(CSTV U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES — It’s tough to garner much publicity in the fall if you don’t wear a cardinal helmet on your head, but two USC freshmen have already shown their potential to make big headlines come winter.
Davon Jefferson and O.J. Mayo, arguably USC basketball’s two most prized recruits of the past decade, displayed prime off-season form Sept. 1 in an exhibition game win, 102-82, over the Caballeros de Culiacan in Culiacan, Mexico.
Both Mayo and Jefferson scored 29 points for the Trojans, who outscored the Caballeros — a semi-pro team — 50-23 in the second half.
USC gave up 59 points to Culiacan in the first half, largely as a result of the Caballeros’ hot shooting that netted them eight 3-pointers before the break.
Sophomore power forward Taj Gibson, arguably USC’s most important returning player, was the team’s next leading scorer with nine points.
The team was originally scheduled to play four games, including doubleheaders on both Sept. 1 and Sept. 2, but a late start to the opener against Culiacan and flooding in the Mazatlan gym left the Trojans with one game and a mini-vacation in Mexico.
Coach Tim Floyd spent his newly acquired day off by going fishing with guard Ryan Wetherell’s dad.
Sophomore guards Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis did not make the trip. Hackett played for the Italian national team most of the summer and had just returned, while Lewis was dealing with a sinus infection.
Jefferson, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound native of Lynwood, Calif., and Mayo, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound native of Huntington, W. Va., highlight a freshman class that includes 7-footer Mamadou Diarra, defensive-minded Marcus Simmons, Stoneridge Prep product Angelo Johnson and James Dunleavy, son of Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy.
USC’s season opener is Nov. 10 at the Galen Center against Mercer. The team’s non-conference opponents include Oklahoma, Kansas and Memphis - the Jayhawks and Tigers are ranked No. 1 and No. 5, respectively, in the ESPN.com preseason poll.
The Trojans will face all three teams during the same week USC football takes on UCLA at the Coliseum.