Compton’s DeRozan could sign with the Trojans today

The day before USC played UCLA in February 2006, Tim Floyd flew to Cincinnati to watch O.J. Mayo compete in a high school basketball game before doubling back to guide his Trojans to an upset victory over the Bruins.

The USC coach won’t have to travel quite as far to keep tabs on the anticipated star of his latest recruiting class. Compton High senior guard DeMar DeRozan could sign a national letter of intent with the Trojans as soon as today, the first day of the early signing period.

DeRozan, ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, said Tuesday he was debating whether to sign now or wait until the spring, though he maintained that he would be firmly committed to the Trojans even if he deferred his signing.

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound DeRozan averaged 24 points and eight rebounds as a junior for the Tarbabes. He is considered the jewel of a Trojans class that is ranked No. 16 nationally by Rivals.com and could include at least three other local players.

Shooting guard Malik Story attended Lakewood Artesia before transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, and point guard Donte Smith attends Mt. San Antonio College. Point guard Romeo Miller, a friend of DeRozan’s who is expected to be a walk-on, attends Beverly Hills High.

Floyd cannot comment on recruits until they sign letters of intent. The Trojans need a strong recruiting class to offset the expected departure of Mayo and the potential departure of sophomore forward Taj Gibson and freshman forward Davon Jefferson to the NBA draft.

Floyd said sophomore guard Daniel Hackett would make his season debut and play “a few minutes” Thursday against the Citadel in Charleston, S.C.

“Without even practicing, he has a better understanding than some of our freshmen right now about how we want to play, and that’s important right now for a young team,” Floyd said of Hackett, who returned to practice Monday after being sidelined six weeks because of a broken jaw.

The status of Jefferson and fellow freshman Marcus Simmons, who were held out of the Trojans’ opening loss against Mercer on Saturday, remains less certain. Floyd said the freshmen still lagged in their understanding of the offense after missing significant practice time because of injuries.

“We’re not going to reward playing time just because they’re healthy now,” Floyd said. “They have to learn and understand what we’re doing first.”

Former Trojans shooting guard Lodrick Stewart stopped by practice and said he would play for the Anaheim Arsenal of the NBA’s Development League. He said he planned to attend USC’s game against Kansas on Dec. 2 at the Galen Center. Lodrick’s identical twin brother Rodrick plays for the Jayhawks after beginning his career at USC.

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