To Morrison, USC Trip Was a Joke

Coach Stan Morrison was ripping off one liners about his USC basketball team Monday, but it was gallows humor. A sampling:

“We gave new meaning to the slogan, ‘We give at the office.’ We put United Way out of business in the Northwest.”

He was referring to USC’s combined 53 turnovers in losses to Washington State (65-58) and Washington (91-75) Thursday night and Saturday afternoon on the road.

“I was bragging recently that we were averaging only about seven turnovers a game,” Morrison said. “We made up for lost time. Who said that charity begins at home. It begins on the road.”

Morrison said, though, that his young team (three freshmen play extensively), which dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the Pacific 10, can’t be faulted for its effort.

“We’re playing hard, but not to the degree of collective understanding,” he said.

Morrison cited several lapses by the Trojans, notably the art of passing the ball.

“We talk a lot about cleverness in passing,” he said. “We were about as clever as a rhinoceros dealing an ace off the bottom of a deck of cards.

“We had absolutely no imagination in getting the ball inside. We might as well have had neon lights on our ears, saying, ‘Here it comes.’ ”

Morrison said last week that his team was improving. Now he concedes that it has taken a dip.

As a result, he said he is making one change in his starting lineup when USC plays Arizona (11-4, 3-0) Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

He wouldn’t reveal who is involved, saying only, “We have to be more productive.”

Three of Morrison’s starters, point guard Larry Friend, center Rod Keller and forward Troy LaMar, got only four points combined against Washington State, although LaMar played only for six minutes.

Friend, who didn’t shoot against WSU, got only two points and three assists in the Washington game while playing 28 minutes. Keller had three points, taking only two shots, and four rebounds in 20 minutes. LaMar didn’t start against the Huskies.

It’s doubtful that Morrison will bench Friend, his senior playmaker, who led the conference in assists last season, averaging 6.1 a game.

But Friend, who seldom shoots, might have to become more scoring minded this year, considering his supporting cast.

Friend is averaging 6.4 assists this season but only 1.8 points. He has shot only 29 times in 13 games.

Trojan Notes USC will play Arizona State (1-2, 7-6) Saturday afternoon at the Sports Arena. But the Trojans probably won’t be confronting sophomore forward Chris Sandle, the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.2 points. ASU Coach Steve Patterson temporarily suspended Sandle, a former Long Beach Poly High star, and dismissed senior center Jon Taylor from the team Monday. “Sandle has some academic matters to clear up before he’s allowed to practice and play again,” Patterson said. “He’s also continuing to have problems meeting deadlines, curfews and other team standards.” Patterson said that Taylor, a nonstarter, was dropped “for failing to fulfill his obligations to the team.” . . . USC reserve center Ivan Verberckt has been hospitalized as a result of medication he had been taking for numbness in his hand. Another reserve center, Charlie Simpson, cut his foot on a trunk and missed the WSU game, but he played against the Huskies.