Although the Trojans benefited from an extra week of practices before Labor Day as a result of their exhibition trip to Mexico, USC kicks off practice for the 2007-08 season for real this Friday night in a “Midnight Madness” event at the Galen Center. (Friday’s event–which includes a scrimmage, introduction of the men’s and women’s teams, fan giveaways, a dunk contest, and more–begins at 9:00p and is free, although fans purchasing tickets to the 7:00p women’s volleyball game will be permitted to stay in their seats for the basketball festivities.)

Third-year head coach Tim Floyd will guide a promising, but highly inexperienced, Trojan squad through a tough non-conference schedule and what should be an even more grueling Pac-10 schedule. USC won a school-record 25 games during the 2006-07 season–and reached the Sweet 16 in the postseason NCAA tournament–but lost senior Lodrick Stewart and high-scoring juniors Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young. This year’s squad has just two upperclassmen on scholarship–infrequently-used forwards Keith Wilkinson and RouSean Cromwell–but boasts the nation’s top incoming class of freshmen, led by guard OJ Mayo. We break down the Trojan roster and tell you what to look for in practices before the season begins in mid-November.

The players

The key figure in the Trojan backcourt–and on the roster in general–is 6′5″ freshman guard Mayo. (Like the other OJ, he wears #32.) Projected as a potential #1 NBA draft pick, Mayo will certainly be starting from day one (either at point guard or shooting guard), and will be expected to pick up the bulk of the backcourt scoring that disappeared along with Pruitt, Stewart, and Young. Although the guard is surrounded by hype–and is a virtual lock to leave school for NBA riches after just one year–he has impressed teammates and coaches since he first landed in Los Angeles over the summer with his incredible dedication to the game, tireless work ethic, and surprisingly unselfish play. While he certainly has room for improvement, and has yet to be tested by the best college players, and has some troubling run-ins with authority in his past, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a player with a better attitude and approach on the team.

Here’s how the rest of the backcourt shakes out:

• #13 Daniel Hackett (G, 6′5″, sophomore): Hackett enrolled at USC early last fall and, due to a variety of factors, immediately became the Trojans’ starting point guard in his very first game. Although he averaged just 5.8 points and 2.8 assists, his solid play last season (which he elevated several notches in the tournament)–and additional experience gained while playing for the Italian national under-20 team this summer–made him an almost certain starter this year … until an OJ Mayo elbow fractured his jaw during a pickup game. He will now sit out all of fall camp and could miss up to a month of the regular season. In any case, Hackett is more of a natural shooting guard than a point guard, and should revert to that position now that the Trojans have more depth at the point.
• #1 Angelo Johnson (PG, 5′10″, freshman): The speedy Johnson has been an instant hit with his new teammates, who have been vying to pick him first during recent pickup games. A Minneapolis native, Johnson gained additional experience at Stoneridge Prep last season, and may find his way into the starting lineup as soon as opening night. Even if he comes off the bench, his quickness gives USC an added dimension that they lacked last season, and he is the one true pass-first point guard on the roster.
• #21 Dwight Lewis (G/F, 6′5″, sophomore): Swingman Lewis averaged 5.8 points in 19.8 minutes coming off the bench last season, and has a chance at starting some games for the Trojans this year. The Trojans are looking to him to improve his shooting accuracy (40.6% FG, 32.8% 3-pt) and take up some of the scoring vacancy.
• #20 Marcus Simmons (G, 6′6″, freshman): A Louisiana native like Lewis, Simmons comes to the Trojans as a defensive stopper, who will likely work his way into the rotation on a situational basis.
• ALSO: Sophomore walk-on Ryan Wetherell plays smart and fast, and actually worked his way into a few non-garbage-time situations last season. He may do the same this year, although the depth chart ahead of him is more crowded this season. Freshman walk-on James Dunleavy (who will likely redshirt this season) is the son of Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy. Walk-on Terence Green, a junior, appeared in four games last year.

The frontcourt is highlighted by USC’s leading returning scorer and rebounder, 6′9″ sophomore forward Taj Gibson (12.2 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game in 2006-07). Gibson (who wears #22) set school freshman records for rebounds and blocks last season while being named to the Pac-10’s All-Freshman team. A key component to USC’s success last season both offensively and defensively, the slender Gibson wore down as the season progressed, although he elevated his game during the Trojans’ postseason run. Needless to say, the coaching staff seemed overjoyed when he reported to last month’s practices bigger and stronger than he was last season, and Gibson certainly has the potential to be one of the top forwards in the country this year. He just needs to stay out of foul trouble. And improving his free-throw shooting (62.3%) wouldn’t hurt, either.

