Basketball Teams at USC Still Homeless

It’s still uncertain where USC’s basketball teams of the future will be playing but they will not be playing in a multi-purpose arena on the campus.

Instead, USC’s board of trustees have approved plans to build a $12.3-million student recreation center on campus while pledging to find a suitable facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

According to Dr. James H. Zumberge, USC president, two options are being considered, the construction of an on-campus basketball arena, or continuing to use the Sports Arena if the facility can be improved to suit the school’s needs.

Zumberge said that the idea of combining a basketball arena with the proposed recreation center had not proved viable, but that he has directed the university to “work with dispatch to do everything possible to provide superior practice and playing facilities for the basketball teams.”

So USC basketball is back to Square 1, since the trustees have always professed interest in improving the facilities for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The timing of Monday’s announcement also struck a hollow note.

The USC men are in first place in the Pacific 10 after having been picked to finish no higher than seventh. The Trojans are undefeated on the road in Pac-10 games (6-0) and it’s not unlikely that they will win their first conference championship in 24 years.

USC is the only Pac-10 school that doesn’t play in a campus facility. That handicaps USC in scheduling. By the time USC gets the conference schedule for the season, the Sports Arena has already blocked out some dates for other events.

The Sports Arena would like to accommodate USC, but it is in business to keep the place occupied.

USC has already played two of its home games at Cal State Dominguez Hills because an ice show was booked at the Sports Arena. The Trojans will end the regular season at the same site, meeting Oregon State in a game that could determine the conference champion.

But CS Dominguez Hills seats only 4,100, which makes it an unsuitable place for such an important game.

It’s believed that both USC Coach Stan Morrison and Athletic Director Mike McGee are in favor of a campus arena, but McGee must adhere to the decision of USC’s administrators and explore both options.

“We’ll look at both options with equal vigor,” he said Monday. “We’ll take a look at what can be done to make the Sports Arena a superior facility for us in all of its aspects.”

McGee said it’s possible that the university might even buy the Sports Arena.

USC, 9-2 in the Pac-10 and 15-5 overall, has a tenuous hold on first place. The Trojans face Arizona State (6-6, 11-11) Thursday night and Arizona (8-3, 17-6) Saturday afternoon at the Sports Arena.

Oregon State (7-3) and Washington (8-4) are also in contention for the championship.

“Arizona is playing better than anyone in the league,” said Morrison, noting that the Wildcats have won five straight, all by 12 points or more.

Last month, USC beat both the Wildcats (63-62) and the Sun Devils (73-54) in Arizona. But Arizona point guard Brock Brunkhorst was injured at the time and forward Morgan Taylor was academically ineligible. Their return to the lineup has contributed to Arizona’s recent surge.

Trojan Notes Saturday’s game with Arizona will be televised by Channel 5 starting at noon. . . . Arizona has a week to prepare for USC, since it isn’t scheduled to play Thursday night. . . . The new recreation center on the USC campus is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 1988. It will be located north of McDonald’s swim stadium. . . . Stan Morrison says that Arizona has the quickest front line in the league in Eddie Smith, Pete Williams and Morgan Taylor and that the return of point guard Brock Brunkhorst enables Steve Kerr to assume a more comfortable position as the shooting guard. . . . USC was shut out of the top 20 in the latest news service polls. Oregon State (17-4) is included, although it lost to the Trojans, 60-58, a week ago Monday. Illinois and Maryland have each lost seven games, but they’re in the top 20. The Trojans, of course, suffer from the lack of a national basketball image. . . . USC forward Derrick Dowell leads the conference in rebounding with a 9.2 average in league games and is second in all games with an 8.9 average. . . . Guard Larry Friend needs just 19 more assists to break Gus Williams’ school record of 140 for a season. . . . Forward Wayne Carlander and wingman Ron Holmes are USC’s leading scorers with 15.7 averages.