USC MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER

USC MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER

Baxter Holmes’ comments on USC’s roster for the 2011-12 season (statistics are from last season):

STARTERS

No./Name/Year/Pos./Ht./Wt./Ppg./Rpg./Apg./Comment

14/Dewayne Dedmon/So./F/7-0/255/--/--/--/Scored two points in high school, pegged as an NBA lottery pick, will debut with broken hand. No pressure.

21/Aaron Fuller/Jr./F/6-6/235/9.7*/6.2*/0.7*/Iowa transfer is undersized inside but boasts Big Ten toughness and few nifty post moves.

3/Alexis Moore/Fr./G/6-2/180/--/--/--/Moore is less a defender and more a three-point shooter. If that doesn’t change, his presence in the starting lineup will.

25/Byron Wesley/Fr./G/6-5/210/--/--/--/Etiwanda product has a strong frame, and all he needs to do now is learn how to play college basketball with it.

10/Maurice Jones/So./G/5-7/155/9.9/2.6/3.2/On a squad short on experience, the Pac-12’s shortest player offers the most. USC needs a lot from its little guy.

RESERVES

No./Name/Year/Pos./Ht./Wt./Ppg./Rpg./Apg./Comment

31/James Blasczyk/Jr./C/7-1/260/0.4**/0.3**/0**/Paul Bunyan-sized and recklessly physical, this bruiser will play hard and a lot — if the referees let him.

33/Garrett Jackson/So./F/6-6/225/3.2/1.7/0.3/USC’s only other healthy returning scorer has worked a lot on his shooting form; his defense needed the work more.

2/Greg Allen/Jr./G/6-3/180/--/--/--/The three-point shooting JC transfer is in O’Neill’s doghouse. Until he plays with the effort O’Neill wants, Allen won’t leave.

20/Eric Strangis/Sr./G/6-4/190/--/--/--/When O’Neill gets sick of his freshmen guards, he’ll sub in Strangis. This could be a nightly occurrence.

22/Evan Smith/So./F/6-7/225/--/--/--/Nagging shoulder injury kept him out last season. That might be the same case this one for three-point shooting specialist.

4/Tyler Sugiyama/So./G/5-10/150/--/--/--/Walk-on worked as Congressional Page for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi in summer 2008; USC career isn’t much to speak of.

41/Danilo Dragovic/Fr./G/6-5/195/--/--/--/Walk-on can drill deep shots when not guarded. We likely won’t know this season if he can do that with a man in his face.

24/Daniel Munoz/Jr./G/5-10/175/ Only mark on a stat sheet in his career is a foul he had last season against Cal State Fullerton.

1/Jio Fontan/Sr./G/6-0/175/10.5/2.0/3.9/The team’s top returning scorer blew out his left knee in August … but has ambitious plans to return to play in January.

42/Curtis Washington/So./F/6-10/245/0/0.3/0/The project big man played 11 minutes last season and will play none this one, sitting out because of a shoulder injury.

*Statistics compiled at Iowa during 2009-10 season.

**Statistics compiled at Texas A&M during 2009-10 season.