Analysis : Lewis Signing Shows USC Is Now Taking Basketball Seriously

When USC surprisingly became basketball co-champion of the Pacific 10 along with Washington this past season, it was generally believed that it was just one of those things that happens every 24 years.

The Trojans’ previous conference title came in 1961.

There was some polite applause for Stan Morrison’s over-achieving team, but nobody was getting carried away. The Trojans, it seemed, would surely slip back into their accustomed role of mediocrity based on their inability to consistently recruit blue-chip athletes.

Well, USC is full of surprises nowadays.

The Trojans are taking this basketball business seriously. They proved as much by signing Mater Dei’s Tom Lewis to a letter of intent to enroll at the school.

Lewis, a 6-7 forward/guard, is regarded as one of the best high school players in the country, an athlete who attracted the attention of every school with a major basketball program.

In the recruiting race for Lewis, Nevada Las Vegas and Syracuse, the front runners, faltered in the stretch, UCLA dropped out and USC came fast on the outside to win in a major upset.

Now we’re not talking about a burgeoning basketball dynasty, but the acquisition of Lewis along with USC’s other recruits provides Morrison with a team that will be competitive and is capable of defending its conference championship.

The Trojans had previously signed Glendale High guard Rich Grande, the Southern Section 4-A Player of the Year, and now they’ve landed Lewis, the Southern Section 5-A Player of the Year. Other recruits are guard Jeff Connelly of Harbor High in Santa Cruz, an all-Northern California selection, and 6-8 forward Mike Canada of Millard North in Omaha, Neb., who was honorably mentioned for all-state honors.

Morrison was in Philadelphia Sunday night attempting to sign 6-6 Eric (Hank) Gathers and 6-4 Greg (Bo) Kimble, who led Dobbins Tech to that city’s championship the past season.

The USC coach is also prepared to make a recruiting trip to Italy, where he hopes to sign 6-11 center Marco Baldi, who played at Woodbridge High School in Irvine as a junior before transferring to Long Island Lutheran in New York for his senior season.

Athletes often recruit each other. Lewis was interested that Grande chose USC and the Philadelphia players and Baldi might be influenced by Lewis opting to become a Trojan.

USC has lost three starters, forward Wayne Carlander, the Pac-10 Player of the Year; forward Ron Holmes and center Clayton Olivier, along with guard Glenn Smith, a sixth-man type, from the 1984-1985 team.

But returning are forward Derrick Dowell, a strong rebounding forward; playmaking guard Larry Friend and such active reserves as swingman Kevin Steward, center Charlie Simpson, guard Brad Winslow, forward/center Rod Keller, forwards Troy LaMar and Ron Young and guard Ivan Harris.

They will be joined by 6-11 center Ivan Verberckt, a transfer from Cal State Long Beach, who was ineligible last season, and, of course, the new recruits.

USC was considered an outsider in the Lewis sweepstakes.

Morrison, reached by phone in Philadelphia Sunday night, said he watched Lewis play in the McDonald’s All-American high school game in Dallas April 13. He said he couldn’t talk to Lewis while adhering to NCAA recruiting rules, but added that he made eye contact with the Mater Dei star.

“I went back for my last school visit this past week, but we didn’t talk much about basketball,” Morrison said. “He wanted to talk about academics. He asked a lot of questions about me staying at the school. I felt very good about that.

“Then he called me at 7:30 Friday morning. He started off by saying, ‘I want to thank you for all you’ve done through the recruiting and hanging in there.’ I thought he’s going to tell me he’s going someplace else. I’ve heard that before.

“Then, he said, ‘Coach, I want to be a Trojan.’ And I did a back flip. Then yesterday he flew from Orange County to Phoenix and I went from LAX to Phoenix and went to his mom’s home and he signed there.”

Morrison was asked by Times reporter Tom Hamilton on Friday afternoon if Lewis had told him he was attending USC. Morrison denied that and said USC’s chances were that of a longshot.

Morrison later said he was following the wishes of Lewis that no announcement be made by USC.

Morrison said that he believes Lewis was influenced to attend USC because of the prestige of the school, the fact his girlfriend is a freshman at USC and his friends are in Southern California.

“And, of course, he knew that we were having a good recruiting year,” Morrison added. “In the recruiting I didn’t smother him. But I told him this: ‘I made my commitment to you one time and if the first time isn’t good enough, then the second or third sure as heck won’t be.

“We haven’t talked about playing time. Just the entire environment he’ll be in and it’s a great time to be coming to USC.”

By signing Lewis, USC’s administration might be more favorably disposed to build an on-campus arena. Presently, the school is considering two options--a campus arena, or improving the Sports Arena facility. USC plays its home games there when it isn’t ousted for an ice show, or some other event.

Morrison, who has doggedly pursued Lewis, had this to say about the player who averaged 31.8 points and 10 rebounds the past season:

“Tom is an outstanding student of the game who knows the little things of basketball very well. He is a product of intense, nonstop work in a highly committed program.

“And he’s a very gifted athlete. He can score anywhere on the floor and is a tough rebounder. I’m intrigued by his versatility and unpredictability on the court.”

Morrison is regarded as a sound coach, but in his six years at USC he has had problems in recruiting so-called blue-chip players and, once getting some, of keeping them.

Forward Ken Johnson, an Alabama and San Diego prep star, quit the team early in his sophomore season of 1982-83 and transferred to Michigan State. Center/forward Gerry Wright, a former Southern Section 3-A Player of the Year from San Gorgonio High in San Bernardino, left the team near the end of his 1982-83 freshman season. He is now at Iowa.