SB Nation User Blog: Laughing Stock

Again thanks to .gif2009 and the somethingawful forums. Happy bye week! You can find the original...

Laughing Stock — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:00:12 -0000

Again thanks to .gif2009 and the somethingawful forums. Happy bye week! You can find the original here: http://i34.tinypic.com/2s0zlvc.gif and the full play here: http://i38.tinypic.com/2qv40sl.gif

Thanks to .gif 2009 from the somethingawful forums. Happy bye week! Original available here:...

Laughing Stock — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:56:14 -0000

Thanks to .gif 2009 from the somethingawful forums. Happy bye week! Original available here: http://dest.tv/images/152fj94.gif

Really cool Aaron Rodgers v Brett Favre art from the somethingawful.com forums. Of course there is...

Laughing Stock — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:55:55 -0000

Really cool Aaron Rodgers v Brett Favre art from the somethingawful.com forums. Of course there is the Steelers game first, but who is looking forward to sweeping the Packers for once?

Jay Cutler looking a bit oblivious. What's the deal with the QBs of our division rivals making...

Laughing Stock — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:38:13 -0000

Jay Cutler looking a bit oblivious. What's the deal with the QBs of our division rivals making themselves look completely ridiculous? Nice helmet catch though. (EDIT: For some reason the animated gif is loading correctly, so you can see the original here).

Aaron Rodgers, "DRAGON PUNCH". Plus the timing of the touchdown graphic at the bottom is absolutely...

Laughing Stock — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:32:20 -0000

Aaron Rodgers, "DRAGON PUNCH". Plus the timing of the touchdown graphic at the bottom is absolutely priceless.

Hat tip to Trojan NYC

Laughing Stock — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:14:13 -0000

Hat tip to Trojan NYC

Examining the Fallout from the USC Basketball Apocalypse

Laughing Stock — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:27:42 -0000

A look at something a bit different in the midst of all the preseason and training camp hoopla from Football

Regardless of how anyone feels about Tim Floyd, his 4 year tenure at USC was one of the most sucessful in the history of SC hoops. The three conecutive NCAA tournament sppearances had never been accomplished, and Floyd achieved three 20 win seasons in a row at a school where basketball is a distant second to football. In addition, the talent level of the program may have been at an all time high as evidenced by 5 first round draft picks over the past three years and that no other school in the nation had players taken in the top 16 picks for three consecutive years. And way back before the Trojan's improbable run to a Pac 10 tournament championship the likely 2009-2010 starting lineup, a group that definitely had final four potential, looked to feature five players all poised to go in the NBA Draft (Derozan, Gibson, and Sidney as 1st rounders with Hackett and Lewis as 2nd rounders).

So looking at things from the other side of a summer filled with scandal, early entrants, coaching changes, and an imploded recruiting class it is easy to feel more than a little bit discouraged. But I'm here to say chin up Trojan nation, things are not nearly as dire as they may seem. WIth some returning talent, a favorable OOC schedule, and a down year for the conference mean that these Trojans have a chance to surprise.

The Key Players

Donte Smith: This season's likely starting PG saw only limited minutes in a somewhat dissapointing first season where he shot 12/50 from beyond the arc and had only 22 assists against 29 turnovers. The lone bright spot in the season for SMith came during the blowout loss to ucla where he showed off strong handles and good speed in getting past Darren Collison, although he still failed to finish once he got to the hoop. Personally I think Donte is a much better player than what we have seen so far, and if what Chris Penrose has said about his play during practice is true then all that's missing is the mental component. Also, according to Scott Wolf Smith has trimmed 17 lbs over this summer.

Dwight Lewis: The lone returning regular starter and team scoring leader from last year, Dwight Lewis is probably the most important player for this year's team and must play like a star for the Trojans to be successful this upcoming season. Lewis has definitely shown he can score in bunches (see 7 games with 20 or more points), but at the same time he has been amazingly inconsistent (scored a total of six points against Oregon State across both games, 4 points on 10 shot attempts against North Dakota State). Regardless, as the De Facto leader of the team I'm expecting a much more confident Dwight and don't be surprised if the mercurial swingman averages over 20 points to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

Marcus Johnson: This video really says about everything you need to kow about Marcus Johnson's game. Basically you have a super athletic player who is going to make his (figurative) money on the fast break and on slashing to the hoop. Johnson lacks polish though, and if he could add a more consistent jump shot to his game then he would be a much bigger threat and would better fill the shoes of DeMar DeRozan. Frankly. I'm just happy to have him back after the threat of an early departure, and his combination of size and athleticism along with his strong defensive presence will make him a regular in the starting lineup.

Leonard Washington: Of all the players currently on the Trojan Roster Leonard Washington is easily my favorite. Seriously, what's not to like about an undersized PF with a mean streak who rebounds way above his height thanks to his strength and basically imposes his will on his opponents in the paint. I really think that Washington is headed for a big year and he is like a poor man's DeJuan Blair in my mind. What may surprise many is that Leonard has the highest Offensive rating of all returning players, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be a force if he adhered to any kind of conditioning program over the summer. Plus don't let his stocky build fool you, he's got some decent hops. Also, we might see a few more 3s from LW this time around after finishing the season 4 for 8 from behind the arc.

