mayo: The Next Michael Vick."

O.J. May-who? The supposedly brightest college basketball star in town glittered upon a nationally fourth-ranked team Thursday night. O.J. May-oh-no. If the kid's brief pause here is going to be worth it, this was the night it would all start paying off, with USC against Washington State, the freshman lifting a young team and igniting a lukewarm fan base. O.J. May-day. You ask me, it's not working. The Galen Center had empty seats. The Trojans had big problems. And O.J.

USC Coach Tim Floyd said Sunday he was not concerned by a potentially troubling pattern of incidents involving star recruit O.J. Mayo, who was cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana Friday in Huntington, W.Va. "I'm not concerned because I think part of the reason O.J.

O.J. Mayo was cleared of wrongdoing Monday when a Cabell County (W.Va.) magistrate dismissed a misdemeanor marijuana citation against the USC basketball signee. Magistrate Betty Wolford told the Associated Press she dismissed the citation at the request of Cabell County prosecutor Chris Chiles. Mayo, a 19-year-old senior at Huntington (W.Va.) High, was one of four people cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession Friday after the car they were riding in was pulled over by police.

O.J. Mayo and agent Calvin Andrews have severed ties in the wake of accusations that Andrews' agency provided improper cash and benefits to a close friend of the former USC star guard. "Due to the overwhelming intensity of recent allegations regarding the recruitment of O.J. Mayo, we feel that our representation of him is a distraction for he and his family at this time," Andrews said in a statement Thursday.

OMAHA -- O.J. Mayo wouldn't say whether he would return for a second season of college basketball following the final game of his freshman year, but the USC guard was emphatic about one thing: The Trojans need more quality big men.

The FBI, IRS and U.S. attorney's office have begun a joint investigation into potential income tax evasion and fraud stemming from the alleged misuse of charitable organization funds by basketball star O.J. Mayo's former advisor, an attorney familiar with the investigation said Tuesday night. "They seem to have made a high priority out of this and seem very eager to work it," said Anthony Salerno, a Los Angeles criminal attorney representing Louis Johnson, a former Mayo confidant.

USC Coach Tim Floyd said he was unaware that star recruit O.J. Mayo had been cited for misdemeanor possession of marijuana in Huntington, W.Va., and declined to comment on the latest incident involving the Trojans' signee. "I'm not going to have any response on it until I know more about it," Floyd said after USC lost to Oregon, 81-57, Saturday in the championship game of the Pacific Life Pac-10 tournament at Staples Center. "I'm going to talk to O.J. before I talk to you guys."

Louis Johnson, who has accused basketball star O.J. Mayo of accepting cash and gifts in violation of college rules, has been contacted by the NCAA and will cooperate as it investigates the matter, his attorney, Jeff Silberman, said Thursday. Johnson contends that Mayo associate Rodney Guillory was given a new luxury vehicle and about $200,000 in cash, a portion of which he funneled to the NBA-bound guard on behalf of Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management.