USC Prepares for Knightmare From Illinois St.

Bob Knight is out of the NCAA tournament, but a clone lives on. That isn’t to suggest that Illinois State Coach Bob Donewald matches Knight’s volatile temperament, or that he is skilled in chair throwing.

But Donewald, an assistant under Knight at Indiana from 1974 through 1978, teaches a style of play that reflects Knight’s philosophy.

So USC, which will play Illinois State in a first-round NCAA tournament game Thursday night at Tulsa, Okla., is preparing for Knight’s coaching tactics, if not for Knight himself.

“They run a patient, motion offense with a passing game,” USC Coach Stan Morrison said. “They’re highly disciplined with strong man-to-man principles on defense and have good movement without the ball and bump you with a lot of screens.

“I want to make sure that Texas Coach Bob Weltlich doesn’t send a film to Illinois State.”

USC lost to Texas March 3 in Austin, 71-70. Weltlich is another of Knight’s disciples.

Donewald has been eminently successful at Illinois State. He has had five 20-win seasons in his seven years at the school. The Redbirds joined the Missouri Valley Conference three years ago and made an immediate impact.

Illinois state won the conference tournament in 1982, finished as the regular-season co-champion in 1983 and was runner-up for the conference title this season.

The Redbirds, 21-7 overall, didn’t fare too well in the recent conference tournament, though, losing in the first round to Indiana State. They are going into the NCAA tournament with two straight losses. That’s their longest losing streak of the season, though, which says something about the team’s consistency.

USC isn’t exactly on a roll, either, having lost four of its last seven games.

Michael McKenny, a 6-1 senior, is the point guard. He has started every game since his freshman season. He’s averaging 9.7 points and has 127 assists.

Lou Stefanovic, a 6-8 senior forward, is the Carlander look-alike, at least in style. He is averaging 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Illinois State is particularly talented in the backcourt. Rickie Johnson, a 6-5 senior swingman, is averaging 13.6 points and is a force on the boards while averaging close to six rebounds a game.

Another guard, 6-4 senior Brad Duncan, comes off the bench to harass opponents with his long-range shooting. He is shooting 53.6% and averaging 10.8 points.

Donewald has a 7-foot center in sophomore Bill Braksick. A starter most of the season, he has been inconsistent lately and has lost his starting job to 6-7 Tony Holifield, who regularly plays forward Derrick Sanders, a 6-6 sophomore forward is the other starter.

Illinois State started fast this season, winning 10 of its 11 non-conference games. The Redbirds lost only to DePaul, the team that knocked them out of the NCAA tournament in the second round last year.

This will be Illinois State’s third straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs, so the Redbirds probably won’s be afflicted by tournament jitters.

That’s the most consecutive appearances by a Missouri Valley Conference team since Cincinnati had a six-year run (1958-63), including two national championships.

Donewald stresses defense, but the Trojans would prefer to play against a man-to-man defense. They’ve had some trouble with zones this year.

An overtime game is a possibility, considering that USC has played in three this season and the Redbirds have been involved in six, winning five of them.

When USC last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1982, Morrison was so elated that he climbed onto the roof of Julie’s restaurant near the campus and did a cannonball into a swimming pool.

Writers judging his performance gave him a 8, considering the degree of difficulty.

But Morrison is all business this time, and he’s trying to instill that attitude in his team.

“I’m going to do everything I can to shield my guys from the media to the extent of last time,” he said. “I thought our players got a little distracted. We’re going to keep our minds on our work and keep a low profile, if possible. I won’t pull a Georgetown and stay in a Motel 6 in Oklahoma City, but we’ll keep our nose to the grindstone.

“And you won’t see anyone jumping off the roof at Julie’s. That tells you something about our attitude and what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Trojan Notes

The game will be telecast by Channel 56 at 7:30 (PST).... Illinois State is a one-point favorite to beat Pac-10 co-champion USC (19-9).... If USC beats Illinois State, it will most likely meet Oklahoma (28-5), the top-seeded team in the Midwest Regional. The Sooners should breeze by North Carolina A&T; (19-9( in a first-round game.... If the Trojans play in the second round, the tentative schedule is for an 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. game (PST). Network television will ultimately make that decision.