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I'm an 18-year-old freshman to be at USC who lives and dies with the Trojans, Lakers, and Angels. In addition to writing, commenting, and editing here at ArmchairGM, I also have my own sports website, SoCal Sports Hub.com (http://socalsportshub.com). More By The Beast
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New USC basketball coach Kevin O’Neill lands his first two recruits
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This offseason has been nothing short of disastrous for the Trojan basketball program, which has lost its best three players to the NBA, watched several of its top recruits decommit, and witnessed its head coach Tim Floyd resign amidst an NCAA investigation. However, despite the dark cloud that surrounds Jefferson and Figueroa, new coach Kevin O’Neill appears to be leading the program in the right direction, as he received two verbal commits yesterday.
Curtis Washington, a senior forward from Elizabethtown High School in Kentucky, and Gelaun Wheelwright, a 6′1″ junior point guard from Centennial/Corona High School, both gave verbal commitments on Wednesday to play basketball for O’Neill at USC.
Before his selection as the MVP of last week’s Rick Bolus Blue Chip Camp in Georgetown, Kentucky, and a strong showing at the adidas It Takes 5ive Classic at Northern Kentucky University this week, Washington was a relatively unknown prospect, who had yet to receive any college offers. It was said that Indiana and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis were the only schools, outside of USC, that had serious interest in Washington. However, when your school is under NCAA investigation for “lack of institutional control,” you don’t get to be real selective during recruiting.
But what should make Trojan fans extremely excited about the program’s future is the commitment from point guard Gelaun Wheelwright, who is considered by many to be one of the top guards coming out of California in the class of 2011. Many had felt as if Wheelwright was so good that he would end up across town in Westwood, but his commitment to USC gave O’Neill his first victory of sorts over Ben Howland and UCLA.
The commitment from Wheelwright is not only valuable for O’Neill in terms of the program’s public image, but also in terms of its on the court performance. After Mater Dei point guard Gary Franklin went back on his verbal commitment to USC, the Trojans were lacking a point guard of the future and Wheelwright appears to be in the position to fill that void.
While he does appear to be a bit raw, as his ball handling skills could use some work and he is a bit turnover prone, the future is certainly a bright one for the 6′1″ point guard if he continues to develop over his final two years of high school. Already, he has excellent court vision, precocious passing, and an impeccable jump shot, which have already made him one of the better prospects in his class. Combine those talents with a more mature player in two years, then O’Neill may have found himself a solid point guard.
