[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

UPDATE: Ever so slowly, word is getting out about USC’s 7-foot center DeWayne Dedmon. We mentioned two weeks back that Dedmon’s teammate Aaron Fuller was signing his praises. Now, it’s his head coach, Kevin O’Neill, who is talking up his mystery big man.

"He has a chance to be special," O’Neill told ESPN?s Andy Katz. "He has three years left. He won’t make it three years. He may not make it past one."

No pressure.

O’Neill wasn’t done, however. "… He’s 7-foot, 250 and he runs like a deer," the Trojans coach said. "There’s no question he’s a first-round pick, no question. He’s got a great motor. He’s worked with a bunch of pros. He worked with my former player with the Pacers — Danny Granger — and he said he’s a first-round pick. He’s extremely athletic. He’ll score on tip dunks. He’ll run the floor. He’s a great shooter and he’s extremely athletic.

"He’ll average a double-double in his first year and after that who knows."

 

—

 

The front court has to be a huge concern for USC coach Kevin O’Neill next season; junior Nikola Vucevic took his 17 and 10 to the NBA and massive senior Alex Stepheson exhausted his eligibility.

One player who could step up in their place is someone few have heard about or seen — junior college transfer DeWayne Dedmon. The 7-foot Dedmon was a part of USC’s 2010 recruiting class and redshirted last season, so it’s no wonder why he’s been off the radar.

Trojans forward Aaron Fuller, another transfer, recently told Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic that USC will surprise next season. When asked why, he singled out Dedmon. "He’s a 7-footer, but he has a great jump shot and he can move really well," Fuller said.

The Trojans will need him to also be a force on the glass, where the tandem of Vucevic and Stepheson accounted for 19.5 rebounds a game last season.– Joe Kaiser, ESPN Insider

 

 

Here is an interview with Dedmon as well:

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/usc/post/_/id/2198/one-on-one-with-dewayne-dedmon

 

Here is another post on him from Yahoo:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/USC-s-Kevin-O-Neill-hypes-DeWayne-Dedmon-as-futu?urn=ncaab-wp3760

 

I had heard about him last summer and wondered what had happened to him. I have no idea if he is going to be a 2012 draft prospect, but he certainly has a good frame to go along with his being 7 feet tall. Plus, as much as I love the Pac-12, if you are a solid big guy, you will more than likely eat the conference alive. Past Joshua Smith at UCLA, their are very few big name Centers in our conference. Will be interesting to see if we add another.

 

 

 

[JNixonParticipant]

That’s interesting, I’ll have to watch him. I’ve never heard any talk about this guy.

[JNixonParticipant]

That’s interesting, I’ll have to watch him. I’ve never heard any talk about this guy.

[cward23Participant]

My guess is he will be average at best. Hopefully im wrong

[cward23Participant]

My guess is he will be average at best. Hopefully im wrong

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

He didn’t play organized basketball until his senior year of high school, which is always concerning when talking about the "great motor, extremely athletic. he’ll score on tip dunks, and he’ll run the floor" guys. It is nice in workouts and practice, but real games with coaching and strategy are a different animal. He is still a 22-year old who has played two years of organized basketball, and redshirted a third in his life. It isn’t impossible. Bernard James was the best big man FSU had and was able to overcome the fact that he couldn’t do much outside of 4-feet, but that is far from the norm.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

He didn’t play organized basketball until his senior year of high school, which is always concerning when talking about the "great motor, extremely athletic. he’ll score on tip dunks, and he’ll run the floor" guys. It is nice in workouts and practice, but real games with coaching and strategy are a different animal. He is still a 22-year old who has played two years of organized basketball, and redshirted a third in his life. It isn’t impossible. Bernard James was the best big man FSU had and was able to overcome the fact that he couldn’t do much outside of 4-feet, but that is far from the norm.

[llperez]

i have never heard about this guy before either. But kevin oneil has tons of experience with NBA talent having coached with the knicks, pistons, raptors and pacers as well as at arizona. If he says he is a certain first rounder, then thats worth paying attention to. When i made my conference predictions list a few weeks ago, i had usc last becasue despite excellent gaurd play i thought their frontcourt was gonna be horrendous. But if this guy is legit that can change things and amybe make usc pretty competitive.

[llperez]

i have never heard about this guy before either. But kevin oneil has tons of experience with NBA talent having coached with the knicks, pistons, raptors and pacers as well as at arizona. If he says he is a certain first rounder, then thats worth paying attention to. When i made my conference predictions list a few weeks ago, i had usc last becasue despite excellent gaurd play i thought their frontcourt was gonna be horrendous. But if this guy is legit that can change things and amybe make usc pretty competitive.

[FLYNTFLOSSYBABY]

PAC 12 sounds so werid

[FLYNTFLOSSYBABY]

PAC 12 sounds so werid

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1125-usc-basketball-20111125,0,3336516.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fsports+%28L.A.+Times+-+Sports%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
USC basketball team looking for a boost on offense
The Trojans, who have one of the lowest-scoring offenses in Division I, face Nevada Las Vegas on Friday.

By Baxter Holmes

November 24, 2011, 4:25 p.m.
A Las Vegas vacation: USC’s basketball team could sure use one. But the Trojans aren’t in line for fun.

They’re there to face Nevada Las Vegas (5-0) on Friday at Orleans Arena and North Carolina or South Carolina on Saturday.

The trip could be a painful one for USC, which has a 2-3 record because it hasn’t been able to win close games.

USC is shooting 62.9% — 66 for 105 — from the free-throw line, which partially explains its three losses, which came after the Trojans had a lead or were tied entering the final two minutes.

"What is really killing us right now is free throws," Coach Kevin O’Neill said.

Then again, crucial defensive lapses in those losses hurt just as much, if not more.

"The No. 1 message we have to send is, we have to be a great defensive team," O’Neill said.

USC is that, giving up 56.6 points per game. But offense is where it’s lacking.

USC is averaging 56.4 points, worst in the Pac-12 Conference and tied for 323nd out of 345 Division I teams nationally.

In its 65-62 win against Morgan State, USC got much-needed scoring from three-point specialist Greg Allen, who hit three of five from beyond the arc and scored 14 points off the bench.

Allen played 35 minutes against Morgan State after playing seven in the Trojans’ first four games.

O’Neill was impressed enough that he said he might start Allen on Friday.

"If he can make shots, it changes everything we do offensively," O’Neill said.

Specifically, it doesn’t allow defenses to focus solely on guard Maurice Jones or clog the lane to slow USC’s front line of Dewayne Dedmon, James Blasczyk and Aaron Fuller.

Allen understands the importance of his offense. That’s not the end of the court he’s worried about.

"I still have a lot to learn on the defensive side," Allen said.

Jones, USC’s floor general, said the whole team has a lot to learn about playing early in games.

"We’ve come out chill and we’ve been down early," he said.

Dedmon, who scored 16 points in his first game, has 19 total since.

O’Neill has hyped Dedmon as a future NBA lottery pick but now says the pressure of that projection has affected him.

"I stand by what I’ve said all along," O’Neill said. "It’s just going to take some time."

To help, O’Neill has personally worked with Dedmon daily on offensive post moves.

"He needs a lot of work," O’Neill said.

So does USC.

 

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