Franklin High Finally Throws Us a Bone

After routinely destroying our alma mater, unleashing the obscenity that is Kenny G, and sending their best-ever athlete to rival Arizona, Franklin High is finally doing something for us. Franklin's Venoy Overton, ranked the 26th-best point guard among the nation's high school seniors, rescinded his commitment to USC today and will be a Husky.

Bob Condotta has the scoop on how the Huskies will fit him in to their crowded scholarship roster.

We've seen Overton play four or five times--he's a good shooter, an excellent defender and an athletic guy, but what we like most is that he's a smart, take-charge player. He's always directing traffic, getting guys in the right position, and leading his team on the floor.

He's also damn cocky. After hitting a three at the halftime buzzer of last weekend's district final versus Garfield, he backpedaled the length of the court toward the locker room with his arms raised in celebration.

Franklin's best-ever point guard, Jason Terry, now with the Mavs, went to Arizona. The rumor we heard is that Terry was set to go to Washington until Arizona's Damon Stoudamire called him and convinced him to become a Wildcat. It was fateful. We are convinced, and will be to our dying day, that had Terry become a Husky, the '98 Dawgs would've made the Final Four. That team had a playmaking guard (Donald Watts) an outside threat (Deon Luton) and two seven-footers (Todd MacCulloch and Patrick Femerling). All they lack was anyone, ANYONE, who could reliably bring the ball up the floor. With Terry, who led Arizona to the '97 NCAA title, they would've been tough to stop. Dammit!

Perhaps Overton, who'll compete with much-maligned Justin Dentmon for the point guard spot on the '07-'08 Dawgs, can make up for it.