By Mike GarrettUSC Athletic Director
It's been a busy few weeks in and around Heritage Hall.
Whether it's the basketball seasons, a new football coaching staff settling in or several other big topics, our plates have been full with meaty propositions lately. In a feature I'll be doing fairly regularly on this site from now on, I wanted to pass along my thoughts on a few items. I'd love to hear from you, so please post your thoughts in the comments section below:
- At the NCAA hearings in Arizona a few weeks ago, we're glad we were able to present our case to the NCAA officials. We think that we presented our case very well and we eagerly await the outcome, but as the committee instructed us, we cannot comment on any specifics of the case or the hearings. As much as we'd like to, we just can't say anything else at this time, but we hope to be able to do so shortly. In the coming weeks, we should know much more.
- Conference realignment and expansion has been an awfully hot topic in the media and among fans recently. It's fascinating to see all the prognostications, and I'd love to offer one myself, but it's all so up in the air right now. It seems as if each conference has a different philosophy and timeline, but I know that new Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott is being very pro-active in looking at the possibilities for our conference. When he gathers more information, the Pac-10 schools will get together and discuss this topic as a conference.
- While most of the Trojans gain renown for their work in the athletic arena, being a student-athlete is much more than just going to practice and playing in games. Our student-athletes are finding incredible success in the classroom, and it's something we're especially proud of. Nearly half of our student-athlete population earned a 3.0 GPA last fall, including 117 who had a 3.5 and 14 who had spotless 4.0 GPAs. I'd like to congratulate and recognize all our student-athletes who excel in their schoolwork just as much as in their sport -- it's quite an accomplishment. But as successful as our student-athletes were in the fall, we're always striving for more triumphs -- both in the classroom and on the field. As Trojans, we must never rest or be satisfied with status quo, no matter how good it may be.
- What am I most excited about right now? The spring athletic schedule is always so jam-packed, so it's fun to have a USC sporting event to attend or watch almost every day of the week. I'm especially looking forward to seeing our women's basketball team play at the Galen Center against the Arizona schools this weekend and in the Pac-10 tournament next weekend, as well as the men's tennis team, which is ranked No. 5 and has a home match against Wake Forest next Wednesday. And of course, I'm really excited to see Lane Kiffin and his staff get to work and start a new chapter in USC football when Spring Practice begins on March 30.
