Demar Derozan has qualified to play at USC and won’t head overseas a la Brandon Jennings, according to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports.Com.
A 6-foot-5, 195-pound shooting guard out of Compton (Ca.), Derozan received a qualifying ACT score and will begin classes at Southern Cal Aug. 25. He is ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2008 among shooting guards by Rivals and No. 3 overall.
Some had speculated that Derozan might follow Jennings, also a Compton native, overseas had he not qualified. Jennings announced last week that he would skip Arizona and play abroad. He then appeared at the Reebok All-American Camp, and mentioned Italy, Spain, Russia and Israel as possible destinations.
USC lost lottery pick O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson, but returns Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis. The Trojans could also secure North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson, according to Goodman.
Derozan could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft so this is a huge piece of good news for head coach Tim Floyd.
**In other news Sunday, Class of 2010 guard J.T. Terrell committed to Wake Forest at the Nike Peach Jam.
“It’s a great fit for me,” Terrell, a 6-3 junior wing guard from the D-One Sports program who also considered Virginia, Miami and Charlotte, told Justin Young of Rivals. “Coach [Dino] Gaudio and everyone at the school are good people. I felt really tight with everyone involved. It’s a great fit for me.
“The school is great education-wise and they have my major and everything. I know the players and I’m real comfortable with them.”
Alessandro / July 13, 2008
He’s not from New Jersey, but you neglected to mention the Trojans also lost their second best player, Davon Jefferson.
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