Mike Gerrity was named the Most Valuable Player of the Diamond Head Classic after leading the USC Trojans to the tournament title over the Christmas holiday.
The senior guard posted 17 points in each of the first two contests, against Western Michigan and St. Mary's, followed by a star-studded floor performance in the finals, in which the Trojans defeated No. 20 UNLV, 67-56.
The Trojans would not have made it to the finals if it were not for Gerrity's performance in the first round against Western Michigan. After starting the game completely flat, and finding themselves down nine at halftime, the Trojans leaned on Gerrity in the second half. The former Mater Dei star responded, scoring 15 of his 17 points and leading the Trojans on a late second half run to steal the game away from the Broncos, 55-51.
Much was the same in the game against St. Mary's. Gerrity was the driving force behind the Trojan offense, even playing quarterback at times, throwing length of the court passes to beat St. Mary's press. Gerrity shot 70 percent from the field, including a huge 3-pointer late in the game that all but sealed the Trojan victory.
Gerrity entered the tournament coming off of his first game of the season. A game in which USC upset the then ninth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, 77-55, at the Galen Center. Playing in his first college game in over 28 months, the playmaking point-guard scored 12 points and dished out 10 assists.
At the beginning of the season, Gerrity said that he had a lot to prove and now he is reminding all of us why he was the Cal-Hi Sports CIF State Division II Player of the Year and CIF Southern Section Player of the Year coming out of high school. As a Trojan, Gerrity is leading USC in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game, while pulling down almost four rebounds per contest in four games. The Trojans have not lost since Gerrity became eligible, and are currently riding a six game winning streak heading into Pac-10 play. USC will host Arizona in their first conference game of the season on New Year's Eve.
