Gary Parrish

The AP and Coaches polls make less sense than signing Allen Iverson.

I'll tell you why right now.

It's time to Poll Attack !

AP poll: Proof that the Poll Attacks are making an impact came Monday when I learned that Bill Cole ranked the Butler Bulldogs. This is a massive development because, for those who don't remember, Bill was the only AP voter who didn't have Butler on his preseason ballot, which caused me to dedicate a large portion of the preseason Poll Attacks to his inexplicable decision.

I didn't understand why Bill ranked UCLA but not Butler.

It made no sense.

I said so.

And Bill responded this week by moving Butler onto his ballot and dropping UCLA completely despite nothing of note happening with either team between the time his first and second ballots were filed. The only thing that happened is that Bill got Poll Attacked , and he adjusted his ballot to (presumably) avoid another beating. It makes me proud, honestly. I'm bringing change to America one ballot at a time.

In a related note, I'd like to take a moment to make sure Elton Alexander, Al Balderas, Pat Ridgell, Charles Goldberg and Jason Groves understand the season started last week. They all included Mississippi State on their latest ballots, this despite Mississippi State -- at best a borderline Top 25 team in the preseason -- losing its season opener at home to Rider by an 88-74 margin.

Come on, guys.

Try to keep up.

Coaches poll: Remember the preseason Coaches poll and how I pointed out that Southern California/USC getting 22 points was ridiculous? I surmised those "USC" votes must've been intended for South Carolina , and that the geniuses who tabulate the votes incorrectly credited them to Southern California.

No doubt, that's what happened.

Because Southern California got zero points in this week's Coaches poll.

That's more like it.

But what's confusing is that South Carolina got zero points, too.

It's crazy.

South Carolina got one point in the preseason Coaches poll, and if we're assuming the 22 "USC" points should've also gone to South Carolina then it's fair to assume South Carolina should've received at least 23 points in this week's poll. Instead, the Gamecocks beat Alabama A&M by 38 and lost its one point and the other 22 that we're incorrectly credited to Southern California. The only explanation is that the coaches simply wanted to avoid confusion and declined to vote for Southern California, South Carolina, USC or anything close to any of those things. Poor Darrin Horn. Guy might never be ranked again.

The Coaches poll is out, and, holy crap, the Poll Attacks are going to be simple this afternoon.

Why?

Because Southern California got 22 points, that's why.

Honestly, there is no way anybody who knows anything about college basketball could put Southern California on a Top 25 ballot. The Trojans lost everybody except Dwight Lewis, including their coach, and they were picked ninth in the official Pac-10 poll. So it makes no sense ... unless there was a screw-up.

Serious question: Is it possible some coaches put "USC" as a vote for South Carolina, but the folks who tabulated the votes gave those votes to Southern California instead? There is no other explanation. That's what happened, right?

There were some significant recruiting developments this weekend.

Here are some of them:

Irving visits Duke: Kyrie Irving, ranked fifth in the Class of 2010 by Scout.com, visited Duke, then Tweeted about it. "Duke official was great! I enjoyed every single second," he wrote. "Everything there fits me and is right for me...you never know what will happen ." Duke has long been considered the favorite to land Irving, a 6-foot-1 point guard from New Jersey. Still, Texas A&M is among the schools hanging around, primarily because Aggie assistant Scott Spinelli was college roommates with Irving's father, Drederick Irving.

Selby narrows list: Josh Selby, famous for decommitting from Tennessee in July, has narrowed his list of potential schools to six, and UT is not one of them. The final six are Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Baylor, Miami and Syracuse. All indications are that Selby -- a combo guard ranked 14th in the Class of 2010 by MaxPreps.com -- will make a final decision in the Spring.

Jones narrows list: Class of 2010 standout Terrence Jones trimmed his list of potential schools to seven -- specifically Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Arizona, Oklahoma, Washington and Oregon. MaxPreps.com ranks Jones as the No. 12 prospect in the Class of 2010.

USC gains fifth Class of 2010 pledge: Kevin O'Neill accepted a commitment from Maurice Jones, according to Scout.com's Evan Daniels. Jones is a 5-7 point guard who reportedly averaged 28 points and 13 assists last season in high school. He's the fifth Class of 2010 prospect to commit to USC despite an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Things change every year.

Coaches change jobs.

Then shirts.

Next thing you know, Orlando Antigua is wearing Kentucky gear (instead of Pittsburgh or Memphis), Glynn Cyprien is wearing Memphis gear (instead of Arkansas or Kentucky), and Archie Miller is wearing Arizona gear (instead of Arizona State or Ohio State). Such is life for assistant coaches. Change is regular, if not necessary.

And then there's Bob Cantu.

He never changes a damn thing.

I tell you this because I bumped into Cantu last week in Las Vegas and was reminded that he's now technically working for his fifth head coach in nine years at USC, and unless you understand this business you can't fully appreciate the uniqueness of the situation. Almost always, when a head coach moves, his assistants move, too -- either to another job or out of the business. Staying put is rare, and yet Cantu is now working with his fifth head coach at USC.

It's crazy.

