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Lamont "MoMo" Jones Commits/Signs with USC; Mamadou Diarra and Donte Smith Expected to Leave Team

From LATimes.com:

Lamont Jones of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy signed a letter of intent Sunday to play for USC, making the Trojans' point guard position stronger, according to a source familiar with the program.

Nice to see SC pick up a NYC point guard and a player out of Oak Hill.  Lamont is a 4-star prospect and ranked the #11 PG in the nation.

In other basketball news:

USC will lose two players off its current roster, as center Mamadou Diarra is expected to turn pro and play in Europe and guard Donte Smith is expected to transfer.

No surprise on Donte Smith since he pretty much has no future at SC; Mamadou on the otherhand is a complete surprise.  Both are hardly losses since they never really got meaningful PT.

Lamont "MoMo" Jones Moves Up the Ranking in Final Rivals 150

From Rivals.com:

Seven prospects jumped into the final Rivals150. Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy point guard Lamont Jones has the highest-ranked debut, at No. 68. Jones transformed from an undersized shooting guard into a powerful point guard as a senior.

Lamont is expected to make his college decision soon with many believing SC is the favorite.

Also on the list:  Renardo Sidney @ #16 and Noel Johnson @ #53.

USC Loses Solomon Hill to Arizona; Leads for Lamont "MoMo" Jones

Lamont Jones Highlights

From Arizona Daily Star:

Solomon Hill is back in Arizona’s recruiting class, and this time he’s expected to stay.

Hill, a Top 75 wing forward from Los Angeles Fairfax High School, confirmed via text message this morning that he is committing to Arizona after he de-committeed to the Wildcats in the wake of Lute Olson’s retirement last October and instead chose USC.

Hill was not immediately available for additional comment but his father, Solomon Crawford, said his son would sign a binding letter-of-intent after the spring signing period begins Wednesday now that he has spoken several times with new UA coach Sean Miller.

Big loss for SC.  Solomon was a versatile player that really could helped the team in different ways.  It seemed like his heart was always with Arizona, so you can't blame him for re-committing once the program stabilized with the hiring of Sean Miller from Xavier.

My favorite quote from the article above:

Hill “committed to Lute but Lute retired and I didn’t want him to go there not knowing who the coach was going to be,” Crawford said. “He always loved the school. He bleeds more red and blue than (USC’s) crimson and gold.”

Perfectly encapsulates where we stood with Solomon.

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In more positive news, SC is believed to be the front-runner for Lamont "MoMo" Jones:

Lamont Jones, a 6-foot point guard from Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, is expected to announce his college choice on Friday, with USC believed to be the front-runner.