USC phenom in town today

Washington Huskies fans will almost certainly get their only up-close-and-personal look at the sensation that is O.J. Mayo tonight.

Whether he will live up to their expectations may likely depend on what they expect.

The 6-foot-4 freshman guard arrived this fall at USC, which plays the Huskies at Edmundson Pavilion tonight at 7, having played a seeming lifetime of basketball in the public eye. He was first mentioned in Sports Illustrated while in the seventh grade, eventually becoming one of the most-famous high-school players of all time.

Along the way, an image was created of a me-first player who seemed to bring controversy wherever he went — suspended two games as a senior for allegedly assaulting a referee, for instance. But one so talented that it all proved worth it in the end — some early mock drafts had him going as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft.

So you might be surprised to hear USC coach Tim Floyd say this week that Mayo "is as coachable as anybody I've ever coached."

Indeed, at Pac-10 media day, some reporters who'd never met him were surprised to find Mayo politely and patiently answering every last question, and addressing reporters with a "yes, sir."

"From the outside looking in, I have yet to see him not help a guy up after a collision," said UW coach Lorenzo Romar. "I've seen him take some serious shots — elbows, things like that — and not seen him retaliate. His conduct has been exemplary as I've watched him."

It would probably have been impossible for Mayo to live up to the hype, and by any normal standards, Mayo is turning in one of the best freshman seasons in recent Pac-10 history.

Mayo, a native of Huntington, W.Va., is second in the conference in scoring at 20.1 per game, second in three-pointers made at 2.52 and ninth in steals at 1.29.

But he's shooting just 44 percent, averaging almost four turnovers and he might not even be the best freshman in his city — that could be UCLA's Kevin Love. The Trojans have been erratic, standing at 5-4 in conference play and 14-7 overall heading into tonight's game.

Floyd, though, says Mayo "has been more than I expected. He's been the finest college player that I have ever coached."

Mayo's NBA stock, however, seems to be wavering a bit and may be dependent on how the rest of the year plays out for the Trojans. The latest mock on NBADraft.net had Mayo at No. 11, right behind Arizona freshman guard Jerryd Bayless.

No one doubts that Mayo will be gone after this season, however. He surprisingly picked the Trojans, who weren't even recruiting him until he called them to tell them he was interested, saying he was intrigued in part by the future business opportunities that might open up by playing a year in Los Angeles.

The Huskies will be worried about a lot more than Mayo tonight as USC has won five of its last six and appears to be finding itself a little bit. Flanking Mayo in the lineup is another true freshman, 6-8 forward Davon Jefferson, who is averaging 12.8 points and might also be headed to the NBA after this season.

For UW, the game is simply the latest "must-win" in a season that is rapidly spinning into irrelevance.

UW has lost three in a row, including two in a row at home, to fall to 12-10 overall and 3-6 in conference play.

"Our morale is good," said junior guard Joel Smith. "We are not down at all. We are keeping our heads up. As long as we can stay together, we can work this all out."