Cantu did nearly four seasons with Henry Bibby, then a part of a season with Jim Saia, then five days with Rick Majerus, then four seasons with Tim Floyd, and now he works for Kevin O'Neil. Coaches have come and gone. Scandals have come and gone. Even arenas have come and gone. But Cantu is still at USC -- the one constant in an ever-changing situation.

"I'm on my fifth head coach," Cantu said with a smile. "It has to be an NCAA record."

Former USC coach Tim Floyd spoke publicly for the first time since his resignation last month, granting an interview to his home-state newspaper on Tuesday. Floyd declined to discuss the O.J. Mayo case that led to his demise. But among the interesting things he did share with the Clarion-Ledger's Kyle Veazey is how he refused to tell Renardo Sidney he could not enroll at USC. Instead, Floyd said he made athletic director Mike Garrett deliver the news because "that was his decision."

"I was very disappointed that we made the choice to not recruit him given that I felt like he was a good kid, a good person," Floyd said. "He deserved the opportunity to live his dream, which was to attend USC."

Floyd said he doesn't believe USC's decision to reject Sidney's enrollment was the result of an independent investigation as much as a reaction to a forthcoming story in the Los Angeles Times . Basically, Floyd said he believes USC was concerned with how enrolling Sidney might affect the school's ongoing case with the NCAA, and little more.

"Our school was reacting to an article that was going to be written in the L.A. Times ," Floyd said. "Given the fact that the institution was involved in an institutional control investigation, they viewed it as preventive management."

But, Floyd added: "They could not put their finger on anything."

The story in the L.A. Times was published shortly after USC informed Sidney he was no longer welcome on campus. It detailed how the Sidney family had been renting a home for between $4000 and $5,000 per month, the implication being that there's no way such was done with a legitimate source of income.

Sidney has since signed with Mississippi State.

Whether he will ever be cleared to play for the Bulldogs remains undetermined.

You might've read how I was baffled by USC's hiring of Kevin O'Neill. But I explained in my second post about the subject that it was nothing personal against O'Neill, because though he is by all accounts tough to work with and play for, I've always found him to be more entertaining than boring, and that's the type of stuff that's important to me.

Take Monday's introductory press conference, for example.

I've seen lots of introductory press conferences, and most of them are lame. But O'Neill managed to say a few interesting things while responding to criticisms of his way of operating, specifically his way of treating people.

"Contrary to popular demand, I'm not Darth Vader," he said. "You would think I was slaying people every time you turn around. ... Over the years, I've been in situations where not all the players always like the coach. Well, guess what? The coaches don't like all the players sometimes either, especially when you're in rebuilding situations."

(Translation: I hate my players just as much as they hate me.)

My favorite moment was the jab at Arizona, i.e., the school that hired O'Neill as an assistant, named him Lute Olson's successor, let him coach a season and then kicked him out the door so that Olson could return (even though Olson never coached another game). O'Neill started by complimenting Olson, but he ended with a little shot.

"Lute deserved the opportunity to come back and be the coach; he had earned that over a Hall of Fame career," O'Neill said. "A lot of people said a lot of things after I left; I didn't say anything. I don't have any ill will or any bad feelings whatsoever, plus I ended up in a better job."

Zing!

Now I'm not sure USC is a better job than Arizona, and there is nothing factual to base that on.

But what  I am sure of is that I like that O'Neill took the time to say it.

And what I can't wait for now is his first trip back to Tucson.

I've got a column today offering some projections on the NBA Draft, and among the things I address is not how the players will be picked, but how their careers will go. In other words, I provided the names (in order) of the college guys I believe will be viewed as the best NBA players from this draft five years from now.

My list ...

1. Blake Griffin

2. DeMar DeRozan

3. Stephen Curry

4. Hasheem Thabeet

5. James Harden

The lone surprise there is probably DeRozan, who people keep describing as wildly inconsistent even though that's not exactly an accurate portrayal of his freshman season. Sure, he started slow, then picked it up in December and early January before dipping for a short stretch. (OK, maybe he was a little inconsistent.) But to focus on that is to miss the fact that down the stretch DeRozan was awesome, proof being how he reached double-figures in each of his final nine games.

DeRozan averaged 17.6 points in those contests.

He got 17 and 11 against Cal in the Pac-10 tournament.

He got 21 and 13 against UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament.

He got 25 (on 10-of-16 shooting) against Arizona State in the Pac-10 tournament.

He averaged 18 points and seven rebounds in Southern California's NCAA tournament games.

So folks can focus on DeRozan's inconsistency if they like. But what I see when I look at DeRozan is an extremely athletic wing with tons of upside who was consistently awesome down the stretch -- awesome enough, in fact, to lead USC to an NCAA tournament appearance that seemed unlikely in February.

That's why I like him.

In five years, some franchises at the top of the lottery are going to regret passing on him.

Searching around the web, it seems every national writer -- save those who tend to find the positive in each development, even when the positive doesn't exist -- believes USC's hiring of Kevin O'Neill is baffling because, you know, it just is. On a lot of different levels. But one thing I wanted to clarify is that basketball people don't frown upon O'Neill simply because he's a "disciplinarian," which is what some are suggesting. That's not quite it. There are lots of disciplinarians in this sport, but O'Neill is on an entirely different level. And if you want some background, I'd encourage you to click this link and read a profile written by the Commercial Appeal's Scott Cacciola last year right after O'Neill was hired as an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies.

