Carolina Sports with Seth Emerson

I hope you’ll forgive me for this being my first post in over a week to The Blog That Updates Semi-Regularly. Yours truly just returned from a brief vacation, the details of which are classified, though I will tell you it was one of the following:

1. A four-day sojourn to a Bible camp in the Honduras, where I helped educate a small tribe, participated in the building of huts and helped plant harvest seeds. On the way back, I accepted a free voucher from the overbooked airline, which I donated to the Human Fund.

2. I went to Las Vegas.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter where I was, just that I’m back. And as these things go, a lot of things happened while I was gone, much to Joe Person’s chagrin, as he had to cover me. But Joe understood I was needed at the roulette wheel - er, the hut.

The big basketball news was the hiring of Mike Boynton as the final assistant on Darrin Horn’s first staff. I don't know if the move sat well with those who wanted an older, experienced assistant, since Horn filled out a young staff with a 26-year-old. But I would venture to guess it was the most popular option available for Horn to bring back an ex-Gamecock whose playing days are fresh in the memories of fans.

And hey, it doesn’t hurt that Boynton played in the SEC and has spent every year since his graduation recruiting in South Carolina. He may not be a veteran assistant who’s been through the day-to-day coaching rigors of SEC basketball. But Boynton knows the program, and he knows the conference from his days as a player. Short of hiring a veteran SEC assistant, this was the best kind of hire Horn could have made.

Boynton quickly left Wofford, where he spent last year as an assistant, and arrived in his new office Wednesday. While visiting with him Thursday, I asked Boynton about being the youngest guy on a young staff. (Horn is 35, and assistants Scott Cherry and Cypheus Bunton are 36.)

“Age is, really, I can understand why people look at it sometimes and wonder about it, just because you don’t necessarily know the maturity level,” Boynton said. “But more than anything, it’s about being competent, working hard; it’s not about how old you are. Coach Horn’s 36 years old, he’s been to the Sweet 16 already. There’s a lot of 40-, 50-year-old coaches who haven’t been to the Sweet 16. Coach Cherry has won a national championship (as a player). Coach Bunton played professionally for 10 years.”

Boynton also is familiar with USC’s players. He’s kept close tabs on his alma mater from his three post-college jobs: Furman, Coastal Carolina and Wofford. Boynton visited the team a couple of times a year and was spotted in the postgame locker room a couple of times. (That’s where I met him for the first time, during the 2006-07 season.)

None of Boynton’s former teammates are with the team; Tre’ Kelley was a freshman when Boynton was a senior. But the state’s basketball world is small enough that Boynton has gotten to know many of the current players. Boynton said he has had the most interaction with star guard Devan Downey. (It seems everybody knows the sociable Downey.) Boynton also has known guard Zam Fredrick “forever,” because Fredrick used to play at the Colonial Center in high school.

So with everything he knows, I asked Boynton what he thought this Gamecocks team could do next season.

“There’ll be an adjustment period,” he said. “Particularly when you talk about the style of play and the coaching philosophy maybe being a bit different. So there’ll be an adjustment period, but there are tools here to be successful. Not all the pieces are in place. They will be in time.

“We have some guys that can certainly compete at this level and help us win some games.”

That line of thinking is similar to what Horn and other staff members have been saying since they arrived and had a chance to see the players in person. So it seems Boynton already is fitting in.

He’s the one outsider on the new staff, because Horn brought Cherry, Bunton and Neill Berry (who likely will be the director of basketball operations) from Western Kentucky. But with Boynton’s USC pedigree and recent instate experience, he seems the perfect fit.

Plus, Horn can say his staff includes a Berry and a Cherry, a Bunton and a Boynton. Alliteration has to count for something.

So, APR day is over. Wow, what a whirlwind. Are you as depressed as I am that it’s over and we have to wait another year for the next one? Don’t you think this momentous day quickly is passing National Signing Day - and possibly the SEC championship and the birth of your first child - in terms of buildup and excitement?

Or are you like most people, who think APR day is when your credit-card rate gets jacked up 3 percentage points without you knowing it? (A quick reminder: In NCAA sports, the APR stands for Academic Progress Rate. In the credit-card world, APR stands for whatever the companies want you to pay this month so their executives can go to Tahoe.)

Anyway, if you were embroiled in all the APR fun, you might have missed a few events relating to South Carolina basketball:

- The apparent hiring of Dawn Staley as USC’s women’s basketball coach leads to an interesting thought: In hiring two basketball coaches this spring, USC ended up hiring a bigger name for it’s women’s job than for the men. And I don’t mean comparatively. On March 1, who do you think had more name recognition both across the country and in South Carolina: Darrin Horn or Dawn Staley?

That’s not necessarily a knock on Horn, who, like many mid-major coaches, got his break in the NCAA tournament. Bruce Pearl was just as unknown in the month before his 2005 run with Wisconsin-Milwaukee and subsequent hiring at Tennessee.

But it speaks to how well-known Staley is in the basketball world. This hiring will get as much play nationally, maybe more, than Horn’s. Some questioned whether Horn was a home run. There’s no question, hiring Staley is a home run for South Carolina.

- In case you missed it, former Gamecocks recruit Darius Morrow signed Tuesday with East Carolina. The forward from Atlanta was the lone member of this year’s recruiting class then asked out of his letter of intent two weeks after Horn’s hiring.

Morrow visited Auburn last week and was thought to be leaning toward the Tigers. But lo and behold, he ended up at a mid-major.

“East Carolina is an up-and-coming program, and I believe I can come in and help turn things around,” Morrow said in a statement released by East Carolina. “I think it’s a place where my game can really blossom.”

- As of this writing, there is no word on whether Trevor Deloach will transfer, but it’s expected to happen.

The natural question is whether Deloach will be the only current player to leave the program. That appears to be the case, but that can change as players head home for the summer.

Deloach is apparently the only player who has been told he isn’t in the staff’s plans. Others who played little under the previous staff - such as Mitchell Carter, Austin Steed and Chad Gray -apparently have shown something to the Horn and his coaches.

- The South Carolina baseball team's RPI ranking inched up to 12 after the Florida series. While that's good news, the Gamecocks aren't getting help from other teams when it comes to postseason seeding. A national seed remains a longshot. As for hosting a regional, Baseball America expert Aaron Fitt wrote Monday that USC could get pushed by Vanderbilt or LSU, if the SEC is only going to get two or three regionals.

