Dave Telep on OJ Mayo

[Russ Smith]

In response to an LA times blurb that says Mayo is still telling everyone he's not interested in going anywhere but USC next year, Telep, a national scouting service guy said he disagrees. He said that Mayo hasn't talked to him or another rival scouting service in over a month and that based on what he hears "I don't think he has an interest in playing in college. I think he'll go to Europe, or play a year with the Globetrotters, and then go pro."

Another national scouting guy agrees saying the word is Mayo has been a celebrity for so long he simply doesn't want to go to college and be a student saying he's been treated like a pro for so long it would be hard for him to "do the college thing."

I still say these guys are just being PC and avoiding potentially being sued, what they're all saying without saying it is this kid is already a pro, he won't be allowed to play in college.

 

[Russ Smith]

Mayo is really a circus. He announced yesterday he was going to visit K State, Florida, UCONN and Florida. Yes he named Florida twice, and UCONN has already said they have not offered Mayo a scholarship and are not currently recruiting him, which is all they are allowed to say under NCAA rules.

 

[abomb]

Is there any chance this kid is going to be 50% as good as all this bullcrap?

 

[Russ Smith]

Is there any chance this kid is going to be 50% as good as all this bullcrap?

To be honest I think Mayo is a GREAT player, I'm thrilled UCLA got Kevin Love but anybody who says he's a better player than Mayo is on crack. There just aren't that many good bigmen so even in the camps Love is often dominating guys who are 3 inches shorter or 40 pounds lighter while Mayo is going up against Derrick Rose and a bunch of other guys his size with great talent.

The problem is Mayo has been a star for so long he's completely spoiled by the system. I think if he was allowed to play at USC next year he'd probably put up on the order of 22-25 PPG and 5-8 APG depending on how fast they play, he's that good. I just don't think he'll be eligible.

People forget Mayo has been "the man" since 7th grade in his class, everyone goes after him.

Love will have a bigger impact because he'll be on a much better team, hell he may go 20-10 and 5 APG he's terrific, but when you start talking NBA potential I think Mayo has much more. The question on him is maturity plain and simple, is he going to be mature enough to avoid bad decisions when he's making a ton of money in the NBA in 2 years?

I love him as a player but I think he's everythign that's wrong with amateur basketball.

 

[sly fly]

Don't see the big fuss about the kid and where he goes to take Hoops 101 at.

He's gone after 1 year anyway. And, likely going to leave a lot of ? marks after he leaves.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI according to USA Today, Mayo officially signed an LOI to USC. They said he got a 29 on his ACT and is on track to qualify for USC so now it just comes down to what the NCAA has to say on his amateur status.

 

[Mulli]

Where is the phenom Apple Juice Mustard going?

 

[abomb]

FYI according to USA Today, Mayo officially signed an LOI to USC. They said he got a 29 on his ACT and is on track to qualify for USC so now it just comes down to what the NCAA has to say on his amateur status.

Wouldnt a 29 be in the 90th percentile?

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html

Just sayin'.

 

[Russ Smith]

Wouldnt a 29 be in the 90th percentile?

http://www.actstudent.org/scores/norms1.html

Just sayin'.

29 on ACT is roughly 1300 on SAT. WOuldn't shock me, Mayo is a bright kid, so is Bill Walker. the question on them was never were they smart. With Walker it was his temper and would he do the work, not could he. With mayo it was does he actually have his amateur status or not. I'd be pretty surprised if a high profile kid like Mayo tried anything funny on such a test as closely watched as he is.

I don't think he ever plays for USC but I actually hope he does, I think it would be great exposure for the Pac 10 to have a player like him in the conference.

 

[Russ Smith]

Gotta give Mayo credit for sense of humor.

"Los Angeles is a great basketball city and needs a (college) powerhouse," Mayo says.