There are some great stories in there.

Again, click this link and give it a read.

But before you do that, let me tell you one more reason why this isn't an ideal hire.

I know USC athletic director Mike Garrett loves defense (you saw the quote, right?). But hiring a "defensive" coach to work in Los Angeles and across town from Ben Howland is incredibly shortsighted. Understand, the only knock on Howland is that he's a "defensive" coach who doesn't offer his players enough offensive freedom; that's what those who recruit against him try to sell to recruits. Does it work? Not terribly well, it seems. But still, that's the perception and the knock. And rather than try to take advantage of it, USC hired a "defensive" coach who has a history of butting heads with pretty much everybody he coaches or works with.

Honestly, does that make any sense?

And just so you know, Kevin O'Neill has always been OK with me.

I find him quite funny, actually.

So this isn't personal.

But it would be disingenuous to suggest this hire makes much sense.

The only way it works is if O'Neill has changed everything about himself in the past year.

USC athletic director Mike Garrett clearly never consulted Jerryd Bayless on this hire.

Or anybody at Arizona, for that matter.

And if USC was hoping to get some attention with the announcement of its new basketball coach, well, the school sure accomplished that goal. But I'm not certain this is the type of attention it needed, the type of attention that bringing Kevin O'Neill to campus is sure to bring. The reason the hiring came out of nowhere Saturday is because nobody really thought any college would be anxious to lure O'Neill back to the NCAA, particularly the Pac-10. Nothing against his coaching skills, but O'Neill's way of doing things almost never leaves admirers in his trail.

Rather, he goes somewhere.

Coaches.

People start to hate him.

Then he moves on.

Fair or not, that's the track record.

That's why Bayless publicly criticized him after the one year O'Neill spent at Arizona filling in for Lute Olson, one of the reasons Arizona opted not to make him Olson's permanent replacement. And that's also why this hire makes little sense on the surface, although it falls in line with the column I wrote Friday about how USC would be unable to hire Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon or any other established name.

The school missed on Dixon twice.

The school also missed on UNLV's Lon Kruger.

And now the school has settled on ... Kevin O'Neill?

Really?

Somewhere, Jerryd Bayless is laughing.

Because history suggests this probably won't end well.

Former USC signee Noel Johnson has committed to Clemson, a source told CBSSports.com on Friday.

Johnson is a 6-foot-6 wing who decommitted from USC last month because of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the program. Once released, Clemson assistant Josh Postorino got to work, and the result had Clemson beating LSU and a host of other schools for a heralded recruit who will help ease the unexpected loss of Terrence Oglesby (left school to play professionally in Europe).

Scout.com rates Johnson as the 56th-best prospect in the Class of 2009. He joins Milton Jennings (rated 23rd overall) and Devin Booker (rated 65th overall) to give the Tigers three incoming Top 100 prospects.

Clemson is ranked 14th in the preseason CBSSports.com Top 25 (and one) .

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The following is the full text of Tim Floyd's Tuesday letter of resignation to USC:

“As of 1 p.m. today, I am resigning as head basketball coach at the University of Souithern California. I deeply appreciate the opportunity afforded me by the university, as well as the chance to know and work with some of the finest young men in college athletics. Unfortunately, I no longer feel I can offer the level of enthusiasm to my duties that is deserved by the university, my coaching staff, my players, their families, and the supporters of Southern Cal. I always promised my self and my family that if I ever felt I could no longer give my full enthusiasm to a job, that I should leave it to others who could. I intend to contact my coaching staff and my players in coming days and weeks to tell them how much each of them means to me. I wish the best to USC and to my successor.”

McDonald's All-American Renardo Sidney is on the verge of decommitting from Southern California so that he can commit to Mississippi State, according to Scout.com's Dave Telep.

Scout.com rates Sidney as the seventh-best prospect in the Class of 2009.

He's a 6-foot-9 forward at Fairfax High in Los Angeles who is originally from Mississippi.

Sidney reportedly visited Mississippi State this weekend. Assuming he switches commitments, he'll be the fourth top 10 prospect to change destinations since last year -- joining No. 3 DeMarcus Cousins (from Memphis to Kentucky), No. 6 Xavier Henry (from Memphis to Kansas) and No. 10 Abdul Gaddy (from Arizona to Washington). Meantime, No. 2 John Wall and No. 8 Lance Stephenson remain uncommitted.

DETROIT -- Tim Floyd will remain at Southern California despite an offer from Arizona and heavy interest from Memphis, sources told CBSSports.com on Thursday.

An official announcement is expected soon.

It's unclear what's next for Arizona.

However, multiple sources told CBSSports.com that Memphis was interested in pursuing Bruce Pearl up until the moment the Tennessee coach agreed to an extension with UT on Thursday night. That's a moot point now, obviously. So Memphis will keep looking for John Calipari's replacement with three ideal candidates -- Mike Anderson (Missouri), Floyd (USC) and Pearl (UT) -- already off the board.