DeMar DeRozan, O.J. Mayo Represent USC Basketball Success and Failure

DeMar DeRozan and O.J. Mayo followed similar paths from USC basketball to the NBA, but their two careers stood in stark contrast with good news and bad news breaking Friday.

Do you want the good news first? Or the bad news?

The good news is, a former USC basketball player signed one of the biggest contracts in NBA history Friday.

The bad news is, a former USC basketball player was banned from the NBA for violating the league’s drug policy Friday.

Such is the nature of USC basketball: One step forward, one step back.

It’s been a great week to be DeMar DeRozan, the shining beacon of success in a Trojan basketball wasteland.

The same week as DeRozan became the first USC player ever to represent the Trojans on the USA basketball Olympic team, he agreed to a five-year deal to stay in Toronto with a contract worth a reported $139 million.

It’s been a great week to be DeMar DeRozan, the shining beacon of success in a Trojan basketball wasteland.

According to Forbes, that’s the second biggest contract in the history of the NBA, behind only Damian Lillard’s monster deal from last year.

USC fans may not get to revel in having DeRozan back in Los Angeles, as he spurned interest from the Lakers to stay north of the border, but they do get to point to a genuine success story out of the Trojan basketball program.

Unfortunately, another USC one-and-doner hasn’t been able to match that success. In fact, O.J. Mayo’s career hasn’t just failed to live up to DeRozan’s, it’s going in the completely wrong direction.

On Friday, the NBA announced that Mayo has been dismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

Though the NBA does not disclose exactly what led to the dismissal, USA Today notes that the collective bargaining agreement covers “amphetamines and its analogs, cocaine, LSD, opiates (heroin, codeine and morphine), and PCP as prohibited substances.”

Such a dismissal means Mayo will not play professional basketball in the U.S. or Canada for at least two years, at which point he may apply for reinstatement.

These are unusual circumstances — the last player to be banned for drug abuse was Chris Andersen in 2006 — and mark a sad development in the career of a talented player.

Put in contrast to DeRozan’s successes, it’s even more disappointing.

When DeRozan arrived at USC in 2008, he walked in Mayo’s shadow. Mayo joined the Trojans as a highly-touted recruit and was named to the All-Pac-10 team as a freshman. He helped USC get to the NCAA Tournament but proved a disappointment when the Trojans bombed out of the tournament in an upset to Kansas State.

Though DeRozan came in with less fanfare than Mayo, he led USC to greater success. The Trojans won the Pac-10 Tournament with DeRozan earning MVP honors. They also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual runner up Michigan State.

Mayo was drafted higher, No. 3 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies, but was mired in an NCAA scandal which eventually cost USC’s entire athletic program as the Trojans were hit with penalties for lack of institutional control.

DeRozan ultimately went No. 9 overall in the 2009 draft to the Raptors.

From there, their similar career trajectories shifted. Though Mayo finished behind Derrick Rose in voting for NBA Rookie of the year, his first year in the pros may have been his best. He averaged 18.5 points per game that year but his scoring average has steadily dipped since then.

SEE ALSO: 5 Takeaways From USC’s 2015-16 Season

In 2010 Mayo was suspended 10 games for a positive PED test. He wasn’t re-signed by the Grizzlies in 2012 then spent a year with the Mavericks before joining the Bucks where he struggled through injury issues this past season.

More from Reign of Troy

• Markese Stepp enters transfer portal intending to leave USC football
• USC football’s Alijah Vera-Tucker declares for NFL Draft
• USC football adds Xavion Alford as transfer from Texas
• USC Podcast: RoT Radio Ep. 396 on the Football Season’s Fallout
• Talanoa Hufanga named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, USC football with five first-teamers

DeRozan started more slowly with the Raptors, but has steadily risen to become one of the top players in the Eastern Conference while his team presented the only challenge to Lebron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs ahead of their Finals series against Golden State.

In his contract year, DeRozan put on his best performance yet, averaging 23.5 points per game while earning All-Star status for the second time in his career.

DeRozan is far from a perfect player and the size of his contract is certainly a reflection of the exploding NBA contract market, but his progression from coveted recruit to rising star to coveted free agent has been a bright spot for USC basketball representation in the NBA.

Mayo, on the other hand, has provided an unfortunate counterweight. Maybe there’s just something about the name O.J.