 

[Russ Smith]

And the intrigue continues. A friend of mine is a professor at Cincinnati, last year he tipped me off they were about to suspend guys on the basketball team during the NIT and they did.

Anyhow he says there's a mini investigation brewing now in the area of questionable ACT test scores for certain student athletes and guess who's test score is at the center of the rumors, OJ Mayo.

Mayo's 29 surprised a lot of people but since it was his first time taking the test you couldn't say wow his score went up quickly. Then people started to pay attention to something OJ had said just a week earlier when he announced his list of final schools, that he'd be taking the ACT for the first time at the end of the month(November). One week later, he announced he'd signed with USC, and that he already had a 29 on his ACT. I remember a few UCLA fans pointing out it seemed odd that Mayo would have forgotten taking the ACT because he clearly said he'd take it for the first time end of November but there he was on November 15th with a test score in hand?

Apparently there's innuendo that several high profile prospects in the Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia areas all got passing ACT scores taking the test at the same time and same location.

The friend knows my obsession with Mayo so he emailed me yesterday saying don't be surprised if that ACT score is yanked.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The only schools that still offered Mayo a scholi were Cincinnati (former Huggins), Kansas State (Huggins), Indiana (Kelvin Sampson), and USC (Tim Floyd). Make your own assumptions.

 

[devilfan02]

Didn't you say Mayo is a smart kid? He could have very easily got a legit 29 if thats the case. However, how stupid are these morons if they went to the same location, at the same time, and they all got high scores. Man, I wasn't even that stupid in high school

 

[devilfan02]

Sampson has turned into quite the dirtbag. He's a good coach, it's to bad he will tarnish his accomplishments

 

[Russ Smith]

Didn't you say Mayo is a smart kid? He could have very easily got a legit 29 if thats the case. However, how stupid are these morons if they went to the same location, at the same time, and they all got high scores. Man, I wasn't even that stupid in high school

Yeah he's a bright kid, 29 ACT bright who knows, but the score alone didn't make me think anything was up. But literally a week before he signed with USC, he announced his final recruiting list and said he'd be taking the ACT for the first time the end of that month, which is November. So how does he have a ACT score of 29 a week later? That's where the question started and apparently now there's possibly something shady going on.

The guy who told me mentioned Michael Beasley as another kid who's score is coming into question apparently taken same day same location, Beasley and Mayo are very good friends, he's the kid who was going to Charlotte, then Huggins hired an assistant from Charlotte and Beasley followed him to K State.

OBviously the part that sounds bad is if a group of high profile athletes all took the test at the same location same day, from different schools.

Many will recall years ago there was a huge scandal involving cheating on SAT's in LA that hit a lot of high profile athletes. UCLA was involved somewhat as was ASU as one of the guys who reportedly cheated was Tommie Prince. UCLA had rejected Prince's SAT score saying it had jumped so much they were certain it would be challenged anyways, Prince refused to retake it, so UCLA pulled his LOI and he wound up at ASU. Years later, Prince's name surfaced on a list of kids who had allegedly paid to have someone else take his SAT for him. In that case you had the same thing, guys from New York were flying to LA to take the SAT at this one location, in reality of course they were just paying to have someone take the test for them.

 

[abomb]

So Mayo bumps a ref and gets suspended.

He was just reinstated for some tournament.

Mayo allowed to play in Cameron-hosted prep eventESPN.com news services


HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Suspended prep star O.J. Mayo won a temporary restraining order Tuesday that would allow him to play later in the day for Huntington High against another nationally ranked opponent.

Cabell County Circuit Judge Dan O'Hanlon granted separate requests by Mayo and five other Huntington players who were suspended for two games stemming from a game against Charleston's Capital High last Friday.

The rulings would allow Mayo and his teammates to play in a game Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., against Artesia of Lakewood, Calif. O'Hanlon set hearings for the players for Feb. 9 and barred state athletic officials from imposing the suspensions until a decision is made on the players' procedural rights to appeal the penalties.

