Updates: Draft

LB Rey Maualuga, defensive MVP of USC’s 49 - 17 dismantling of Illinois in the Rose Bowl, told John Jackson on FSN’s postgame show that he will be returning for his senior season, “100 percent.” With Maualuga, Kaluka Maiava, and Brian Cushing as the probable starters at linebacker, and with Malcolm Smith, Clay Matthews, and […]

The Trojans will participate in a closed scrimmage today, Sunday, before taking a three day break and kicking off a 3-day set of practices at the Home Depot Center starting Thursday. (Practice will then resume December 26 with six straight practices leading up to the Rose Bowl game.) Rather than focusing on the game plan […]

It’s never too early to make wild predictions, so FoxSports has published an article discussing prospects for the 2008 NBA draft, one year in advance. Unsurprisingly, a great deal of attention is paid to incoming Trojan freshman guard OJ Mayo. Says one anonymous NBA scout interviewed for the story:
“He’s really gifted… but he needs to […]

The Washington Wizards have posted audio of their press conference announcing their selection of Nick Young in Thursday’s draft:

Nick Young Press Conference (MP3, NBA.com)
In the lengthy video clip below from Wizards Magazine (which is excerpted from the press conference above), Washington GM Ernie Grunfeld discusses Young. He says that the team was “fortunate to have […]

As expected, early entrants Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt were selected in Thursday’s NBA draft, although each went later than they hoped–or were predicted to go. Graduating Trojan senior Lodrick Stewart was not drafted. Below, we roundup some of the many articles covering the draft.
Both Players:
USC Juniors Young And Pruitt Selected In The 2007 […]

USC PG Gabe Pruitt fell out of the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft on Thursday when he was selected a disappointing 32nd overall by the woeful Boston Celtics. Earlier, his teammate Nick Young was drafted in the first round by Washington, but he too went lower than predicted. Crosstown rival G Arron Afflalo […]

Although he was widely expected to go three picks earlier (to the New Orleans Hornets), former Trojan swingman Nick Young was selected 16th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was passed over by his hometown L.A. Clippers, who instead picked Florida State’s Al Thornton at 14.
Still awaiting their fates are […]

In our final edition of “Where will Gabe and Nick go?”, we collect the experts’ predictions for USC’s two potential first-round draftees. If the mock drafts are to be believed, Nick Young will be joining Reggie Bush in New Orleans. If the Hornets look elsewhere, expect the hometown Clippers to grab him. As for Gabe […]

The basketball site Hoopsworld.com has compiled the latest draft predictions by its panel of “experts.” Two of them have Nick Young going 14th to the Clippers, while the others have him 15th, 16th and 19th (the latter, of course, would mean the Lakers).
Only two of the pundits have Smilin’ Gabe Pruitt going in the first […]