Georgia at this point is assured a regional, and is the SEC team best position for a national seed. Vanderbilt and LSU are coming on strong while South Carolina is perceived to just be puttering along. That all could change with a strong finish. With no clear dominant teams in the league this seeason, I continue to suspect that this will come down to Hoover.

Assuming Trevor Deloach leaves the South Carolina men’s basketball program - and that seems a safe assumption - the only memories I’ll have will be of him riding a stationary bike or sitting on the bench.

It’s a somewhat surprising turn of events for the shooting guard from Saluda. By no stretch was Deloach supposed to be a star, but few in the program thought he would leave, for several reasons:

- Having sat out his freshman season as a redshirt, there was no motivation for Deloach to transfer and sit out another season. And that’s why this isn’t really Deloach’s decision.

- While coach Darrin Horn might not have thought much of Deloach as an SEC player, next year’s team is lacking depth at guard.

- Deloach is an instate player, and his former AAU coach, Zach Norris, is well-connected in the state. So pushing Deloach out doesn’t give Horn a great start to his relationship with state coaches.

And yet here we are. According to multiple sources, Horn talked with Deloach on Friday and said that while his scholarship would be honored, he wouldn’t be a part of the team’s plans next season. The message to Deloach was to transfer and open a scholarship, and the player is leaning heavily in that direction.

Some might view Horn’s move as harsh, but it’s rather common in college athletics. Few coaches, even new ones such as Horn, revoke scholarships, which are renewable each year. In order for such a move to fly publicly, there has to be some off-court issue, rather than a coach wanting a better player. It’s a safer bet to tell a player he can stick around but he won’t play, and it still usually ends up producing the same result.

In the short term, Deloach’s departure would leave the Gamecocks in a tighter hole a the guard position. The returning scholarship guards are Devan Downey, Zam Fredrick and Brandis Raley-Ross, along with walk-ons Branden Conrad and Robert Wilder. Deloach, listed at 6-foot-4, could have provided minutes off the bench as a shooting specialist. But I suspect Horn was looking at the situation from a long-term perspective.

Deloach’s transer would open a scholarship, which would be vital on a back-loaded roster. Next year’s team will have 10 scholarship players without Deloach, and assuming no more transfers or late recruiting additions:

Seniors
G Zam Fredrick

Juniors
G Devan Downey
F Dominique Archie
F Evka Baniulis
G Brandis Raley-Ross
F Chad Gray
C Mitchell Carter

Sophomores
F Mike Holmes
F-C Sam Muldrow
F Austin Steed

Freshmen
None

Notice how unevely balanced the classes are: one senior, no freshmen and a six-man junior class. That makes the news about Deloach all the more surprising. So was Horn letting recruit Darius Morrow out of his letter of intent.

The guess here is Horn wants to make over the roster with his type of players, and Morrow and Deloach didn’t fit. Horn also wasn’t worried about ticking off Norris or other instate coaches. He probably figures he’ll make up for it by working the state hard in recruiting, as he has in his first month on the job.

As for Deloach, he has to decide whether he wants to go somewhere and play right away (at a Division II or junior college) or transfer and sit out another year at a Division I school. Barring an unexpected change of heart, all we will have seen of Deloach at USC is him peddling the bike while his teammates practiced or sitting on the bench in uniform -in case three freak injuries forced the coaching staff to yank his redshirt and play him.

It never happened. Neither, apparently, will Deloach’s playing career as a Gamecock.

A city view is expected to be enjoyed by fans and players at the new baseball field. (Lindsay Semple/The State)

We just got back touring USC's new baseball stadium, or at least what's up so far, and that's only about 35 percent of the park, according to Ray Tanner.

We'll have extensive coverage in tomorrow's paper, including a story by yours truly, a column by Ron Morris and pictures from the inimitable Lindsay Semple. But real quick I just wanted to let you all know some facts and impressions from today's visit, which USC gave to members of the media:

- The main work that's been done so far is structure and laying down concrete. We were able to walk through what will be the indoor batting cages, team rooms and the tunnel leading into the dugout. We were also able to walk on the field, which is still dirt right now, but they laid out the bases so you could definitely get a feel for what it's going to be like.

The stadium is on schedule to open next season, with Duquesne the first scheduled opponent. Field construction is set to begin May 15, sod installation around July 1, and the goal is for the Gamecocks to open fall practice at the new park Sept. 1.

- The scoreboard will be in left-field, and it will be quite massive: 47 feet high and 44 feet wide, standing a total of 86 feet above the field. It will include a radar gun - "I guess we'll have to recruit more hard throwers," Tanner said - and a 16-by-28 feet video board that can show replays.

- As for what the stadium will be called, athletics director Eric Hyman said he's in "deep discussions" with someone or some possible sponsors, who he wouldn't name. By school rule, the naming rights have to be half of the $24.7 million construction cost.

- The total budget for the stadium is $35.6 million, and Hyman said he's been told that if anything it might come under that. That's a big change from earlier guesses that it would run over, like most construction works had been doing. But apparently the sagging economy has changed that.

- Parking will be an issue, at least in my opinion. The school says it will have a total of about 3,600 spaces, but only 1,500 of those will be adjacent to the park. A shuttle service for what USC called "a nominal fee" will ferry fans from about 1,100 spots at the Colonial Center. The other parking spots will be near the stadium at work parking lots and other makeshift lots.

OK, you can go ahead and blame me.

Yes, on Friday a story under my byline proclaimed the turnaround of the USC baseball team. Yes, it elucidated how the Gamecocks were basically doing everything well. Yes, a national expert was quoted as saying the Gamecocks were playing so well they were going to have to “play their way out” of a national seed in the NCAA tournament.

Well, guess what? In one weekend, the Gamecocks played their way out of one.

South Carolina’s 0-for-3 effort at LSU over the weekend had a number of chilling effects:

- USC’s ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index, which stood as high as No. 5 last week, dropped to No. 17.

- USC also dropped to No. 17 in the Baseball America poll and No. 15 in Collegiate Baseball, after being ranked 12th in both last week.

- The Gamecocks are in a three-way tie for last place in the SEC East. They entered last weekend with the second-best record in the SEC.

So in one weekend, USC went from being in prime position to be a national seed to having to finish strong to host a first-round regional. At least that’s what you’d believe from the numbers. But don’t jump off the bandwagon just yet.

