There was an awful lot of work that you put into this post and I can't thank you enough for this series and all of the previous series you have authored this offseason. I looked forward each time to seeing how my knowledge and recollections matched up to what you put on paper and I can say that I have learned a great deal.

Fight on! Thanks for your contributions to this site johnnymac!

Tremendous job and I appreciate all the hard work you've done. Obviously, like myself, you're a longtime Trojan basketball diehard. Enough of the sugar coating, I, with all due respect, do want to strongly disagree with a couple of your points.

First, there is absolutely no way you can mention 17 USC players and not include John Rudometkin, the Reckless Russian. After spending one year at a JC, he played 3 years for the Trojans. He was the team MVP all three years. On the USC lists, he's 5th in career average points at 18.8 ppg and 4th in rebounds at 10.5 rpg. In 1961, he was an All-American and led USC to its last outright conference title in men's basketball. He was a second round pick of the Knicks and had a 5 year pro career which was cut short when he contracted Hodgkin's disease. I'm sure it was an oversight, but as someone who has followed USC hoops since 1959 and seen every player you talk about, John Rudometkin deserves more than just a mention.

My second disagreement is that, while Bill Sharman, Paul Westphal and Gus Williams were tremendous players, the greatest USC basketball alumnus is DeMar DeRozan. While I could compare him to the other two in your top three, I'm only going to look at his basketball career in comparison to Bill Sharman. Frankly, their numbers aren't even close. Across the board, DeMar's numbers (i.e., points per game, shooting percentages, rebounds) are far superior to Sharman's. Even assists where, despite the fact that Sharman was a guard and DeMar has spent much of his career playing the 3, DeMar's numbers are better. By the time DeMar's career is over he will have scored almost twice as many career points as Sharman. Sharman and DeMar were both 6-time all-stars, the difference being that Sharman did it at a time when there were 8 teams in the league, DeMar has done it when there are 30 teams, making it much more difficult to be an all-star. You seem to base much of your argument on Sharman's postseason success and the lack of success DeMar's teams have had. Basketball is a team game. As you point out, Sharman's teams had minimal success until a guy named Russell arrived. Would Sharman have ever sniffed postseason success had he'd not played with Bill Russell and a number of other Hall-of-Famers? I tend to think not. Now, let's look at DeMar. Has he, in his career, ever played with someone who will make the Hall-of-Fame? Chris Bosh when he was a rookie, but that may be it. Kyle Lowery was a nice player, but probably not a Hall-of-Famer. The fact that DeMar's never had great players around him and that when he was on quality teams in Toronto, there was a guy named LaBron who stood in his way, should not diminish his accomplishments.

The idea that DeMar, at this point, has slightly less than a 50-50 chance of making the basketball Hall-of-Fame is ludicrous. I'll make it simple, every player who is among the top 45 scorers in NBA history, who is eligible for the Hall-of-Fame, is in. DeMar is currently 31st. With a decent season this year and good health, he'll pass 25,000 points and move into the top 25 scorers. He's consistently competed at a high level, he's put up great numbers despite always being the player the other team has focused on defensively, he's avoided major injuries, been a team leader and a good citizen. He's not won a championship, nor has Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook or James Hardin, all of whom are considered first ballot Hall-of-Famers, and all of whom have played with far better supporting casts in their careers. Unless they hold DeMar to a far more stringent standard than many of the other Hall-of-Famers who I could name, he should be in, and Trojan fans should be strong advocates.

Pardon my tirade and, again, thanks for your hard work. Fight On

Your points on Demar are valid, and I basically say the same thing as he is ranked number four. It is hard to compare numbers from the 50s to now, but really the only difference is he doesn't have the postseason accomplishments or the All NBA honors.. As for the Reckless Russian, you need to go back to see my rankings of players careers at USC. I have him as first team all-time, and the second greatest Trojan ever. I appreciate the kind words.

Again, I appreciate your efforts and agree for the most part with your breakdowns. Just wanted to make sure John Rudometkin got a mention since he was my first Trojan basketball idol. I admit I'm an unabashed DeMar fan, so I'm a little over the top, but it drives me crazy when there is even the suggestion that he doesn't belong in the Hall-of-Fame. Look at some of the guys that are already in the Hall and tell me he's not their equal or better. The careers of guys like Lou Hudson, Tim Hardaway, Sidney Moncrief and so many other members just don't compare with what DeMar has already accomplished. Since his rookie year when Chris Bosh was traded away, DeMar has been a marked man with defenses focused on him, especially in the playoffs, yet he has managed to put up great numbers and, while not always consistent in the playoffs, he's had some tremendous playoff games there too. He just hasn't had the supporting cast to make it to the top of the mountain. The Hall-of-Fame is littered with guys who've had very little postseason success and with guys who are not elite defenders, yet those justifications seem to be used constantly against DeMar as a justification of why he's not a Hall-of-Famer. DeMar is, to my mind, the definition of a pro's pro and someone who should be in the Hall when his time comes. I'm not sure I'll still be kickin when he becomes eligible, but if I am and he doesn't get voted in, I will be pissed.

Again, sorry for my rant.