A point guard who struggled mightily in the A-10 conference — after transferring from the MAAC — has hired an agent and will enter the NBA draft. His ex-coach’s quote says it all.

So Rodney Guillory was allegedly running for BDA Associates (uber-agent Bill Duffy’s company) when he cultivated a relationship with a then-15-year-old OJ Mayo so many summers ago. According to ex-Mayo confidant Louis Johnson, Guillory made a pretty sweet living mentoring Mayo while funneling “scraps” of the money he received from BDA to Mayo through friends of the West Virginian prodigy.

This is not a shock…actually, it’s a direct repeat of the alleged Reggie Bush situation with one huge exception — Bush’s mentors tried to be something other than middle-men (attempting to start up their own agency and represent Bush) while Guillory stuck to his role as runner/pimp, delivering Mayo once the star announced his intentions to enter the draft. Gary Parrish wrote about Guillory’s role in the Mayo sweepstakes last December. This is the rule in high-prospect recruiting, not the exception.

Now watch everyone, including the NCAA and USC, do their best to ignore the report. ESPN’s reporter — Kelli Naqi — did a bang-up job in her four month investigation of the situation. Please save the misdirected scorn at Mayo for the following parties: USC, the NCAA, Johnson/Guillory, and to a lesser extent BDA (their likely just playing the game everyone else in the business is). USC has a very recent history with Guillory — research a high-flying kid named Trepagnier — and the problems he brings. Gregg Doyel had this all down some time ago as well, warning USC about getting involved with Mayo/Guillory.

They chose to let this happen — no matter what anyone in their athletic department claims. And by refusing to challenge the NBA’s one-year-rule, the NCAA gave their blessing for this kind of situation to happen even more than it did before the rule. Mayo never should’ve been in college, but by basically forcing kids like him there for one year, kids that should be earning a living in the NBA, the college game has become — don’t laugh — even more sleazy.

Some in the media, not to mention a lot of fans, are still apparently naive enough to think that any level of D-1 hoops is as clean as a recently bleached restroom.

The truth is there’s grime everywhere — you just have to look under the bowl.

Zeke Marshall is already to be a defensive presence in the paint — the McKeesport HS center (09 class) is the best shot-blocker in his class. His offense is coming around slowly but surely. He’s a project worth gambling on to schools like Pitt, Virginia, Maryland and the like because of his athleticism, and then there’s the whole 7-foot-thing. But Marshall, according to an ACC assistant that scooped me about him last week, is a different cat. How different is now evident after the highly-sought big verbally committed to Akron in the last week. Marshall has to add some weight (he’s currently carries 205 lbs on his 7-4 wingspan) but he’ll be a dominating defensive presence in the MAC right away. Marshall can’t sign with the Zips until November and that will cause some sleepless nights for the Akron staff, but the kid sounds real committed. Props to Keith Dambrot and assistant Jeff Boals for working hard over the past year or two in establishing a relationship with the young man. Marshall, when Akron receives his LOI in November, will be the highest rated recruit the MAC has seen in many years.

Findlay College Prep senior guard Jorge Gutierrez has signed his Letter of Intent with the Cal Golden Bears. Gutierrez is Coach Mike Montgomery’s first recruit at Cal. Gutierrez helped Findlay to a 32-1 record this season.

The 6’3, 205 lb. guard was second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points, third in rebounds at 6.0, third with 2.6 assists, first in steals at 2.7, was third in FG% at 59.6 and shot 78.4% from the free throw line. He has scored double-digits in 25 of 29 games played. He played the point, wing, and even has defended the post for Findlay. Originally from Mexico, he played the last two seasons for Lincoln High School in Denver, CO where he won a state title.

Gutierrez was awarded Most Outstanding Player at The National Prep School Invitational in a field that included nearly all of the top prep school players in the country. Last years winner of that award was Michael Beasley and previous winners include Paul Harris and Dorrel Wright. Jorge was honored as the best among some of the best in prep school including Emmanuel Negedu, Anthony Crater, DeAndre Liggins, Terrell Holloway, Courtney Fortson, Devin Ebanks, Markiett Morris, Mark Lyons, Terrance Jennings, Clarence Trent, Jamaal Coombs, Deividas Dulkys, Alex Oriakhi, Melquan Bolding, James Southerland, Matt Simpkins and many others. He also was MVP at the Marshall County Hoopfest vs. a talented #18 ranked Wheeler HS (GA).

Gutierrez is the 6th signee from Findlay College Prep this season and 5th guard to sign division 1 from the team. DeAndre Liggins signed at Kentucky, Deividas Dulkys signed at Florida State, Jacques Streeter signed to Cal State Fullerton, Brice Massamba to UNLV, and Curtis Dennis to New Mexico.