The Gamecocks (31-14 overall, 11-10 in the SEC) are only 1 1/2 games behind second-place Florida, which visits Sarge Frye Field this weekend. Leapfrogging Georgia (15-5-1) for first place is a long shot, but getting back into second is still very possible.

Either way, maybe the goal is to slog through the final three weekends and make a run in the SEC tournament. Who’s the dominant team you need to fear in Hoover, Ala.? There is none, unless you’re considering Georgia, which is winning tons of close games, or Vanderbilt, which is talented but inconsistent. The tournament is setting up to be wide open, and, barring a collapse, the Gamecocks will qualify.

But a national seed looks to be a tough goal to attain. The top few teams in the country are solidifying their spots, especially the big three in USC’s region: Miami, North Carolina and Florida State will be national seeds. Throw in Arizona State, and the competeition is for the other four spots, and if balanced geography is a concern, there is only one spot left for a Southern team. USC is probably behind Georgia and perhaps even North Carolina State for that spot.

So what about hosting a regional? I wouldn’t be too concerned about losing out on that yet. USC should be favored in its final three series (Florida and Tennessee at home, at Arkansas in between.) If the Gamecocks go 2-1 in each of the final three series, that should be enough to get back in the top 15 of the RPI. If you can drop 12 spots with one bad weekend, surely you can move back up with three good ones.

The big question is which Gamecocks team will show up the rest of the way. Last year’s team wasn’t involved in a single SEC series sweep, but this year’s team has seen three -- two from the losing end. The Gamecocks hit a lot of homers, but only occasionally with runners on base. The starting pitchers have been solid, but when they’re bad, they’re really bad (Mike Cisco can attest to that.). The bullpen was looking solid, then it blew a big lead Saturday at LSU.

Simply put, this is a South Carolina team that looks like it could play its way deep into Omaha or flame out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

And now on to part two of our long-running series, comprising two parts, concerning Darrin Horn’s thoughts on a multitude of matters. The new USC men’s basketball coach sat down for breakfast recently with several esteemed beat writers, and also me, to discuss several matters. What follows is more that was gleaned from that chat.

THE GAMECOCKS' TALENT

I won’t go so far as to say Horn is dampening expectations for his first year. But I did find the following comment interesting, especially considering he inherits a team with 11 scholarship players:

“We need some talent. We need some more talent,” Horn said. “Sometimes it comes quicker than others. But we’re going to approach it from day one like we want to win now and this is what it’s gonna take, and expect that from them, and hope it comes as soon as possible.”

Allow me the liberty of making a rough translation: Yes we’ve got four starters back, including a first-team All-SEC point guard in Devan Downey. We could win next season. But this team has had two straight losing seasons, and I need a few years of recruiting talent to fit my system before I can really be judged.

That’s what I think Horn would like to say, but will not just yet.

SCHEDULING

Next year’s schedule isn’t done yet, but several nonconference games were lined up by the previous coaching staff. The Gamecocks will play at Princeton and College of Charleston, and host Clemson in the annual series. The rest is basically up to Horn to decide: Fill up the schedule with cupcakes so his team will have an easier time transitioning, or play a hard schedule, like this past season’s USC team?

Horn appears to be leaning towards the easier schedule. He didn’t come out and say that, using easily-deciphered code: “I think in all honesty we would lean towards structuring it in a way that we’ve got as many home games as possible.” Why? The Gamecock team he inherits will be experienced, having lost just one senior, but Horn thinks it needs to adapt to his system, “so we can build some confidence and establish how we want to play.”

But in future years, look for Horn to put together a normal major program schedule: A few games against similar BCS-conference teams, maybe one or two strong mid-majors, then the so-called warmup games. Western Kentucky, his former school, will be on the schedule in the future thanks to Horn’s contract. But not next season.

THE BIG MEN

I asked Horn what he thought of his post players. Dave Odom was never able to establish an inside force in his seven years, but he left Horn the potential to do so with Mike Holmes and Sam Muldrow, who will be sophomores next season. What I thought was interesting was that Horn and assistant coach Cypheus Bunton, who will coach the big men, each mentioned Holmes, Muldrow and 6-10 Mitchell Carter, who played little his two seasons at USC. But they left off Chad Gray and Austin Steed.

Either way, Horn is definitely optimistic about Holmes and Muldrow, saying each has “a chance to help.” He loves the 6-foot-9 Muldrow’s length and shot-blocking ability. And while Holmes is two inches shorter, he seems to fit Horn’s system perfectly.

“I love players like Mike Holmes,” Horn said. “I love what some would call undersized for this league, but he’s tough and he competes and he’s kind of got a knack for getting the ball up on the rim, and he’s physical.”

Horn’s words on Carter were, as expected, a little more reserved: “I think Mitchell, he’s got a big body, we just have to work with him and see how he’s going to develop and what he’ll be able to produce. But he definitely has a big body.”

THE FINAL ASSISTANT

As of this writing, Horn is still looking for a third assistant. He was asked whether he was looking for someone with SEC ties, and while saying not necessarily ties to the league were important, it would be an obvious benefit if he knew the area. He definitely seems to be looking for someone with recruiting ability, which he called the “1A” criteria for any assistant coach.

“Part of what you have to do is you’ve got to get in the cracks and you’ve got to find some guys. I think that’s important anywhere,” Horn said. “So while we ‘re incredibly excited about where we can go, and some of the advantages we do have being here, we’re not able to walk in a home like a UCLA just because we have that across our chest we’re going to be one of three (on the recruit's final list). So we’re going to have to find some guys too. I just think somebody that’s got a proven track record of doing that.”

THIS AND THAT

The only other SEC coach Horn had talked to as of last week was Alabama’s Mark Gottfried, whom Horn said he knew from his playing days. He also knows former USC coach Eddie Fogler, who was a paid consultant during the search and apparently played a big role in Horn getting the job.

Horn and Fogler have no obvious connections. But Horn said they have a close mutual friend in Nashville (Fogler used to coach at Vanderbilt, and Nashville is a close drive from the Western Kentucky campus.) Horn added that he also sought out Fogler, as he would any veteran coach that could give a young guy some advice.

Speaking of Fogler, a North Carolina graduate, it was pointed out that Horn is now surrounded by two other former Tar Heels: Athletics director Eric Hyman and top assistant Scott Cherry. Hyman and Cherry were at the table when this was asked, and each did a combination smile/wince. But Horn played it off well:

“You know they’re gonna have to do that incognito, behind the scenes,” he said with a smile. “We don’t want to see a lot of that kind of love being shared.”

