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Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor have established themselves as USC's top receivers. They also might be the Trojans' best cornerbacks, Coach Lane Kiffin said Thursday. Despite injuries and USC's struggles at the position this spring, Kiffin deemed it unlikely that Lee and Agholor would play on defense in the coming season. "I've thought about it, maybe," Kiffin said. "Hopefully, we won't be in that situation with numbers so that we'd have to do that. Given three-year starter Nickell Robey's early departure for the NFL draft and the position group's propensity to give up big plays this spring, Kiffin has described the cornerback spot as "a huge concern.

An electronic sign near USC whose display was changed to flash inappropriate messages about the  Los Angeles Police Department  was unlocked and the message altered using a control panel, the USC police chief said Thursday. Various pictures of the sign surfaced on Instagram and Twitter on Thursday morning, showing the crude message, which included references to the Police Department, a posterior and "probing. " John Thomas, chief of USC's Department of Public Safety, said the department considered it a "prank" and won't be wasting resources looking for the culprits.

Lane Kiffin exited the field and hustled up several flights of stairs to greet USC football fans perched atop an observation deck overlooking the Trojans' practice facility. USC's first spring workout was underway, and the embattled coach was eager to start anew, to leave the memory of last season behind. So Kiffin has spent the last five weeks on the move. He ventured to the farthest corner to study linemen in one-on-one drills. He directed the scout team. And he spent long periods camped on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.

Pat Haden always seemed like a well-scrubbed character from your mother's favorite musical, so when he showed up last week in USC's big spring production — actors, crew and musicians outnumbering the football team — it wasn't surprise casting. Indeed, it might be yet another new career for the guy who vertically leaps from one thing to the next the way you and I leap from tee box to tee box. If this keeps up, he'll soon be running Paramount. Still, the other night he used the word "fidoodled," in his role as Postman No. 2. As in: "the way he's got this place all fidoodled up for you. " Musical theater may never be the same.

Officials are looking into an electronic sign near USC apparently hacked to display inappropriate messages about the Los Angeles Police Department, a university official said Thursday. Various pictures of the sign surfaced on Instagram and Twitter on Thursday morning, showing the crude message, which included references to the Police Department, a posterior and "probing. " John Thomas, chief of USC's Department of Public Safety, confirmed the sign had been hacked but noted it was not on campus.

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who played on two NCAA championship teams at USC and starred in the WNBA, has been hired as USC's women's basketball coach, the school announced. Cooper-Dyke, who coached last season at Texas Southern, replaces Michael Cooper, whose USC team finished 11-20 last season. Cooper-Dyke has also coached at UNC-Wilmington and Prairie View A&M. She has an eight-year record of 150-106. Last season, Texas Southern finished 20-12 and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season title.

Jodie Gates - a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet who has since become one of Southern California's most prominent dance leaders - will become the director of the new USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Gates is a professor of dance at the University of California, Irvine. USC announced the appointment Thursday, saying that the school will admit its first students in fall 2015. "Jodie Gates is the perfect person for the job," Kaufman said in a statement. "She is keenly aware of the unique needs of a dancer and the importance of a first-rate curriculum.

Tony Bland, a San Diego State assistant who played for the school and also at Westchester High, has accepted an offer to join USC Coach Andy Enfield's staff as associate head coach, according to a report. Bland told UTSanDiego that Enfield offered him the job last Thursday at the Final Four. Bland's compensation will increase from $120,000 to as much as $300,000, the website said. "I took a risk of losing a lot of money, of losing a chance to really provide for my family, because of my loyalty,” Bland told Mark Zeigler of UTSan Diego.

Devon Kennard found his niche. The fifth-year senior came to USC as a defensive end, started at outside linebacker near the end of his freshman season, played middle linebacker as a sophomore and was a defensive end in 2011. Kennard redshirted last season because of a chest muscle injury suffered on the eve of training camp. This spring, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Kennard has appeared perfectly cast as an end-linebacker hybrid in a scheme installed by new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

Louisville Coach Rick Pitino is among seven people elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Joining Pitino in the class of 2013, announced Monday, are former NBA stars Bernard King and Gary Payton, former Nevada Las Vegas coach Jerry Tarkanian, North Carolina women's Coach Sylvia Hatchell, former University of Houston coach Guy Lewis, and former University of Virginia star Dawn Staley. The inductions will be in Springfield, Mass., in September. Inductees announced previously were Edwin E.B. Henderson, a direct elect by the Early African Pioneer Committee; longtime Indiana Pacers guard Roger Brown; Oscar Schmidt of Brazil, the leading scorer in Olympic history; Richie Guerin, a star for the New York Knicks in the 1950s; and Russ Granik, the longtime assistant commissioner of the NBA. :: Bob Cantu, a longtime USC basketball assistant who served as interim coach after Kevin O'Neill was fired in January, will not be retained as part of new Coach Andy Enfield's staff, the school announced.