Author: Daniel Tom

After both teams made spectacular runs throughout the NCAA Tournament, USC and UCLA are back to the drawing board and re-filling the cupboard with fresh recruiting classes. Here’s how both local teams stack up when it comes to the recruiting trail. USC: Head Coach Andy Enfield secured his second highest-rated recruiting class (ranked 13th nationally by 247Sports) with the class of 2021. During the recruiting period, the Trojans signed four players to NLI’s (national letters of intent) this past winter. Additionally, USC picked up San Diego native Boogie Ellis via the transfer portal out of Memphis in April. Other signees…

In late February, a light began to shine at the end of the tunnel for the return of high school athletics. After receiving the go ahead from the California Department of Public Health and Governor Newsom, schools were left a small window to prepare for their respective seasons. Fast forward two months later and things are starting to look a little more normal around the Southland. Southern Section Football Eleven-man football kicked off a truncated spring 2020 season in early March. With the CIF Southern Section canceling fall sports championships, many teams got creative with their scheduling including defending national…

At the Casey Wasserman Football Center in Westwood, excitement builds for the upcoming 2021 season. After the pandemic shortened the season to just seven games, the Bruins finished 3-4. Optimism began to peak it’s way through the program, but two late season losses to crosstown rival USC and an overtime loss to Stanford began raising eyebrows on the Chip Kelly experiment, one that was highly talked about when he was hired prior to the 2018 season. Thankfully, the Bruins have a nice chunk of production returning including senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson who comes off one of the most efficient seasons…

One hundred twenty-three days after Kedon Slovis was sacked on the final play in the Pac-12 Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks, the USC Trojans took the field at the United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of 5,000 fans in its 2021 Spring Showcase Game on Saturday, April 17.  Spring football gives an outlook to where a team is progressing as we near the start of the season in September. It also provides an opportunity for players to showcase their skills to coaches and highlights areas of improvement. This day proved to be no different…

Come one, come all! Fun is about to return to the likes of Southern California. After more than a year of the gates being closed, many of the state’s amusement parks are set to reopen to in-state residents throughout the month of April. After coronavirus cases peaked in the state throughout the winter months, a downward trend and vaccine distribution have allowed certain counties such as Los Angeles and the OC to move from the most restrictive (purple) to the moderate (orange) tiers. Popular spots such as Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, and the Disneyland Resort have opened in…

“The only team that can beat Gonzaga is Gonzaga,” said one Bulldogs supporter. On Monday night, the No.1 overall seed entered the national championship game 31-0, one win away from perfection. Enter the Baylor Bears out of the Big 12 Conference who entered the game defeating their opponents by an average of 15 points, including a 19 point slugging of in-state rival Houston in Saturday’s national semifinal. The Bears and Bulldogs were scheduled to meet in late December in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. But that matchup was called hours before tipoff due to positive COVID-19 tests among the Gonzaga…

On Sunday afternoon, the 2020-21 women’s college basketball season came to a thrilling end.  After two weeks in a bubble environment in San Antonio, two teams were left standing. Coincidentally, they were from the same conference and met for a third time this season, with all the marbles on the line.   In what was a game of runs, both teams went after every possession. But when the game’s final buzzer sounded, Aari McDonald’s potential game-winner fell short as Stanford emerged victorious 54-53 to win the program’s first championship in 29 years. “Getting through all the things we got through, we’re…

The last time UCLA and Gonzaga met on the hardwood, was in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs and Bruins met in the ‘Sweet 16’ where second-seeded UCLA came roaring back from 13 points down to defeat Gonzaga en route to a spot in the national championship game ultimately losing to Joakin Noah and the Florida Gators. On Saturday night, the 11th seed Bruins who captured the attention of many after entering the tournament as an at-large selection were a win away from punching their ticket to the national title game on Monday night. Standing in their way? No. 1…

After three consecutive double-digit wins, the men of Troy punched their ticket to the Elite Eight. This marked the program’s first appearance in two decades. A challenge stood in the Trojans’ way on their quest to the school’s first Final Four appearance since 1954. The challenger? The undefeated and No. 1 seed. Gonzaga. In the opening minutes, USC struggled under the national spotlight against the top-ranked team in the country.  The Bulldogs forced the Trojans into seven turnovers that translated into 15 quick points. This was more than enough cushion for the No. 1 Bulldogs to coast past No. 6…

USC continues to impress this March. After ousting the Drake Bulldogs in the first round and soundly beating Kansas in the second, USC was back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. The Trojans did not disappoint their fan base. Led by redshirt senior guard Isaiah White’s 22 points and Tahj Eaddy’s 20-point performance, No 6. USC defeated No. 7 seed Oregon to advance to their first Elite Eight appearance in two decades. “We’re making history and it just means a lot to this program,” White said. “As a team, we’re just super excited and we worked…

After slipping up in their final four regular season games and missing an outside chance of winning the regular season conference championship, UCLA headed to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas looking to find their identity on the cusp of a berth in the NCAA Tournament.  The Bruins earned themselves a four-seed set to battle fifth-seed Oregon State in the first round of the conference tournament, only to fall to the Beavers in overtime and make an early exit. On Selection Sunday, UCLA was awarded an 11th seed and a “play in” game against the Big Ten’s Michigan State Spartans. The…

Trojan Basketball is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2017. Last time out, USC fell short to Colorado in the final seconds of the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.  Andy Enfield and company took lessons away from their conference tournament experience and it translated into a six seed and 72-56 victory over 11th seeded Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Men of Troy were led by the Mobley brothers on Saturday who contributed 17 and 15 points respectively playing a combined 60 minutes on the floor together. Evan added 11 boards and three blocks…

USC shook off its Pac-12 Conference Tournament semifinal defeat to Colorado to beat Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The reward for the Trojans for handing the Bulldogs a 72-56 defeat is a date with No. 3 Kansas. While their next round meeting with the Jayhawks will no doubt present its own set of challenges, the Trojans celebrated their first step in postseason play.     The day after scoring 15 points and ripping five rebounds in the Trojans’ win, Mobley talked about what the win did for his confidence. “Last game felt really good, especially just…

College basketball’s regular season has come to a close. March has arrived and it means the madness is about to begin. Before the selection committee locks in their final picks for the field of 68, conference championship tournaments take center stage this week, as many power five institutions vie for their respective automatic qualifiers. Many west coast conferences such as the Big West, Pac 12, Mountain West, and the West Coast Conference have taken over the scene in Las Vegas to compete for the title of conference champion. Here’s a roundup of all the action from the week thus far…