Darrin Horn is trying his best to be seen and heard around the university these days. Everywhere you turn ...

He was at the Gamecock Gala Monday night at the Colonial Center, along with his coaching staff and players.

He attended the ground-breaking for the new academic enrichment center on Friday afternoon.

Turn on the radio Tuesday and you’ll hear Horn being interviewed on various stations.

I’d like to think this all started on Thursday, when Horn and his staff sat down with the beat writers. I’d like to think it shows the paramount importance of our role. I’d like to, but really, there was food involved (a catered breakfast), so I have to think that’s why Horn wanted to talk to us went first.

In any case, I haven’t had a chance to pass along more of the Horn interview because of everything else going on (baseball, the football spring game and the Darius Morrow situation). So here’s the first of a two-part blog series - I’m calling it Part I of a Blog Series - going into more detail on what Horn has to say about his new job and players.

WHAT HE HAS FOUND

The first question for Horn was obvious. He’s had a week or so to get to know his players, through the workouts the NCAA allows, as well as some off-court interaction. So what does he think?

Horn started by saying he thinks they’re a “good group of kids,” who are ready to adapt to a new system. Some are adjusting quicker than others. Horn named Devan Downey and Dominique Archie as the furthest along.

Horn hasn’t had a sit-down with each player. But, overall, he has tried to convey that everyone is getting a fresh start, which is probably a big reason there haven’t been any transfers yet.

“What we’ve told them is no different than any time you have a transition. We’re going to make an assessment,” Horn said. “We’re assessing everything about the program, whether it’s players or anything. That’s what you do in a transition.”

ON DEVAN DOWNEY

The previous coaching staff harped on Downey’s defensive abilities, which surprised some - including Downey - considering the sophomore was among the nation’s leaders in steals. But after a couple weeks of workouts, Horn has come to the same conclusion as Dave Odom.

When asked about Downey’s role on the team, Horn said the coaches have “jokingly let him know that he might need to be a little better defensively.”

Pressed, Horn makes clear there wasn’t any joking about it.

“There’s a difference between stealing the ball, which he’s really good at in terms of having good instincts and great hands,” Horn said. “We did some live stuff yesterday, and he’s sneaking in and slapping it away, he’s really good at that. But to be a really good defender you’ve gotta learn that there’s a good time to do that and when you have to be solid. And I think that’s where the growth will come.”

But it’s not just Downey. Horn believes that team defense is where his players need to make the most improvement. Some of that may be because Horn is bringing in new schemes, and with it some new terminology. He said it will be a matter of the players becoming “comfortable” with his system. What he leaves unsaid is that Odom was frustrated with the defensive abilities of many of his players, so learning Horn’s system will only be the first step.

THE USE OF THE BENCH

Another staple of Odom’s era, especially the last couple of years, was the hesitation to go much beyond his starting five. Two years ago that was because of not much else being available. This past season the Gamecocks had 12 players on scholarship, with only one redshirting. However, Mitchell Carter, Austin Steed and Chad Gray seldom played.

Horn comes from Western Kentucky with a reputation for using a lot of players out of necessity, because of his up-tempo style. I asked Horn if he was going to try and disperse minutes so that the eighth or ninth guy is playing 7-8 minutes, while the Downeys aren’t playing the entire game. Horn was non-committal.

“In a perfect world, we’ve got depth and your best players are gonna play 25-30 and the other ones just fill in accordingly. But we also have to play the guys that can help us win and you don’t have nine that can do that, then you won’t do that,” Horn said. “So, yeah, what everybody saw last year (at Western Kentucky) took 3-4 years to build before we got to that point where we felt like we had the depth and felt like we could play that way. We may be able to that right way, or would like to. We may not.

“We’re not going to play guys just to play them. That’s the thing that’s a bit misunderstood sometimes about how we wanna play: ‘Oh, everyone’s just gonna roll out there and play.’ I don’t think we’ll start walking the ball up by any means, but we’re also not gonna play guys just to play them.”

COMING UP IN PART TWO

Horn discusses the Pennsylvania primary, his long-lost twin brother, his plans for moving all games back to the Carolina Coliseum ... OK, not really. More basketball stuff.

And here I thought the recruitment saga of Bryan Narcisse was weird.

Thursday night’s news that Darius Morrow would not be coming to South Carolina came out of left field. The post player out of Atlanta had seemed happy every step of the way with his commitment, first when Dave Odom recruited him and then when Darrin Horn was announced as the new coach.

Then, within a couple of hours Thursday, word came that Morrow wanted out of his letter of intent, followed by Horn saying he was granting Morrow a release. And suddenly USC’s recruiting class shrank from one to zero. As George Will would say, “Well.”

I never saw Morrow play, so I can’t personally attest to what kind of player the Gamecocks have lost. There were mixed signals: National recruiting analyst Dave Telep called Morrow a role player, at best. But his high school coach, Phil McCrary, said Morrow was a better prospect than ex-teammate Jeremy Price, who played extensively as a freshman this season at Georgia.

Everyone agreed Morrow was a good kid whose academics weren’t a worry, a big reason Odom’s staff eagerly offered him a spot. That’s what made this latest turn of events so surprising, as there were no signs Morrow would be high-maintenance.

McCrary said that wasn’t the problem. He was upset Horn sent assistant coach Cypheus Bunton rather than coming himself, calling it “a slap in that man’s face.” (That day was the first time after the Final Four when coaches could go on the road, so USC might argue it showed genuine interest.)

Then, according to McCrary, he called athletics director Eric Hyman’s secretary to request Morrow be released from his letter of intent. At that point, Horn called McCrary to set up a visit Friday, but it was apparently too late.

Now McCrary believes there is a good chance Morrow will end up at a competing school.

“There’s a lot of other ACC, SEC and Big East schools who have made contact with me that have said they would like his services,” McCrary said.

When I spoke to Horn on Thursday night, he didn’t want to get into the he-said, he-said aspect of the story. He confirmed Morrow had been released from his letter and wished him well.

The interesting question now for Horn is how this affects the recruiting situation. It leaves him with no incoming recruits but 11 returning players, assuming there are no transfers.

