DeRozan Potentially Out at USC

According to the Los Angeles Times, USC recruit DeMar DeRozan will likely ask out of his letter-of-intent should the Trojans be punished for the recent O.J. Mayo allegations. "This is a good wake-up call," Jermaine DeRozan, DeMar's half-brother, said. "I'm just hoping SC doesn't get put on probation [If it does], I would get out of there." His half-brother also made it fairly clear that DeRozan is only going to be in college for one season, and he wants to make the most of it. "If they can't make the tournament next year, that's what we're going to college for," Jermaine DeRozan said. "If you do your one year, you at least have to shine and get to the tournament with the intentions of winning it or get to the Elite Eight." DeMar DeRozan's high school coach, Tony Thomas, said two Final Four teams have called to inquire about DeRozan's availability and to not "forget about them." DeRozan, a 6-5 shooting guard, is a McDonald's All-American and is ranked as the No. 3 recruit in the country by Rivals.com.

Mensah Signs Agent, Joins James in Draft

As first reported by InsideHoops.com, Duquesne junior guard Kojo Mensah has signed with an agent, ending any chance he had of returning to the Dukes for his senior season. His teammate, Shawn James, signed with an agent last week. "It's a good time right now to come out, especially based on the amount of media attention we had this year," Mensah said. He was one of five players shot on campus in September 2006, getting hit in the left arm and shoulder. However, Mensah did not show any lingering effects last season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He is not projected to be drafted, according to most mock drafts.

Morgan Freed from LSU, Headed to UCLA?

According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com, new LSU head coach Trent Johnson will release recruit J'Mison Morgan from his letter-of-intent on Tuesday. The 6-10 center signed with the Tigers in November, and seemed to stick with his decision despite the firing of former head coach John Brady and ensuing hiring of Johnson, who came over from Stanford. However, Morgan and his family apparently changed their mind last week, asking for his release. Morgan is ranked as the No. 25 recruit in the country by Rivals.com.

If Morgan is in fact released from his letter-of-intent, he is likely headed west. As the Dallas Morning News reported last week, Morgan is interested in signing with UCLA once he is officially released. "It was a real hard decision for me," Morgan said. "My comfort level was at LSU, but I felt like UCLA was a better fit for me as far as exposure." Morgan wanted LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre to get the available head coaching spot, and reconsidered his commitment once Johnson was hired. Morgan would fill a void down low for Ben Howland, especially after the loss of Kevin Love.

Jasper, Teammate to Transfer

As has been rumored for the past several weeks, Kentucky sophomore guard Derrick Jasper is planning to announce his plans to leave the Wildcats and transfer to another program. Coach Billy Gillispie said an official announcement should come this week. Jasper missed the first ten games of the season to recover from knee surgery, an injury that hampered him throughout the year. He averaged 4.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Furthermore, seldom-used freshman center Morakinyo Williams has asked for his release from the program and will also transfer.

Lucas-Perry Granted Extra Year

Michigan freshman guard Laval Lucas-Perry was granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA, giving him three and a half seasons to play with the Wolverines. He will have to sit out the first half of next season after transferring from Arizona last winter. "I'm surprised, and I'm thankful,'' Lucas-Perry told the Ann Arbor News. "It's just a dream come true.'' His father, Laval Perry, did not what to expect when the NCAA made its decision. "We thought Laval deserved that year back, but it wasn't our decision,'' Perry said. "But we're just elated with the NCAA's decision. Words can't describe how we feel right now.'' Lucas-Perry, a Michigan native, played just five games with the Wildcats, deciding to leave after interim head coach Kevin O'Neill took over the program during Lute Olson's leave of absence. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.6 rebounds at Arizona.

Greene to Sign with Agent

According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, Syracuse freshman forward Donte Greene is planning on signing with an agent, ending any possibility he had of returning to the Orange for his sophomore season. A source said Greene has been interviewing agents, and is likely to sign with Bill Strickland of Blue Equity. He has not officially signed with Strickland, though. Greene averaged 17.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season, and was named to the Big East's All-Rookie team.

Huggins Taken to Hospital

West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins was taken to a Charlotte hospital for "precautionary reasons" after falling in a Charlotte airport and hitting his head. "He's down there with the alumni to meet with the Charlotte alumni group and as he was getting off the plane, he tripped and bumped his head," Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong said. "We're monitoring this situation and that's all we know right now." According to a release, Huggins was checking his cell phone as he was walking away from the plane when he fell. Huggins was not seriously injured, and he never lost consciousness.

Update: An Associated Press story says that Huggins was released from the hospital after undergoing precautionary tests.