Alex Stepheson: Since Alex Stepheson was not granted a waiver to play after transferring to USC prior to last season, there's nothing to go on as far as Trojan playing time goes but there is a lot of promise from his short career at UNC. During hi Sophomore season with the Tar Heels, Stepheson averaged 4.2 PPG and 4.5 RPG in only 14.5 minutes per game of play and finished third on the team with 33 blocks for the season. Although Stepheson will likely not be a huge offensive force, likely only averaging around 10 points per game, he will definitely earn his keep as a rebounder and shot blocker. And at 6'9"/235 lbs with a reputation for defense he is more than ready to fill the role of stopper left by Pac 10 Defensive player of the year Taj Gibson.

Marcus Simmons: The team's other Marcus was somewhat of a late season revelation. I mean, everyone knew he was a good defender, but nobody (and I mean absolutely nobody) expected the defensive clinic he put on during the Pac 10 tournament. Darren Collison and Jerome Randle were both among the top 100 players in the nation in offensive efficiency, but Simmons basically put the screws to both and more or less shut them down when he was on the court. What was most surprising was the incredible quickness he showed off in staying in front of the diminuitive speedsters. Although I don't think he will start there is no doubt about it, Simmons will play a key role this season in coming off the bench to shut down the other team's best players.

Nikola Vucevic: So how many people have gotten a chance to follow some of Kid Euro's overseas exploits this summer? For those not in the know, Vucevic played in the Europe U20 league for Montenegro and was one of the best players period. He finished league play averaging 15.5 PPG on 51.5% shooting to go with 10.8 RPG and was number one in multiple statistical categories including defensive rebounds (8.1 per game), blocked shots (1.9 per game), and double-doubles (6). Nikola is ready for a break out season after seeing limited time last year and the tandem of Washington-Stepheson-Vucevic may very well give SC the best front court in the Pac 10.

Other Notables: Mike Gerrity (can he perform at a high level as either backup or starting PG once he is eligible?), Kasey Cunningham (can he make it to conference play without a season ending injury for the first time in three years?)

The Schedule

First, the bad news. USC plays Texas on the road and Tennessee at home. Both programs are likely top 12 teams and both return (or welcome) a number of talented players. Texas has to deal with the loss of star SG AJ Abrams and key reserve Connor Atchley, but they return a talented core of Damion James and Dexter Pittman to go with super talented recruits Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton. Tennessee meanwhile returns every player, including veteran players Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, from a good team that definitely underachieved in 08-09. Outside of those two teams though, every other game is winnable as Nebraska is thoroughly mediocre and although Georgia Tech has talent they must deal with the loss of two of their best players and their general dysfunctional nature.

Outside of those four, USC does not play another high major opponent and they have seven home games leading up to the Diamond Head tournament which has a weak field (the only other Marquee teams are a rebuilding UNLV and a rebuilding St. Mary's). All in all, its not inconceivable that Trojans enter conference play at 8-4 or better and a win against Texas or Tenn would really be icing on the cake.

The Conference

Take a look at this quick rundown of every team (other than USC) that lost starters from last season:

Arizona: Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger. Arizona State: James Harden, Jeff Pendergraph. Oregon State:Ricky Claitt. Stanford: Mitch Johnson, Anthony Goods, Lawrence Hill. UCLA: Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Jrue Holiday, Alfred Aboya. Washington: John Brockman, Justin Dentmon. Washington State: Taylor Rochestie, Aron Baynes, Caleb Forrest.

Of those teams, all of them lost their two best players (save for Oregon State and possibly Arizona depending on your opinion of Nic Wise). Moreover, the only team that returns all of their starters are the woeful Oregon Ducks. And as far as recruiting goes there are only two five star recruits coming in across the entire conference (Tyler Honeycutt and Abdul Gaddy) and the Pac 10 only has two teams in the top 20 in the national recruiting rankings. That's not to say that no other recruits will have an impact (see Klay Thompson and Isaiah Thomas from last year), but its definitely a down year as far as experience and talent goes for the conference which leaves a lot of uncertainty and the possibility for USC to once again finish near the top of the conference.

The Lowdown

So check it out, I may be somewhat of stay on the sunny side kind of guy, but at the same time I'm a definitely realist and the remains of the basketball program post Tim Floyd are actually pretty good considering the smoking crater left by the events of the last 3-4 months. USC still has a lot of potential, and whether this team finishes with a great record or not I can guarantee that there are going to be some very exciting games and some great basketball at the Galen Center this year. Outside of California there is no single team that looks unbeatable by the lineup outlined above, and if things come together (especially at the PG position) then this could very well be a special season. So when USC football is busy dominating and preparing for another trip up the road to Pasadena, don't forget about the prohibitive underdogs playing hoops down at the GC this year.

