Lil Romeo to play hoops for USC Trojans

17-old rapper/actor Lil Romeo, the son of rap mogul Master P, has pledged to hang up the mic for several years and commit to playing basketball for the University of Southern California.


The 6-foot junior athlete at Beverly Hills High averaged 13.9 points and 5.6 assists per game, and reportedly impressed coaches last summer at the ABCD Camp in New Jersey. On Friday, Romeo and his best friend Demar Derozan visited the USC campus and told Coach Tim Floyd that they plan to play for the squad after they graduate next year.

Proud papa P, born Percy Miller, tells FOXSports.com of Romeo’s announcement: "It's great for him. USC is a great school and I felt like he made a great decision."


P coaches his son and Derozan on the P. Miller Ballers in the spring and summer. The founder of No Limit Records said his boy will focus solely on school and basketball for the next few years.

"He can be polishing up his film career at USC," Master P said. "When he's finished after four years at 21 or 22 years old, he'll hopefully be able to take either basketball to the next level or Hollywood to the next level. This is what it's all about. I'm just glad he has the opportunity to do both."


Derozan, meanwhile, is 6-foot-6, 215 pounds and ranks 46th nationally in Scout.com's list of the top junior players in the country.