The kid has juice. There is something undeniable about O.J. Mayo. Maybe it’s his magnetic smile. Maybe it’s his polish. Or maybe it’s simply his game. But Wednesday at the Qwest Center (I can drop the Omaha because this is a blog), he captivated those who’d never spent any time around the Southern California freshman guard.
Little kids, especially. They were yelling for his autograph – about an hour before his arrival. But one kid, clutching a basketball in Trojan colors, said, “If I don’t get O.J. Mayo, I don’t care as long as I get Michael Beasley.”
One more person for O.J. to win over.
USC assistant coach Bob Cantu couldn’t believe the media throng gathered around Mayo, who was busy smiling, tossing out “sirs” and “ma’ams,”and extolling the virtues of teamwork and receiving an education. OK, some of it is a little contrived, but it’s amazing to think about how much thought this kid has put into his future in the NBA. Everything he’s doing is geared towards that goal. To have that type of focus, and still be a teenager, is remarkable.
Maybe we’re just used to Mike, and to a lesser extent, Bill. Maybe that’s it. But there is a certain star quality to O.J. Mayo.
5 Comments
I sense a little man-crush J-Mart.
Do you think he’s cute?
I didn’t think he was a teenager. Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t he like twenty. He’s already as old as some college juniors. Not that it really matters, but would help explain some of his maturity. He’s still a great player. Hopefully all of the Cats come to play tomorrow and not just Mike.
J-Mart, are you more in awe of O.J. than you were of Joey Beard?
O.J. is twenty but I think he has a lot more experience with the media considering he has been followed by the media since middle school
O.J. has presence. Some have it, some don’t. It’s that simple. And no, Dad, Joey Beard didn’t leave me in awe. Not even close. But come to think of it – there was that one time when he was hollering at some chick at Lucky Johnny’s and because she was on;y about 5-foot-4 — and he was 6-foot-10 — he couldn’t hear her. Frustrated, he grabbed a chair, scooped her up and put her on top of it. It was an awesome sight, an awesome feat. But no, I was never in awe of Joe Beard.