More than 5,000 fans are expected to attend Tuesday's game.

Mayo, a senior who is considered by some to be the nation's best guard prospect since LeBron James, received two technical fouls and was ejected, then he followed referee Mike Lazo to the scorer's table and apparently bumped the referee from behind.

Under state athletics rules, the penalty for receiving two technical fouls in a game or being ejected from a game is a two-game suspension. A student who "in protest lays hands or attempts to lay hands upon an official" can be declared ineligible for up to a year.

Mayo's five teammates were suspended for leaving the bench area. Upon his ejection, Mayo was escorted off the court by a police officer.

"We feel O.J. certainly didn't do anything intentional," his attorney, Mike Woelfel, who also is an assistant coach at Huntington, told The Herald-Dispatch on Monday. "If there was contact, it was inadvertent or may have been accidentally initiated by the referee himself."

Huntington (15-0) is ranked second and Artesia (21-1) No. 11 in the most recent USA Today Super 25 boys basketball rankings. Huntington also is scheduled to play Friday against Scott County (Ky.) in Lexington, Ky.

Under SSAC rules, if a student plays under a restraining order that is later reversed, the team could be forced to forfeit any victories in which the student played. Mike Hayden, executive director of the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission, didn't immediately return a telephone message Tuesday.

Mayo signed a letter of intent in November to play next season at USC.

The New York Times, in a story reported in Tuesday's editions, detailed the events that led to Mayo's ejection:

• Mayo was called for his first technical foul for taunting after a dunk late in the second half against Capital. Following that whistle, he walked to midcourt, where players from both teams had gathered and were jawing. Mayo then walked away.

• The second technical was called after Mayo walked back toward the players gathered at midcourt. From the video, which has been available on the Internet via the Web site of WSAZ in West Virginia, Mayo does not appear to say or do anything, The Times reported.

• But when Lazo, the official, walked to the scorer's table to report the technical, Mayo followed and appeared to make subtle, if any, contact with Lazo. The official then dropped suddenly to the ground. On the video, The Times said, it appeared Lazo's fall was exaggerated.

Lazo could not be reached for comment Monday, according to The Times.

"This official wanted to be the star of the show," William Bands, a lawyer in Charleston who watched from the stands, said, according to The Times. "That resulted in a situation that could have cost Huntington High School and the state of West Virginia a once-in-a-lifetime honor, to win a mythical national championship."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

[Russ Smith]

Yes the Mayo gate stuff is big news. I've seen 2 videos of it and the ref is either a complete klutz or he took a dive. Mayo DID bump him and frankly that's a suspension in my eyes and the judge should NOT have reinstated him. But the guy goes down like mayo hit him with a lead pipe. He exagerrates it by looking up like he thinks Mayo is going to clobber him.

What I've read there was a ton of taunting and bumping between guys in the game. mayo's team was in huge foul trouble, they barely had enough players to finish the game. Mayo dunked, caught the ball and walked up court holding it and staring down an opponent, Technical #1. He dropped the ball and walked away, and then when he turns back he appears to slightly bump #14 on the other team, at the same time staring him down, and the ref T's him up as Mayo's walking away.

mayo then follows the ref, bumps him from behind and the guy goes down like a professional wrestler taking a bump. The ref claims Mayo used profanity against him while he was down on the court. Some of the fans who attended are claiming the ref, Michael Lazo, graduated from the highschool Mayo's team was playing and he "set up" Mayo. I think the suspension is warranted even a small bump of a ref is too much IMHO, but either the ref tripped and got embarassed, or he took a dive to go down that hard.

http://www.wsaz.com/sports/headlines/5410146.html

That link has a couple of videos and copies of all the court documents on
this. I think it's dumb they reinstated Mayo so he can play in this big game at Duke. All that does is reinforce the opinion that he will never be held accountable for his actions because he's a great player. THis kind of stuff is not new in his career at all. The ref probably went overboard too, but that doesn't mean they should let Mayo off.