The NCAA scholarship limit for basketball is 13 players, so Horn has two available spots. But with just one senior on next year’s team, guard Zam Fredrick, he appears content to go into next season without any new players and save the scholarships for players he has more time to recruit. If Horn signs anybody for next year, it likely will be somebody he sees as a program-changer. Here’s what he said Thursday morning, before he knew about Morrow’s decision:

“We wouldn’t rule out signing somebody, but we’d want to feel like it’s somebody that brings us something that maybe we don’t feel like we’re going to be able to put on the floor that makes us better,” Horn said. “The big thing in recruiting is, do you get better from it? Does this person either bring you something you don’t have, or bring you something you need, or just bring you something better than what you have? If we sign five McDonalds All-Americans, we’d try to sign five the next year. I think you have to approach it that way.”

APR situation. The other interesting situation for Horn and the new staff is the program’s Academic Progress Rate. Odom said all last season he expected the program to be penalized a scholarship, and it apparently was - but a year earlier than Odom expected.

The reason was Mike Jones’ 0-for-2, as the NCAA refers to it, when the former Lower Richland star was dismissed from the team without being eligible to return academically. That occurred during the 2006-07 season, and by carrying 12 scholarship players (the maximum is 13) this season, USC claims it already took the penalty. That wasn’t the plan, but then recruit Aaron Ellis wasn’t accepted by the school. So the Gamecocks went with 12, rather than a full scholarship allotment.

NCAA spokesman Erik Christiansen had this to say in an e-mail Friday morning: “Schools need to take the penalty at the earliest opportunity, unless they’ve already made a commitment to a recruit, which allows them to delay for a year.”

So it appears the Gamecocks are in the clear, at least concerning Jones’ 0-for-2. USC actually penalized itself this past season. Now the question is whether the team’s regular APR - the performance of other players - will lead to further scholarship penalties for next season.

Jennifer Stiles, USC’s director of compliance, told me last week the program does not anticipate any additional penalties, at least for next season. We’ll know for sure when the APR is released in May, but none of that has to do with what’s going on this spring, so the only question is whether USC’s math and grasp of the APR is correct, not whether the players are going to class.

Either way, it doesn’t appear to matter in the short term. Barring something unforeseen, the Gamecocks will operate without a full allotment of players in Horn’s first season. So if the penalty were this year or next year, it wouldn’t matter.

A little over eight years ago, I was assigned to cover the George Mason basketball program, back when it was virtually unknown even in its own area. The Patriots had a veteran coach, two hard-charging young assistants, and a third assistant named Scott Cherry.

Cherry was getting started as a coach, six years removed from playing on North Carolina's 1993 national championship team. As George Mason's third assistant, he couldn't go on the road to recruit, and spent most of his time doing grunt work. (The NCAA has since allowed all three assistants to travel to recruit.)

These days Cherry has more responsibility. He joined Darrin Horn's staff at South Carolina last week, coming over from Western Kentucky with Horn to be his top assistant at USC

It nearly ended up a different way. Cherry was interviewed as a potential replacement for Horn at Western Kentucky, and some fans favored him. But a former Hilltoppers assistant who had moved on to Texas, Ken McDonald, was hired.

Cherry seemed philosophical about the situation when I talked to him this week. He said he understood the decision, and the upside was he got to work at a high-major program like South Carolina.

"I felt like I had enough on my resume to get (the Western Kentucky job). But this business, the way it worked, you've got to really know the guys who are decision-makers, and the guy they hired, Ken McDonald, knew the A.D. a lot longer than I had, so you can't blame them for doing that," Cherry said. "But I just felt like this kind of opportunity was certainly there. I'm not disappointed, I'm not upset because look where I am, and that's all you can really ask for in your career. I've tried to do it the right way and work as hard as I can. It's all I've ever done in my career and it's kind of worked out for me. It's paid off."

Two schools, and two coaches, have put a big imprint on Cherry's coaching outlook. First was Dean Smith and North Carolina, which taught Cherry the four corners offense and the secondary break. But during two stints over seven years at George Mason, he learned the scramble defense and a variation of the flex offense from Jim Larranaga.

"When I got done playing I thought Carolina, the way we did everything basketball-wise, would just translate everywhere I went. But I figured out you can't necessarily do the same thing, based on personnel, based on opponents," Cherry said.

Since then, Cherry learned to adapt at several different coaching stops. And Larranaga thinks it will help in the former mid-major's staff make the transition to the SEC.

Two years ago, Horn offered Cherry a chance to make what seemed a lateral move from George Mason to Western Kentucky. But Larranaga said he approved Cherry taking that job.

"You don't want to stay with one guy forever. You learn one system and that's all. Scott had great familiarity and knowledge of Dean Smith's program and how coach Smith did things and the North Carolina way," Larranaga said. "He came to George Mason, branched out a little bit and learned somebody else's way of doing things. When Darrin Horn called me, what he told me he was looking for someone who had enjoyed great success as an assistant coach because he thought his team could enjoy great success, but he wanted someone who had experienced that."

And that success came both as a player and coach - though one may have helped the other. On its way to the Final Four in 2006, George Mason played North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Larranaga recalled that Cherry was able to take some of the luster off the Tar Heels by telling the Patriots that: "Hey we know everything there is to know about North Carolina's system. Heck, we do part of it."

I asked Cherry, as a UNC graduate, how he had seen the South Carolina job through the years. These two schools share the Carolina moniker, but not much in terms of basketball.

"I think it's a gold mine. It's an opportunity just waiting to explode. They've got everything necessary here to be successful," Cherry said, listing the facilities plan, the reception the new staff has received. "You can't compare yourself to anybody else. You are who you are. We're the University of South Carolina, and we've got to go out and sell that, and promote it."

Third assistant update: There's still no news on who will fill out Horn's Gamecock staff. There's no timetable for a hiring, though I can offer up nuggets on two familiar names:

Former Gamecock guard Mike Boynton, now an assistant at Wofford, interviewed recently with Horn in Columbia; former assistant Ken Potosnak may be a longshot to be retained, but he still hasn't cleaned out his office.

For those of you who were wondering, yes the web site http://www.letsshowcorso.com is still up and running. I was forced to check into this when … sigh … Lee Corso’s name was brought up again Monday with Steve Spurrier.

There are two names that no matter what, it seems you can’t escape when you cover South Carolina football: Corso, and Stephen Garcia. And no, the latter’s name wasn’t brought up Monday, but another gone-but-maybe-returning quarterback was. More on him later.

Anyway, millions, or perhaps dozens, of ESPN viewers were innocently watching Florida’s spring game last Saturday, when Corso proclaimed that South Carolina would fight it out with the Gators for the SEC East. Spurrier was asked about this, and said he hoped Corso was right.

