Thursday’s LA Times has a few more details on the USC men’s basketball team’s planned trip to Mazatlan, Mexico over Labor Day weekend. A nice side benefit of the trip–allowed under NCAA rules that permit teams to play internationally every four years–is that the Trojans can hold extra practice sessions well before the usual mid-October start to the practice season. USC held its first early practice on Wednesday, although the incoming freshmen–and there are many this year–are not permitted to practice with the team until their first day of classes, which does not occur until Monday. The team will practice a total of 15 times before their first of two Mexican contests on September 2nd. Each of the two exhibition games in Mazatlan will be against a Mexican professional team–although the identities of those teams are still up in the air.

Mayo-led team starts early in Mexico (LA Times)