With last night’s Game 6 of the Boston/Atlanta series won by the surprisingly enjoyable youngsters from the ATL — Bibby’s not too young but with his bald dome he looks younger than some of his mates — the pressure/expectations on both Doc Rivers and his team just got amped up about a million volts.

I’d say the interest level in this series just went from moderate to paparazzi-like. All of a sudden the Celtics are in danger of becoming one of the biggest disappointments in modern playoff history. This is a team expected to breeze through the East based on their league-leading 66 regular season wins. Now, on May 3rd, the team sporting the most hyped triumvirate since Ceasar, Grassus, and Magmus are in danger of a playoff exodus more befittting of Larry,Curley, and Moe.

KG can talk about Celtic pride all he wants — and I LOVE ME SOME KG — but if the Big Ticket goes out like this after such an incredible non-playoff portion of the season… it could very well seal his reputation as a regular season stud who turns impotent come playoff time. Memo to Doc: If this upset actually happens someone is probably going to pay with their job — and it damn sure ain’t gonna be Exec-of-the-Year-And-Suddenly-He’s-A-Genius- Danny Ainge.

Bring on Game 7!

Devin Dumes played his freshman year at Eastern Michigan before deciding he could go bigger and heading to a JC. Turns out he wasn’t wrong as Tom Crean has made him his second recruit at Indiana University. Here a link to the story…Phoenix and San Antonio was a fantastic game yesterday to kick off the NBA Playoffs in style, and I had a great time watching Chris Paul destroy Kidd, Dirk, and the MAVS.

I found both the semi’s enjoyable — especially after most of the experts picked the losing teams to move on to Monday night. How about Derrick Freaking Rose and CDR? I thought the key in the second half was obviously Dorsey, Taggert, and Dozier dominating the glass (especiall Dorsey with his 15 boards). Rose might have played himself into the #1 pick overall while Collison looked like he should definitely return to UCLA for another year. Westbrook helped himself immensely — he was the only Bruin capable of getting off against the Tiger D. The other game made me happy for selfish reasons — I’ve got Kansas as the winner in all my brackets. How about Cole Aldrich? Talk about a dude playing possessed — should we dub him “Psycho C” now? Monday night should be a crazy display of serious ballers playing the game at the highest level the college game has seen in years…or it could get real sloppy, real fast…Your new coach at Western Kentucky is a familiar face to Hilltoppers…Earl Clark from Louisville is coming out — he should probably come back and dominate as the ‘Ville’s main weapon next year, but his situation is probably the toughest for prospective early entry guys (talented sophomore with huge upside and skill that could see his stock fall if he comes back and displays some of the same defects he showed as a younger and not-really-a-main-option-type). We’ll see. ‘Zona guard Jerryd Bayless is also coming out after only one year….Marquette — you’re on the clock!

Jesse Jackson asked Coach Cal to visit with the Memphis players before they left for the Final Four. Jackson said that all of Chicago has “Derrick Rose on the brain.” Rose should be prepared for a call from Jackson right around the time he signs his first contract, asking for a donation to one of the Rev’s many “charities.”

Tom Crean will be named as the new head coach at Indiana tomorrow according to everybody in the world. I think Crean makes perfect sense for Indiana in that he’s a strong recruiter of Indiana, runs a clean program, and has Big Ten experience. Crean has a better chance of big-time success at Indiana because he’s competing against fewer schools for the same kind of talent he was mining in the Big East. Indiana is still a school that kids born within that state dream of playing at. Marquette should call VCU’s Anthony Grant (in my humble opinion).

I was worried all week that one of my two favorite teams to watch in the NCAA Tournament, Davidson, would fall victim to the jinx after its transcendent star, Stephen Curry, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Heck, just last week SI had a Georgetown player on the cover and look what happened: Less than 48 hours later Dell’s son was killing them softly with his feathery J and an arrangement of basketball moves so genius that Maravich was rolling over in his grave.

But Curry and Davidson did it again last night, blasting Wisconsin in a marvelous exhibition of basketball, continually beating the Badgers for easy and wide-open looks off made baskets. The Wildcats are such a great team, Curry such a great player, that not even the dreaded SI cover jinx could stop them!

What? They weren’t on the cover? Baseball!?!

Wow.

I could write another eight paragraphs on how wrong that is, that SI is living off its past reputation for excellence. But, like Dan Patrick’s new column — DAN FREAKING PATRICK NOW WRITES FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED! Shouldn’t he be doing a tag-team comedy routine in Dayton with Keith Olbermann? — it would be a waste of words.

So SI is telling me the following: It’s March and this Curry kid, looking like a 12-year-old basketball playing version of Tiger Woods, doesn’t rate the cover after having just dominated the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament!

Well.

Please allow me to paraphrase one of the greatest sports quotes ever, that came straight from the mouth of Rick Pitino — Ralph Wiley and Curry Kirkpatrick aren’t walking through that door! Obviously.

Just give the kid his cover.

He earned it.