Meanwhile some of us, or perhaps just one of us, was looking around for someone in USC’s marketing department to wonder if the web site needed to come down now. It would be tragic for someone new to the planet to think the Gamecocks intended to show Corso he was wrong by finishing third in the division.

It was also hard not to notice the presence Monday of Reid McCollum, the OTHER quarterback who didn’t end up at spring practice for the Gamecocks. Last year McCollum was an early commitment to Spurrier, the first in-state quarterback since Spurrier came to USC. But he left after two weeks of the second semester, citing homesickness, and many wondered whether he’d come back.

McCollum told me he will, and that he spends his semester off from any school – he graduated Summerville High School in December – working out and “getting ready to compete” for the Gamecocks. He probably has a long way to go: If Garcia returns, McCollum likely starts next season fifth on the depth chart, and is nearly certain to redshirt.

But I do think his appearance at spring practice, which McCollum said was his third, indicates he intends to be back. He also had a brief conversation with assistant coach Shane Beamer and a few players.

Now, a few more observations from the scrimmage, er, practice (it was offense vs. defense, complete with referees and a play clock, but there was no tackling and no stats kept):

- The quarterbacks had a pretty good night, especially Chris Smelley. Among his highlights, he threaded a completion to a diving Jason Barnes, hit Freddie Brown on a quick out for a long gain, fit in a good sideline pass to Moe Brown, and hit Matt Clements on consecutive passes that totaled about 58 yards.

Beecher was also solid, so the pair drew from Spurrier what qualified for the coach as the height of compliments:

“They both threw some good ones,” Spurrier said. “They both threw some good ones here and there.”

- The receivers had a more uneven night, especially at the start. Maybe it was the cold weather. The first drive saw three quick drops, two by Moe Brown and another by Jared Cook. Brown responded by hauling in a sideline toe-tapper to keep the drive going, though it eventually ended in a punt.

“We had more drops than usual tonight, for some reason,” Spurrier said. “It certainly wasn’t that cold. A little cooler than normal, but it’s not that that cold or anything.”

- That first punt, incidentally, was by Spencer Lanning. That may be a sign that new special teams coach Ray Rychleski will stick with having Ryan Succop focus on place-kicking.

Speaking of which, Succop did have a punt blocked. Eric Norwood broke through and stuffed it, and freshman Shaq Wilson caught it in the air and returned it about 50 yards for a touchdown.

(Blog Interlude No. 1: At one point the offensive backfield included Smelley and tailback Taylor Rank, leading one observer to point out the comic value of a Smelley and a Rank playing together. I of course am above such base humor, and only include it to scold Jimmy Kimmel for not being aware of this earlier.)

- The defense had a great goal-line stand. When the offense drove down to the 2, freshman tailback Eric Baker was stuffed on the first two plays. Then a quarterback sneak came up short. On fourth down Mike Davis was halted on a play that, if this were a real game, they would have reviewed.

Defensive players were quite excited by the stand. Freshman safety Akeem Auguste could be heard proclaiming “I feel like the Pittsburgh Steelers!”

(Blog Interlude No. 2: Dan Rooney, the Steelers’ owner, today endorsed Barack Obama. While this may play well in western, rust-belt Pennsylvania, which Obama needs, one wonders whether this will backfire among Eagles fans.)

- Speaking of the spring game … wait, I don’t think I mentioned it yet. Well it’s Saturday. They’re holding a regular practice Friday, then wrap up spring practice with the Garnet and Black game Saturday, or as some are calling it, the PMS 202 vs. PMS What Darth Vader Wears Bowl.

Spurrier said he intends to change the rules around so his offense can do something other than be tackled in the backfield.

“Obviously the pass rush is too good for our linemen right now, so we’ve gotta do something to try to give the quarterbacks and receivers a chance to show whether they can play here or not,” he said.

Sure makes you feel good about that line, doesn't it?

There might be no more puzzling turns in recruiting than what happened with North Augusta’s Bryan Narcisse. For those of you who aren't caught up, a quick review:

- Narcisse, a 6-foot-7 swingman, signed last fall with Western Kentucky, one of three recruits in what turned out to be coach Darrin Horn’s last class at the school.

- When Horn left for South Carolina, the natural question was whether Narcisse would follow. But Horn publicly asked all three of his recruits to stick with their letters of intent. Narcisse ended up getting a release from his, which is understandable. But when he stated that he’d rather stay close to home, most assumed he meant a place such as College of Charleston or Coastal Carolina, mid-majors like Western Kentucky.

- Instead, this week Narcisse announced he’s going to ... Clemson? Oh, my.

It was a stunning turn on several levels. First, the people I had talked to doubted Narcisse was an SEC/ACC type talent. Even Horn didn’t show too much immediate interest in Narcisse when he got the South Carolina job. So for Clemson to swoop in and get Narcisse leads you to wonder what USC was thinking, or what Clemson was thinking.

Why was a player good enough for Horn at Western Kentucky not good enough for him at South Carolina, even though he was good enough for Clemson? Or turn it around: Why was a player good enough for Clemson when he wasn’t good enough for the coaching staff at USC that had previously recruited Narcisse?

Like I said, quite the puzzler.

It’s hard to get a firm grip on the situation. My colleague Paul Strelow, who covers Clemson, wrote a story for Tuesday’s paper in which he spoke to Narcisse and his family. They declined to get much into the Horn-USC angle, and the school can’t comment, per NCAA rules.

My guess? Clemson was willing to take a chance, while USC - despite Horn’s prior relationship with Narcisse - couldn’t afford to because of its numbers situation. It was no accident that when Horn hit the recruiting trail on his first full day on the job, his trips were to visit non-seniors, most of them sophomores.

Horn inherits a situation in which the Gamecocks lose only one senior this year and one next year. Some situations need to be settled - possible transfers out of the program and the Academic Progress Rate - but right now Horn’s staff has to operate on the assumption it doesn’t have much flexibility.

So if the Gamecocks were going to bring in a recruit for next year, it would behoove them for it to be an instant-impact, program-changing kind of player. Failing that, it should be someone who fills an immediate need, like a backup point guard or a big man. Narcisse is none of the above.

Clemson is apparently in a better position to take a risk. South Carolina appears content to go with its current roster and hold spots open for recruits in future years.

It was a relatively short practice Friday, cut short well under two hours. That led to the natural question: Was Steve Spurrier high-tailing it back to Augusta?