Gutierrez Signs with California

One of the nation's top unsigned point guards, Findlay (Nev.) Prep's Jorge Gutierrez, has signed with California. "He’s just elated, relieved and excited," Findlay coach Michael Peck said. "He’ll bring his toughness and his versatility to Cal. He’s just a winner." Peck said that new Cal coach Mike Montgomery was impressed when he watched Gutierrez play in pick-up games last week. "He saw enough to know Jorge has a good feel for the game and that he’s his type of player, like Chris Hernandez was for him at Stanford," Peck said. "Not only is he a tough kid, he has a good skill set." When I spoke with Peck in January for the Big East Basketball Report, he told me that Gutierrez was going to be a sought-after recruit in the spring. "We feel someone is going to get a real steal," Peck said. "The more people see him, the more they realize how good he is."

Lyons Returning to Missouri

Missouri junior forward Leo Lyons has announced that he will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft pool and return to the Tigers for his senior season. "I just felt like it was the right decision," Lyons said in a statement. "I really want to graduate, and by staying at Missouri, that will happen. I want to become the best basketball player I can be. This process over the last two weeks has allowed me to get feedback from NBA organizations and now I get a chance to use that my advantage." Coach Mike Anderson supported the route Lyons took and the decision he eventually made. “Leo was able to go test the waters, get feedback about his NBA status and now he can use that to his advantage,” Head Coach Mike Anderson said in a statement. "He went through the proper channels to get the information and that’s going to allow him to focus on becoming the best basketball player he can be next season." Lyons averaged 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, finishing the season very strongly.

Hendrix Likely Staying in Draft

According to his father, Alabama junior forward Richard Hendrix is likely to keep his name in the NBA Draft. "From all indications, it looks good," Venard Hendrix said. "We think it’s a good possibility he will go high in the draft." Richard Hendrix announced his intentions to enter the Draft last month, but did not sign with an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning to the Crimson Tide for his senior season. Hendrix, who has already graduated from Alabama, averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season, and is projected as a late first-round or early second-round pick in most mock drafts.

JC All-American Signs with Tennessee

Junior college All-American Bobby Maze has announced that he will sign with Tennessee, where he will be able to play next season. "Stevie Wonder could see this is where I needed to be," Maze said. "They’ve called me 'The Solution' here, so you do the equation: What better place could I be?" The 6-3 guard originally signed with Oklahoma out of high school, but transferred to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College last year. He visited the Tennessee campus on Tuesday, and immediately knew he wanted to become a Volunteer. "The plane landed and I breathed in that Knoxville air," Maze said. "You see those seats in the arena and how high they go up, and all the sellout crowds, the Jumbotron screens everywhere, the practice facility. You have every tool here to be successful." Maze's addition will help greatly, especially after the recent dismissals of sophomores Duke Crews and Ramar Smith.

Pastner headed to Memphis

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner will join the Memphis coaching staff as an assistant coach and lead recruiter. An official announcment is not expected to come until next week. Pastner is widely regarded as one of the best assistant coaches in the country, as well as one of the most connected. Last week, Arizona hired Mike Dunlap to be associated head coach, which might have been the final straw in Pastner's decision to leave.

Shawn James Signs with Agent

As first reported by InsideHoops.com, Duquesne junior center Shawn James has hired an agent, ending any chance he had of returning to the Dukes for his senior season. "I want to enter the draft knowing I'm going to give it my all. That this is what I'm going to do, turn professional and play on the next level," James said. "I'm excited and can't wait to compete." James, one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball, averaged 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game last season.

Rivers to Transfer

Georgetown sophomore guard Jeremiah Rivers has announced that he is leaving the Hoyas and will transfer to another school. "Jeremiah and his family made a decision and determined this was best for him," coach John Thompson III said. "We appreciate his hard work and wish him best in his future endeavors." Rivers averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last season, and was one of the best defenders in the Big East. He is the second player to leave the program in the last month, as fellow sophomore Vernon Macklin transferred to Florida.

Holman Transfers to Detroit

Former Indiana freshman center Eli Holman has announced that he is transferring to Detroit-Mercy. He left the Hoosiers last week after an incident in coach Tom Crean's office in which campus police were called. Holman will be reunited with former Indiana assistant Ray McCallum, who was hired by Detroit shortly after Crean's arrival last month. Crean is not happy with the way Holman left the Hoosiers and enrolled at Detroit just a week later. "We were led to believe that this was a family decision and that he wanted to get closer to home, but now it doesn't look like that's the way it's going to turn out," Crean said. "I don't think there's any doubt that there was a certain amount of orchestrating going on. It's disappointing, very disappointing, on a lot of fronts." Holman averaged just 1.0 point and 1.7 rebounds in six games last season, before injuring his left wrist and taking a medical redshirt. However, with his departure, the Hoosiers are left with just seven scholarship players for next season.

George Washington Dismisses Two Players

Two George Washington players have been dismissed from the team, the school announced Wednesday. Junior Cheyenne Moore and freshman Miles Beatty will not return next season. "Certain expectations are placed on our players both on and off the court," coach Karl Hobbs said in a statement. "They did not meet those expectations. Both Cheyenne and Miles were given every opportunity to succeed here at GW. I wish them both the very best in the future." Moore averaged 5.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Colonials, while Beatty averaged 4.8 points per contest in his initial campaign at GW.