Wonder if Tim Floyd has any idea what he's in for at USC if the NCAA clears Mayo to play next year?

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Wonder if Tim Floyd has any idea what he's in for at USC if the NCAA clears Mayo to play next year?

Um, perhaps the best starting 5 in the Pac-10?

G - Gabe Pruitt
G - Nick Young
G - OJ Mayo
F - Taj Gibson
F - Davon Jefferson

 

[Russ Smith]

Um, perhaps the best starting 5 in the Pac-10?

G - Gabe Pruitt
G - Nick Young
G - OJ Mayo
F - Taj Gibson
F - Davon Jefferson

Off the court mainly. But from that list Young is almost assuredly gone. He's said repeatedly he wants to go, recently he said he wants to play with Mayo but if you know his history he probably won't. Young and Jordan Farmar are HS rivals but they became friends via AAU. Young wasn't going to qualify at USC until Farmar helped him study for and pass the SAT. Young chose USC because he wanted to continue the rivalry, UCLA had followed him but his grades weren't good enough but he said he would have picked SC anyways because he liked the rivalry with Farmar. He wanted to come out last year but was told not to by scouts. Very unlikely he's back.

Jefferson makes Mayo look like a good kid, I've read scouting reports comparing him to Shawn Marion, others to Brandon Rush, but they all agree he's a major pain in the butt, extremely arrogant and nobody likes to play with him. Major talent maybe not playing the last 2 years have cured him?

Mayo I still say he won't play. The NCAA has a new clearinghouse procedure for amateur status they adopted this year and a friend of mine who teaches at UC says many schools are calling it "the OJ Mayo rule" . They created an entire new department to handle amateur status with all the issues with foreign kids, and all the kids who WOULD have gone to the NBA if not for the new NBA rule. Mayo is really the first test of that since many believe he hasn't been an amateur for years.

But if they get all 5 of those kids on thecourt together I agree, best starting 5 in the conference. UCLA would be close if Afflalo stays but I don't think he will, pretty sure he's gone.

 

[abomb]

Um, perhaps the best starting 5 in the Pac-10?

G - Gabe Pruitt
G - Nick Young
G - OJ Mayo
F - Taj Gibson
F - Davon Jefferson

That lineup is disgusting.

Hey Russ, if you were a betting man, what % chance do you think that Mayo goes to college next season, with what you know today?

 

[Russ Smith]

That lineup is disgusting.

Hey Russ, if you were a betting man, what % chance do you think that Mayo goes to college next season, with what you know today?

2 months ago I'd have said zero. Now I'd say 25%. I've been told Mayo passed the preliminary amateur status check last year when he registered with the NCAA clearinghouse as a junior. It's a very quick check, LeBron James, Tyson Chandler and Sebastian Telfair all passed it too and none of them would ahve been able to play in college due to amateur status. But Ben Bolch who covers USC for the LA Times swears that all the mayo rumors are bunk and that he will pass amateur status with flying colors.

he's the only person I know of who is that positive, but he covers USC for a living so he may know something most people don't know that leads him to be that confident?

 

[Russ Smith]

The latest on Mayo. Per USA today, the school district Mayo attends has announced that one player from that game has been suspended 14 days, 5 others were reinstated. Privacy rules prevent them from naming players but it's well known Mayo was the suspended player. So he plays tonight against a nationally ranked team from Kentucky, in Kentucky, and then by sheer coincidence will miss the next 2 weeks, and 4 games, all against league opponents that will probably get no closer than 30 to Huntington(without Mayo).

Hard to argue with that type of discipline, what better message to send a kid than you will be held accountable for your actions with suspensions, just not against good opponents? The really bad thing is they said they weren't going to take any further action against the ref, the guy clearly flopped I would hope they at least have the sense to not let him work games Huntington is playing in the rest of the year?