“Nah,” Spurrier said. “Thursday’s the only day. That’s plenty.”

Evidently. Not only did Spurrier have time at The Masters to hang out with Stephen Garcia’s family, but he was also on the 16th tee box when Ian Poulter nailed the tournament’s only hole-in-one so far. Spurrier must have coached ‘em up well.

For those of you interested in football, today’s blog will feature a lot of information on the offensive line. That unit’s coach, John Hunt, held court with the media, which produced a few tidbits.

- Senior Jamon Meredith, last year’s left tackle starter, may shift to right tackle or even guard. It’s a product of Meredith having to sit out the first two games of next season; Hunt is leery of moving Justin Sorensen from right to left tackle just for two games, or asking a younger, inexperienced player to guard the quarterback’s blind spot against Vanderbilt and North Carolina State.

As for guard, Meredith was playing the position Friday because Terrance Campbell and Heath Batchelor missed prac-tice. (They had “academic issues,” according to Spurrier.) Hunt left open the chance of Meredith playing guard this year, saying that if their top five linemen are tackles, “one of them has got to move inside.”

- Backup tackle Hutch Eckerson drew praise from Hunt, who said the sophomore-to-be is “heading in the right direc-tion.”

“Hutch has probably stood out the most,” Hunt said, then added this about redshirt freshman Kyle Nunn: “Kyle’s going to be OK. He’s hanging in there pretty good. He’s trying to do everything right and he’s learning.”

- Seaver Brown would start at center if the season began today, only because he’s gotten practice time while projected starter Garrett Anderson has been out with an injury. But Hunt said he expects Anderson, who was in and out of the lineup at guard last year, to be back healthy and “try to earn that thing come fall.”

- So how does Hunt view his much-maligned, much-questioned group of linemen?

“The consistency’s been a little bit better, but just like today we went out there and had a mental error and generally those errors are large errors, drive killers or turnovers or stuff like that,” Hunt said. “I would think we have fewer errors but we still have those errors that are just killing us. That’s football. That’s why we coach that’s why we come out to prac-tice.”

As for the rest of the team, here’s what could be observed at Friday’s practice:

- The Gamecocks concentrated on situational drills. They started the 11-on-11 portion with a two-minute drill, giving quarterbacks Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher a chance against six-defensive back lineups. Both were able to lead scoring drives.

Following that came a Hail Mary situation, which saw a lot of incomplete lobs to the end zone, with one exception: A hook-and-ladder with tight end Weslye Saunders catching and passing off to Jared Cook, who rumbled into the end zone.

- Receiver Joseph Hills had a very good practice. His only so-so moment came when he nearly made a great catch in the left side of the end zone, falling down, then losing his grab as he hit the ground. But on the very next play Hills caught a touchdown between three defenders over the middle, and this time held on as he was knocked to the ground. His teammates gave him some dap after that one.

- I don’t think it’s breaking news that Jasper Brinkley is good, but given his injury Gamecock fans will be happy to know he performed well Friday. During 7-on-7 drills, he had an interception and another pass break-up.

- The quarterbacks still have a long way to go. When asked for about the 300th time about Garcia’s suspension and possible early return, Spurrier wrapped things up by pointing out he has two quarterbacks in camp.

“I’ve got to worry about Chris Smelley hitting an open receiver right now,” Spurrier said.

- Spurrier likes what running back Eric Baker has done so far, saying the freshman has “done some good things.” Starter Mike Davis (hamstring injury) was back out at Friday’s practice, leading Spurrier to remark that the running back spot is “in pretty good shape right now.”

- The Gamecocks are due to scrimmage Monday night, but the outlook isn’t promising.

“We hope to scrimmage Monday night, but if the weather’s as nasty as predicted, we may not,” Spurrier said. “So we may have to wait on the weather.”

No word on whether a scrimmage would be made up. The Gamecocks do have Wednesday off, but Spurrier is due to play in the Pro-Am in Hilton Head. Their last spring practice is Friday, followed the next day by the spring game.

Yes, Joseph “Joe” Person is away chasing Tiger, and possibly Elin, around Augusta National. So you faithful spring football practice blog fans, each and every three of you, are stuck with me.

It shouldn’t be too bad, because after all, it’s only the spring. To wit, of the first three questions Steve Spurrier took on Wednesday, one was about The Masters and another was about the magic show that kicked off the practice.

Yes, I wrote that, and it happened. I asked Spurrier if he invited the magician as some sort of motivation or team-building exercise. The answer was no.

“Entertainment,” Spurrier said. “Most of our players have never seen him do the things (the magician, Kevin Dawson), does.”

Not that there wasn’t some news, or the practice was uneventful. Strong safety Emanuel Cook is out for the final two weeks of spring practice because of a cracked bone in his thumb. Spurrier indicated the injury wasn’t serious, as far as the fall goes.

As for the rest of the night, here are one man’s thoughts and observations:

- The quarterbacks had a poor practice, leading Spurrier to crack that the magician might have done better. During seven-on-seven drills, Tommy Beecher threw a 15-yard pass whose intended receiver was a mystery. On the very next play, Chris Smelley’s pass was complete to Mark Barnes, which would have been marvelous if not for the fact that Barnes was playing safety.

- Spurrier said the offensive line played a little bit better, but judging from what I saw the standard must not be ultra-high. The offensive line is still way behind the defense, especially on passing plays. The last two practices I’ve been able to attend, offensive line coach John Hunt has loudly expressed his displeasure with words that I can’t print here.

(Blog Interlude No. 1: Speaking of The Masters, why is the official terminology on taking “Tiger or the field”? I mean, when they’re asking that, they’re just asking whether you think Tiger’s going to win. Why not ask it that way? Is this just some golf jargon I don't understand? Sorry, back to football.)

- The running backs supposedly have had a down spring, but freshman Eric Baker looked good in his carries Wednesday. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 179 pounds, Baker showed a good ability to stay up. At one point he went into a big pile of defenders, then came right back out to gain extra yardage. That play drew some “woos” from the smaller-than-usual crowd. (Thanks, baseball game.)

(Blog Interlude No. 2: Last week when Jon Gruden visited practice, he was very nice, if not entirely clear in his manner of speaking. Mentioning that he admired several former Gamecocks, he added this: “My son’s name is Duce, Jon David the second, we named him after Sterling Sharpe.” Um … OK?)

