RISING TROJANS APPEAR TO HAVE VERY PROMISING FUTURE.

Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL

Staff Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- From the first day of practice in October, USC's basketball players stated their biggest goal of the season was making the NCAA Tournament.

The general reaction was a figurative pat on the head, the way one would humor a child who says he is going to someday be president of the United States.

Making the Sweet 16? Not even the Trojans were dreaming that big.

USC basketball was reborn this season, which ended Friday with a 74-64 loss to top-seeded North Carolina in a game in which the Trojans blew a 16-point second-half lead.

The opening of Galen Center, a long-awaited university-owned arena, created an atmosphere and excitement level not seen in the program's previous 100 years.

It's the beginning of a new era. Next season, expectations will be high and national attention intense.

The goal was set in December by someone yet to wear a USC uniform.

"I think we can win the national title," said guard O.J. Mayo, the nation's top recruit, who chose USC over every basketball powerhouse in the country.

Mayo, currently finishing up high school at Huntington High in West Viginia, is only expected to be at USC one season before entering the NBA as a high first-round selection. Whether his goal is realistic may depend on Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt returning for their senior seasons.

The two juniors, who went through one of the worst seasons in school history with a last-place finish in the Pacific-10 Conference as freshmen, are going to weigh their NBA options over the next couple of months.

Young, the team's leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, has said he would turn professional if he thought he would be a first-round pick.

After his performance in the NCAA Tournament, many mock drafts have the Cleveland High of Reseda product going in the first round. But he could use another year of learning defense from coach Tim Floyd.

The rush of making the Sweet 16 and thoughts of going further next season seemed to be weighing on Young in the locker room Friday.

"Oh yeah, there's a big chance," Young said of returning to USC. "I love this Trojan family. We had a lot of success and, with the recruits coming in, it should be even better for us."

Pruitt may have done even more to improve his stock during the tournament. The 6-foot-4 guard shut down highly regarded smaller point guards in every game. North Carolina's Ty Lawson, Texas' D.J. Augustin and Arkansas' Gary Ervin scored a combined 17 points against Pruitt after entering the games averaging more than 40 total.

Pruitt has said he intends to return to school, but he will likely attend the NBA pre-draft camp to see where he stands.

The only key player USC is losing for sure is senior Lodrick Stewart, who came a long way in his four years as a Trojan. Stewart leaves with 1,466 career points, ninth on the school's all-time list, and as the USC record-holder in 3-pointers made with 232.

"I think as long as Tim Floyd is coach, this is going to be a national powerhouse," Stewart said. "This is going to be one of the elite teams in the country and only going to get better."

Opponents see USC as a rising team as well.

"That program looks bright," North Carolina forward Brandan Wright said. "They have a lot of talent. They're a team I see in the Final Four in the near future."

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Photo:

Nick Young, right, and Daniel Hackett celebrate a key play during the Trojans' second-round upset of Texas.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images