Some interesting tidbits on the latest early practice session for the Trojan men’s basketball team courtesy of a Los Angeles Times report (and credit should definitely be given to the Times for being the only publication even bothering to cover these early basketball practices):

• Out of the Trojans’ six incoming freshman, only one (PG Angelo Johnson) has not yet been certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse. He may still be several weeks away from learning whether or not he will be eligible for the fall semester. The Trojans would love to have his speed available in the first semester.
• F Leonard Washington still has a chance at becoming a Trojan. Although head coach Tim Floyd released him from his letter of intent earlier this summer, he has not ruled out attending USC (although if he does want to play for the Trojans, he could not do so until late December at the earliest).
• Senior walk-on Reed Doucette will not be a member of the basketball team this season. He will concentrate on the student portion of student-athlete this year instead.

The Times also profiles redshirt freshman forward Kasey Cunningham, who is hoping to work his way into the rotation this season after sitting out last year to recover after suffering a torn ACL as a high school senior. Even now, his knee is not 100%, but it’s much closer than last year.

Back from injury, Cunningham expected to contribute for Trojans (LA Times)