- Receiver Moe Brown had Wednesday night’s best catch: The junior-to-be ran a sideline fly pattern, then came back to haul in the throw while being interfered with by his defender. The defense was also offsides on the play.

- Linebacker Melvin Ingram got into it with several players and ultimately had to be restrained by secondary coach Ron Cooper. It started when Ingram got in a little late on quarterback Chris Smelley, who wasn’t too pleased. A few offensive players got in Ingram’s face, then it died down. But a couple minutes later Ingram was at it again, first with offensive tackle Jamon Meredith and then with inactive cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. Eventually Cooper hauled Ingram away from the group to calm him down.

- Ingram was back on the field a short time later, and had a nice bat-down of an over-the-middle pass.

- I know everyone’s been weighing in on the special teams changes, but let me offer my own voice to the chorus: New coach Ray Rychleski appears to be making a big impact, and if you had to give me one reason the Gamecocks would be better this fall, I would say special teams. Rychleski has command of the unit, and runs crisp drills, whether it be quick-time field goals or three-at-a-time kick returns.

Shane Beamer, Steve Spurrier Jr. and Robert Gillespie are still assisting, at least on kickoff and kick returns. Rychleski is in charge, but the assistants don’t look afraid to chip in. The only danger this year is too much coaching, and that shouldn’t be much of an issue either.

- I’ll leave you with this from Spurrier Sr., on his frustration with the offense:

“I've been here three years. On offense we've had Sidney Rice and now Cory Boyd drafted, so I understand. We have good enough players to win. We haven't won the close games. We've got to start doing a little better and coach a little better. That's been a little frustrating. Sometimes you have to understand the other team is pretty good also."

For those USC baseball fans still breathing today, we offer this meek attempt at lifting your spirits: As bad as it seems, it's not that bad, at least not yet. It's baseball. You're going to lose games, you're going to lose series, and sometimes you're even going to lose all three games in a series.

Now preferably, you want to avoid being swept on a regular basis. But here are three reasons not to fling yourself out a window just yet:

1. Life is still good. Spring's in the air. All that good stuff.

2. Despite the three losses at Georgia over the weekend, South Carolina still ranks 11th in the national Ratings Percentage Index, according to the web site Boyd's World on Tuesday.

3. It's actually a good sign that South Carolina's problem has been timely hitting, rather than pitching. If the starting pitching keeps up, you've got to think the slugging Gamecocks will return in time to make a good postseason run.

The key question, however, seems to be in what form that hitting will return.

No one doubts USC's ability to hit home runs, as long as Justin Smoak, James Darnell, Phil Disher and Reese Havens are healthy. The problem is there haven't been many people on base. In fact at Georgia, all five homers were solo shots. At this point, I'd bet Ray Tanner would rather have a walk than a home run, and take his chances for a rally that may net more than a run.

My gut still tells me that pitching, especially the bullpen, remains the Gamecocks' biggest impediment to making the College World Series. But the team's makeup is a close second: This team is built for Sarge Frye Field, with its cozy dimensions and frequent homers. That makes getting home-field advantage in the postseason critical, and that's where last weekend hurts the most.

Recent history and common sense dictate it should all be about getting to host a super-regional. The past three seasons the Gamecocks have seen their season end on the road (2007 at North Carolina in the super-regionals, 2006 at Georgia in the super-regionals, and 2005 at Georgia Tech in the regionals.) But when USC got to Omaha three straight times from 2002-04, each year it hosted the super-regionals.

This year, most assume the Gamecocks are just playing for a regional at this point, with a super-regional a longshot. Well, not really.

First, the RPI puts the Gamecocks in prime position to still host a regional, assuming a decent finish. As for a national seed, it's a bit of a jumble:

Three of the top four teams in the RPI are in USC's geographic area (No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 Miami and No. 4 North Carolina.) The Gamecocks aren't likely to leap any of them, but there's a steep drop-off after those three.

Among the rest, South Carolina's resume looks similar to N.C. State (20-9, 12th in the RPI), Florida (21-10, 13th), Georgia Tech (25-7, 14th) and Georgia (20-10, 16th.) Vanderbilt (19-10) has a surprisingly low RPI of 51, but it's still very much in the conversation. Teams like Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi UNC-Wilmington, East Carolina and Coastal Carolina could also make a case. Then there's Missouri, which may or may not take a spot away from an Eastern team.

You also have to watch the west, which dominates the top of the national rankings. This may end up being a year that the east only gets three national seeds, and a team like USC gets shipped off to a super-regional at Nebraska, Wichita State or further out.

But all that is a month-and-a-half away, and USC has a chance to play its way back to a national seed. The Gamecocks' margin for error is still small, and diminishing by the week. Put it this way: Don't make non-refundable plane reservations for Omaha. But keep those 11 days open. You never know.

Blog notes: After last weekend's debacles, a lot of people have wondered when was the last time USC and Clemson were swept on the same weekend. How about ... never.

That's what colleague Paul Strelow and I figured out, after going through each team's media guide. The closest it came was 1996, when Clemson was swept at N.C. State (coached by Tanner) from April 18-20, and USC was swept the next weekend at Florida. ...

Another one of my esteemed colleagues, Joseph "Joe" Person, will be at some golf tournament in Augusta this week. So yours truly will step in for football practice blogging duties. That means I will have successfully blogged about three different sports this week. And if Bob Spear doesn't get in the way, I'll make it four with equestrian.

Scott Cherry, come on down? And you, too, Cypheus Bunton and Neill Berry?

That seems the likely scenario with today’s announcement that Western Kentucky has replaced Darrin Horn with Texas assistant Ken McDonald. By doing so, the Hilltoppers passed over Cherry, who was Horn’s lead assistant this past season.

Don’t cry too much for Cherry. Now he is free to join Horn at South Carolina, which sources have said all along would happen if someone else got the Western Kentucky job.

Horn’s other two assistants, Bunton and Berry, also are likely to join the USC staff, rather than get an offer to work for Cherry — although with different responsibilities.

Berry, 25 and in his first season as a full-time assistant, likely would take the job of director of basketball operations, which was filled at USC by Shelden Everett. Cherry and Bunton, both 36, would stay as full-time assistants.

That would give Horn one remaining staff vacancy he could use for a more seasoned coach, such as one of former coach Dave Odom’s assistants or someone else he might have interviewed this weekend at the Final Four.

Expect an announcement during the next few days that Horn’s staff is following him. If Horn holds a spot for a veteran assistant, that news will take a bit longer.