A fairy tale account of how the O.J. Mayo commitment went down — putting the USC basketball program on the up and up.

When Floyd answered the phone, he heard a teenager’s voice on the other end: “Coach, this is O. J. Mayo. I’d like to come to your school.”

“How many scholarships do we have for next year?” he asked.

Floyd stammered. “After this,” he said, “I guess we have three.”

Mayo went through the priority list in his mind. “Don’t worry about recruiting,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Before Floyd hung up, he asked one more time for Mayo’s cellphone number. “No,” Mayo said. “I’ll call you.”

Tim Floyd never believing this could happen, solicited the help of a man familair with locking up five-star recruits (Pete Carroll). As usual, it worked.

“It was the craziest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Floyd said. “I kept thinking, ‘Either this kid is nuts, or he’s got the biggest vision I’ve ever seen.’ “

Based on Floyd’s NBA experience, the Trojans had reason to believe in him; but with the signing of Mayo, all of a sudden his locker room cred with the players rose considerably.

High School Star O.J. Mayo Boosts U.S.C. Before He Arrives [NY Times]