USC Basketball will have to battle through their opening slate of games in 2017-18 without star guard De’Anthony Melton.
The sophomore is officially being held out due to a potential eligibility issue, likely stemming from the FBI’s investigation of fraud and bribery in NCAA basketball and the indictment of USC assistant coach Tony Bland.
“As a precaution, De’Anthony Melton is being held out due to a potential issue regarding eligibility,” said an official statement from USC. “De’Anthony is a valued member of the USC community and USC is working diligently to independently investigate this matter in order to confirm that De’Anthony meets the NCAA eligibility requirements.