A LOOK AT THE UCLA, USC BASKETBALL TEAMS : Raveling Era Gets Off to Early Start--Some Practices to Begin at 6 a.m.

The George Raveling basketball era is underway at USC, and Trojan players are advised to buy alarm clocks, or order early wake-up calls.

Some of USC’s practices will start at 6 a.m. It’s a routine that he followed when he was at Iowa, Raveling said, adding that there are fewer distractions at that time and it’s good for mental discipline.

Asked if his players might balk, or not show up, Raveling said: “I’m not a guy who has a lot of team rules because I try not to recruit players who require them. But I just tell them what an old sergeant told me, ‘I can’t make you do anything, but I sure as hell can make you wish you had.’ ”

Here are some observations from Raveling on his team, which has only two returning starters, forward Derrick Dowell and center Rod Keller, both seniors:

--On his guards: “We’re lacking experience at this position, and it’s very hard to build a championship team without good guard play. We have some talent there, but how quick it matures is a big question.”

Rich Grande, who is identified as the freshman who didn’t transfer after last season, averaged only 10 minutes of playing time as a reserve. Other guard prospects are Ivan Harris and junior college transfer Dave Wiltz.

--Inside players: ‘We probably have the best size in the conference. I think we’ll be a good rebounding and defensive team. My biggest concern is where our points are going to come from. Dowell will be the focal point, but we have to have some flexibility. So we have to find some people who can score.

“I’m not concerned defensively because we can teach kids to play defense. I’ve always had good defensive teams.”

Dowell, who made up credits at Los Angeles City College last summer to become eligible, averaged 17.6 points last season as a 6-foot 6-inch forward. Other inside players are the 6-9 Keller, 6-9 Mike Canada, 6-11 Ivan Verberckt, 7-2 Carl Pollard, a transfer student from BYU, and 6-9 Chris Munk, a highly regarded freshman from Riordan High in San Francisco.

--On a starting lineup: “I don’t know because I’ve never seen USC play. I didn’t look at any film deliberately because I wanted to give everyone a fair opportunity to start. I didn’t want to have any preconceived ideas.

“I did an individual interview with each player on the team, and one of the questions I asked was: ‘If you were the coach, what would be your starting lineup?’ I’d say that at least 95% were in concert as to who should start.

“I think we have a chance to become a nice basketball team. It all depends on how we become acclimated to a new system. I don’t think we’ll be a cohesive unit early, but we’re pointing to conference play.”

--On his system: “We want to go 90 feet in each direction. We’ll be an up-tempo team with structure, a pressure, trapping team. Other teams averaged 19 turnovers a game against us last year when I was at Iowa.”

Three prominent freshmen from the 1985-86 team transfered to other schools at the end of the school year. Tom Lewis is now at Pepperdine, and Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers are at Loyola Marymount.

Raveling was asked if he might have done something different in an effort to keep the players at USC.

“I honestly felt I did everything I possibly could without having to sell the family jewels to get them to stay,” he said.

“It ranks right up there with the saddest moments of my coaching career that we weren’t able to arbitrate that. But we can’t look back now. We have to look ahead.”

Some other observations by Raveling:

--On the inaugural Pacific 10 postseason tournament: “When I was in the league before, Dick Harter (of Oregon) and myself were guys who always championed that cause. I think it provides a vehicle for a late-emerging team and sustains interest in the conference throughout the season, particularly in the old days when UCLA had things wrapped up halfway through the season and everybody else went to sleep. Now a team has one more opportunity to redeem itself.”

--On USC’s dwindling attendance at the Sports Arena: “Filling up the Sports Arena right now is low on my priority list. You have to take things in sequence.

“The first thing you have to do is get good players and win. If I start worrying about filling up the Sports Arena and forget about putting a good team on the floor, I’ll be gone, working at a K mart somewhere.”

--On blue-chip Southern California high school players enrolling at out-of-state schools: “There are probably 20 Division I prospects in the state. So even if Walt (Hazzard) and I get our share, some are still going to go out of state.

“My idea of USC basketball is to have a team that is 90% California kids, preferably Southern California kids. We just have to be a little more aggressive in our selling.”

--On USC’s nonconference schedule, which includes December road games at Bowling Green, Ky., and Knoxville, Tenn.: “I don’t like the idea of landing in Knoxville on Christmas night. I don’t now what it will be like, but I guarantee you Santa Claus won’t be there if he has any sense.”

Trojan Notes Coach George Raveling has only six returning players from the 1985-86 Stan Morrison-coached team that had an 11-17 record overall and a last-place finish in the Pac-10 at 5-13. . . . Five of USC’s top seven scorers in 1985-86 are gone, including Tom Lewis, the leading scorer. . . . Raveling believes he has blue-chip recruits in 6-9 forward Bob Erbst of Katella High in Anaheim and Chris Munk. Dave Wiltz, of Delgado Community College in New Orleans, probably will be USC’s playmaking guard, with Rich Grande used as an off guard. . . . Forward Alan Pollard, who transfered from BYU, must sit out a year before he’s eligible. But his brother, Carl, is eligible now, since he is coming off a two-year mission for the Mormon church. . . . USC will open the season with an exhibition game against Poland’s national team Nov. 19 at Chapman College.