Hold the Mayo

O.J. Mayo has caused a stir in the college basketball ranks after reports allege that an agent got his claws into the superstar who is leaving the college life after one year. Mayo enrolled at USC (because a new rule says he had to) to play for one year and then jump in the NBA. Mission accomplished for Mayo; big problem for college hoops.

Mayo was delivered to Bill Duffy Associates by a “runner;” that is, a person promising to deliver Mayo to the Agency when he is ready to turn professional.

Rodney Guillroy became a trusted friend to Mayo when he was starring as a 15-year-old in club and Five Star camps. Guillroy then set up a relationship with BDA to receive money to keep the rising star on a path to that agency. In return, Guillroy could live comfortably and Mayo gets to continue to play basketball and grow his reputation from West Virginia all the way to the Southern California campus.

Here is where this business gets messy for me, because of the NBA’s new rule that players can no longer leave high school and enter the big-time. Mayo is talented enough to play anywhere in the nation, smart enough to gain entry to most schools, and in the driver's seat to pick where he wants to go. Enter Guillroy, who steers Mayo to USC with his motives of keeping tabs on the young talent  during his most important year of his life - and keeping other wolves at bay.

I do have one solution, but it will never happen - let the kids who are in school only to play basketball for one season sign with an agent after they have enrolled in school. The agent can take care of the kids every whim and you know what is going on. Most of the kids who sign are not in school for the education,and hopefully other kids will learn  they aren’t ready to go pro if there is no interest from the agent community. And then we can all sleep at night.

Now if you are USC, what are you supposed to say if a talent like Mayo wants to play for you? …”Uhhh, thanks O.J., but we really don’t want a player of your talent here. We don't want a chance at the NCAA Tournament because you are leaving in one year and you probably have a few shady characters around you. Here are directions to UCLA.”

USC head coach Tim Floyd knew what he was getting, a great player, and all he had to promise was playing time. Not a job for mom or money for his friends or anything that we saw in the epic film Blue Chips. Those issues have been dealt with thanks to BDA and Rodney Guillroy. There is the question did Floyd know that Mayo was receiving money since the seventh grade? Even if the answer is yes, there is enough deniable room to say he and Southern California have done nothing wrong.

Let's not pretend that this will only happen at certain schools. Mayo was going to get paid by this guy if he went to USC, Duke, UNC or Harvard because he is a meal ticket.

The schools can’t stop that and I’m not blaming them nor the coaches for taking on these players. Ask yourself when was the last time Kansas State or USC basketball actually meant anything in the sports world? It does today because of one-and-done players, so coaches will take the risk. It doesn’t always work out - see the N.C. State Wolfpack and J.J. Hickson - but the risk is worth the reward if it means a tournament bid.

Is this the best thing for college basketball? Absolutely not. But it is the system that is in place now, and we just have to decide how much does it bother us?

The NBA has made it clear - get these kids into school. There is money to be made here, the Association needs to up the recognition of players in the league and we all know scoring the basketball and putting your name on the marquee is more important than putting it on a diploma.