The remaining Trojan big men include:

• #0 Kyle Austin (F/G, 6′7″, sophomore): Floyd originally envisioned redshirting the lanky forward this season after he gained a bit of experience in very limited minutes last year. However, the coaches have been experimenting with Austin as a ballhandler in the backcourt in early practices. It remains to be seen where he will fit into the rotation, if at all.
• #33 RouSean Cromwell (F, 6′11″, junior): The second-tallest player on the roster, Cromwell has failed to impress during his first two seasons at USC, and, with added competition this year, must quickly demonstrate that he has progressed if he wants to secure playing time this season. Cromwell averaged just 2.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.1 minutes during 2006-07.
• #43 Kasey Cunningham (F, 6′7″, redshirt freshman): Cunnigham sat out the entire 2006-07 season while rehabilitating a knee injury suffered in his senior year of high school. Known for athletic and physical play during his high school career, Cunningham will certainly get a good look from coaches during fall practice.
• #14 Mamadou Diarra (F/C, 7′0″, freshman): Okay, so he’s from Mali, not Senegal, but playing the role of Abdoulaye N’diaye this season is Mamadou Diarra. Rated by Rivals as the #16 power forward prospect in the country, Diarra is certainly a work in progress, and will hopefully bulk up over his Trojan career, but his height (which is enhanced even more by his stellar leaping ability) makes him a lock to get significant playing time in his freshman season. Diarra also has a good perimeter shot, which may compensate for any lack of ability in the post.
• #5 Davon Jefferson (F, 6′8″, freshman): Mayo may be getting all of the press, but the Trojans have perhaps two future superstars in their freshman class. Five-star recruit Jefferson isn’t anywhere close to being as polished as Gibson was as a freshman last season, but the potential is there. If he’s not starting at the beginning of the season, he almost certainly will be at the end of the year.
• #23 Keith Wilkinson (F, 6′10″, junior): Wilkinson isn’t going to make anyone’s highlight reel, but the junior big man had his moments last season. His outside shooting ability gives him an edge over Cromwell for playing time, and he should see minutes on a situational basis (especially early in the season, when his experience gives him an extra advantage).

The schedule

After an intrasquad scrimmage on October 28, the Trojans open their second season at the Galen Center on November 10th against Mercer. The Trojans have scheduled tougher nonconference opponents this season, playing (in one brutal week) Oklahoma, Kansas, and Memphis. USC will also participate in a preseason tournament in Anaheim that will find them playing three games over Thanksgiving weekend.

The Pac-10 conference season, which kicks off January 3rd with a game at Cal, also promises to be even tougher for the Trojans this season. UCLA, with super-recruit Kevin Love, could be even tougher than they were in the past two seasons, and Arizona, Stanford, and Washington State should all find themselves in the Top 25 at the start of the season, with Washington and Cal not far behind. Although winning what could very well be the best conference in the nation may prove a tall order, the Pac-10 should send a lot of teams to the NCAA tournament, and finishing in the top half of the conference should be more than sufficient to get to the postseason.

The questions

Here are some of the issues facing the Trojans as they head into their month-long training camp.

• Are they experienced? On a roster that includes seven freshman and just two upperclassmen, experience is going to be an issue. The question heading into the season is how much of a burden this lack of experience will place on the Trojans. On mitigating factor: Although the Trojans are inexperienced, they aren’t exactly young. Take a look at the ages of some of the freshmen: Johnson and Simmons are 19, Jefferson is about to turn 21, and Diarra is 21. Most have spent time in prep schools polishing their game, and that extra maturity may help compensate for a lack of collegiate experience.
• Who will start? Mayo and Gibson are locks, while the other three starting spots are up for grabs. While Hackett will likely be in the starting lineup once his jaw has healed, fall practice should see an open competition for the remaining one or two backcourt spots. And the next month will also help determine the readiness of Jefferson to start alongside Gibson. If he does not seem ready to take that position, the Trojans may begin the season with a more experienced option, such as Wilkinson or Cromwell. During the season, expect the starting lineup to change from game to game based on matchups, with Diarra or another forward starting against taller teams, and the Trojans utilizing a three-guard lineup against smaller, quicker opponents.
• Who will stop? Gabe Pruitt’s defensive skills will be missed, as will Hackett’s, while he is out. Will the inexperienced Trojans be able to develop the overall team defense needed to shut down the high-level competition they will be facing throughout the season? And will a few defensive stoppers (Simmons? Diarra?) emerge to help limit the damage inflicted by opposing stars such as Love?
• Who will score? Will Mayo be able to step in for Nick Young and be the go-to guy and big scorer that Trojan fans are expecting him to be this season? And how well will he be able to involve his teammates in the offense? And will USC find a third scoring option behind Mayo and Gibson? The tests will come early for USC this year, and, hopefully, they’ll have their answers sooner rather than later.

2007-08 Basketball Schedule
More info on Midnight Madness event (Official USC site)