After spending time at both Oak Hill Academy and the University of Maryland, guard Pe’Shon Howard is reportedly headed home.
According to reports from multiple outlets, the Los Angeles native has decided to transfer to USC. Whether or not Howard will be eligible to play immediately remains to be seen, as it was reported by Galen Central that he is in the process of applying for a hardship waiver.Howard, who is originally from Los Angeles and wanted to be closer to his ailing grandmother, is in the process of filing a hardship waiver with the NCAA to allow him to play immediately. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
“The main reason I chose USC was to be closer to my family,” Howard said in a telephone interview. “My grandmother being sick factored a lot into the decision. My dad grew up in the area, so I was really familiar with USC growing up.”
If the request is denied, Howard would have to sit out the 2013-14 season and use his one remaining year of eligibility the following season.
Howard never seemed to get his footing in College Park so to speak, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 assists per game in three years at Maryland. As a junior Howard was one of the options used by head coach Mark Turgeon at the point but he struggled, shooting 29% from the field and 24% from beyond the arc.
Howard finished the 2012-13 season with averages of 3.3 points and 3.6 assists per game, but on the bright side he did rank third in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2). If allowed to play this season, Howard would give first-year head coach Andy Enfield an experienced perimeter player to go along with fellow senior J.T. Terrell.
Outside of those two the Trojans will be a young team on the perimeter in 2012-13, with rising sophomore Chass Bryan (10.7 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 1.3 apg) being the most experienced option. USC also adds freshmen Julian Jacobs and Khalil Dukes, with UNLV transfer Katin Reinhardt having to sit out the upcoming season per NCAA transfer rules.
Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.
