Taj Gibson

If USC fans break out the "One more year!" chants this afternoon at the Galen Center, it might be difficult at times to determine the intended target. Certainly, they will be addressing star freshman O.J. Mayo, a likely lottery pick in the NBA draft should he choose to make himself eligible, but they also could be pleading with sophomore Taj Gibson and freshman Davon Jefferson. The latter two players are also potential NBA early-entry candidates who could be making their final home appearance when USC plays host to seventh-ranked Stanford.

USC's basketball team is expected to have an entirely different look next season, as forward DeMar DeRozan, forward Taj Gibson and guard Daniel Hackett have all decided to make themselves available for the NBA draft, according to multiple sources. Hackett, a junior, will hire an agent, which will make his decision irrevocable, but Gibson, also a junior, will not, according to a source familiar with the USC program. The source asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Power forward Leonard Washington is academically ineligible for the first semester, USC basketball Coach Kevin O'Neill confirmed, robbing the Trojans of another player from last season's NCAA tournament team. Washington, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, averaged 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds last season despite a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for a month. His freshman season involved some turmoil; he was ejected from a game for punching Oklahoma's Blake Griffin . Washington had difficulties before enrolling at USC. He committed to USC as a senior at Lake Charles (La.)

The predicament facing USC became clear with 9 minutes 32 seconds left in the second half Thursday night when into the fray trotted sophomore Ryan Wetherell. As in walk-on guard Ryan Wetherell. A hip injury in the opening minutes had rendered sophomore guard Daniel Hackett unavailable, and freshman guard Marcus Simmons, one of only two perimeter substitutes, wasn't an option because he aggravated an ankle injury earlier in the week and may be out for the season. Short-handed USC hung tough against Arizona before fading over the final four minutes of an 80-69 loss at the Galen Center in front of record capacity crowd of 10,258.

Taj Gibson endured his own maddening version of the "Freshman 15" last season. After compiling eight double-doubles over USC's first 16 games, the forward had none over the Trojans' next 15 games while battling fatigue and tendinitis in his left knee. A year later at the midpoint of Pacific 10 Conference play, Gibson appears to be getting only stronger. The 6-foot-9, 226-pound sophomore has averaged 14.

USC basketball: An article in Tuesday's Sports section looking back at Sunday's loss to UCLA said USC's Dwight Lewis made two free throws to pull the Trojans to within four points at 46-42. Taj Gibson made those free throws.

Although USC sophomore Taj Gibson announced at the Trojans' team banquet Monday night that he would return for his junior season, a source close to the situation said the 6-foot-9 forward would assess his future over the next few days before deciding whether to make himself available for the NBA draft. Reached by telephone at her New York home on Tuesday, Gibson's mother, Sharon, said her son had not informed her of his plans. Gibson averaged 10.8 points and 7.

His teammates have compared him to Tim Duncan and called him "a walking double-double." An NBA executive has labeled him the best pro prospect on his team right now. No praise seems overstated considering the way Taj Gibson has begun his college career, establishing himself as one of the best freshmen in USC history halfway through his first season. The 6-foot-9 forward's 65.7% shooting from the field puts him on pace to set a USC freshman record, and his 9.

His production having appreciably tailed off over the last three games, forward Taj Gibson acknowledged Sunday evening that he was wearing down a bit toward the end of an otherwise impressive freshman season. Gibson missed all seven shots and went scoreless for the first time in his college career during the No. 22 Trojans' 68-58 loss to Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena, though he did grab 10 rebounds.

With the rigors of his first college season and a lingering bout of tendinitis in his left knee slowing him down, freshman Taj Gibson acknowledged Tuesday that he could use a little help down low Thursday night against Stanford's 7-foot Lopez twins.

It sounded like a compliment. "As he goes, basically, we'll go," first-year USC basketball Coach Kevin O'Neill said of guard Dwight Lewis . Members of the media don't expect that to be very far. In a vote, they picked the Trojans to finish next to last in the Pacific 10 Conference. But that isn't Lewis' fault. He averaged a team-high 14.4 points last season and also played well defensively on the perimeter. After Lewis? " . . . We basically have a bunch of guys that haven't played very much," O'Neill said Thursday at the conference's basketball media day. Good and gone USC's expected fall is because three of its best players who could have returned -- DeMar DeRozan , Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett -- left school early to enter the professional ranks.

Who's the point? Daniel Hackett bolted to play professionally in Europe. Lamont Jones found an NCAA investigation-free zone in Tucson, Ariz. So whom does O'Neill trust with the ball, and the offense? Mike Gerrity , a two-time transfer -- from Pepperdine to North Carolina Charlotte to USC -- won't be eligible until mid-December. Donte Smith made only 18 of 70 shots with 22 assists and 29 turnovers in 24 games last season, falling so far from favor that he was ticketed out of the program until the mass exodus canceled that departure.

Power forward Leonard Washington is academically ineligible for the first semester, USC basketball Coach Kevin O'Neill confirmed, robbing the Trojans of another player from last season's NCAA tournament team. Washington, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, averaged 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds last season despite a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for a month. His freshman season involved some turmoil; he was ejected from a game for punching Oklahoma's Blake Griffin . Washington had difficulties before enrolling at USC. He committed to USC as a senior at Lake Charles (La.)

USC's basketball team is expected to have an entirely different look next season, as forward DeMar DeRozan, forward Taj Gibson and guard Daniel Hackett have all decided to make themselves available for the NBA draft, according to multiple sources. Hackett, a junior, will hire an agent, which will make his decision irrevocable, but Gibson, also a junior, will not, according to a source familiar with the USC program. The source asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the USC basketball team this week. Guard Dwight Lewis is still trying to get back from a sprained left ankle and forward Taj Gibson missed a second day of practice with pneumonia. That could leave the Trojans without their top two scorers for games against Stanford on Thursday and California on Saturday. Lewis, out the last two games, tested his ankle during practice Tuesday.

There is no time like the present to think about your legacy. USC junior post player Taj Gibson certainly needed little prompting to fill that lane. "We came in here and turned the program around," Gibson said of what he hopes to have accomplished by the time his eligibility is done. "This program went through some problems during the Henry Bibby era. We came in as young guys and wanted to help this university grow in basketball."

Although USC sophomore Taj Gibson announced at the Trojans' team banquet Monday night that he would return for his junior season, a source close to the situation said the 6-foot-9 forward would assess his future over the next few days before deciding whether to make himself available for the NBA draft. Reached by telephone at her New York home on Tuesday, Gibson's mother, Sharon, said her son had not informed her of his plans. Gibson averaged 10.8 points and 7.

If USC fans break out the "One more year!" chants this afternoon at the Galen Center, it might be difficult at times to determine the intended target. Certainly, they will be addressing star freshman O.J. Mayo, a likely lottery pick in the NBA draft should he choose to make himself eligible, but they also could be pleading with sophomore Taj Gibson and freshman Davon Jefferson. The latter two players are also potential NBA early-entry candidates who could be making their final home appearance when USC plays host to seventh-ranked Stanford.

USC basketball: An article in Tuesday's Sports section looking back at Sunday's loss to UCLA said USC's Dwight Lewis made two free throws to pull the Trojans to within four points at 46-42. Taj Gibson made those free throws.

Taj Gibson endured his own maddening version of the "Freshman 15" last season. After compiling eight double-doubles over USC's first 16 games, the forward had none over the Trojans' next 15 games while battling fatigue and tendinitis in his left knee. A year later at the midpoint of Pacific 10 Conference play, Gibson appears to be getting only stronger. The 6-foot-9, 226-pound sophomore has averaged 14.