USC Golf advances to 4th round of NCAAs UPDATE

Laughing Stock — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:11:37 -0000

From the Pac 10:

This is the first year the NCAA has instituted a fourth-round match-play format. The top-eight teams, after three rounds of competition, advance to compete for a national championship.

In the quarterfinal round of match-play, Arizona State will face Texas A&M, USC competes against Michigan and Washington will vie against Arkansas. Oklahoma State, who finished in first after three rounds, will face Georgia in a match-up of the nation's top-two teams.

Arizona State shot a three-round total of 10-over 862 to become the second team to advance to the match-play format. USC and Washington shot a 13-over 865 to also qualify.

Congratualtions to USC men's golf and good luck out on the course today. It is amazing that they are continuing to fight and advance despite the injury that knocked out star golfer Jamie Lovemark. Here's to continuing the run to an NCAA championship!

UPDATE: USC lost to Michigan 3-2, but still a very impressive run for SC. Do not be surprised if the Trojans bring home a national title in golf next year.

Mens Golf Advances to NCAA Finals Round

Laughing Stock — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:03:50 -0000

Sorry, I'm a little late on this, but USC men's golf advanced to the final round of play in the NCAA tournament despite an injury to All American and former NCAA individual champion Jamie Lovemark. From CSTV:

USC finished a combined 11-under 853 (285-284-284), one stroke ahead of sixth-place New Mexico (854-280-292-282) and four ahead of San Diego State (857-286-287-284). The Trojans, who started the day in fifth, fell behind both teams early but managed to rally on the back 9, where they were a combined 5-under.

Only the top 5 teams advance from each region, and as you can see the Trojan men just barely made it. Last year USC fell just short of a title, finishing in third overall and just two strokes behind ucla for the championship. However, if Lovemark can return healthy then SC has a strong shot at the title, especially consdering the great season that Sophomore Matthew Giles is having.

Even if this year isn't the year, USC should return nearly everyone save for Glissmeyer, and make a run at the tutlke again next year. ...But it would be nice to take home a golf championship this year anyways. FIGHT ON!

Sports Mythology: Lakers/Rockets Game 7 (Definitely Off Topic)

Laughing Stock — Sun, 17 May 2009 19:05:12 -0000

via FreeDarko

The amazing thing about sports is that despite, or even perhaps in spite of what happens on the court or what appears in the box score is that people tend to construct a narrative and mythology around various teams in players. Any USC fan knows this all too well. Look at the preseason hype machine of over four years ago that made Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart into demi gods and then the same system that created a seemingly immortal legacy left by Vince Young's sensational man-against-the-world performance in that now legendary Rose Bowl game. But this isn't about football,but instead about another So Cal and Texas showdown.Tthis is about a modern sports myth in the making, the final game of the Lakers v. Rockets playoff series.

Yes, even before the playoffs had been started it already had been declared an inevitibility that a Lakers/Cavs Bryant/James armageddon matchup would be the one to decide the champions, and even with the larger than life (literally) Yao Ming, the Rockets weren't really given a chance at the series. Yet we have the birth of a hero in the diminuitive Aaron Brooks leading the supposedly less talented Rockets to a nearly dominant game 1 victory, and when the series turned back to Houston anything seemed possible even though the Lakers had just shown that they could be the Lakers everyone thought they were.

But Houston lost the next game, and lost Ming to an unfortunate (but not unlikely) foot injury and the feisty Rockets were given no hope. Then the Rockets won! Then they lost! By 40 points, and once again the decree from the pundits on high was that Houston had no chance and that now the door had definitively shut. But as we have seen now the door was not really shut at all, and that perhaps there was no door in the first place.

So here it is. Kobe Bryant. Ron Artest. Pau Gasol. Shane Battier. If you watch ESPN or ABC you already know that the Rockets once agins have no chance and that LA is basically the consensus pick. And who knows, this series may not even be remembered even two months from now. However, at this moment it has taken on a near Biblical David and Goliath vibe and seems to have the seeds of greatness sewn (sown?) into its very fabric. So I'll just leave you with some smirking words from Aaron Brooks when asked by a reporter if his team had a chance after the end of game 6, "Oh, I don't think we have any chance of winning. But I think we'll come out to play anyways."

SB Nation User Blog: Laughing Stock

Again thanks to .gif2009 and the somethingawful forums. Happy bye week! You can find the original...

Thanks to .gif 2009 from the somethingawful forums. Happy bye week! Original available here:...

Really cool Aaron Rodgers v Brett Favre art from the somethingawful.com forums. Of course there is...

Jay Cutler looking a bit oblivious. What's the deal with the QBs of our division rivals making...

Aaron Rodgers, "DRAGON PUNCH". Plus the timing of the touchdown graphic at the bottom is absolutely...

Hat tip to Trojan NYC

Examining the Fallout from the USC Basketball Apocalypse

USC Golf advances to 4th round of NCAAs **UPDATE**

Mens Golf Advances to NCAA Finals Round

Sports Mythology: Lakers/Rockets Game 7 (Definitely Off Topic)

USC Golf advances to 4th round of NCAAs UPDATE