USC Hoping to Turn Season Around Tonight

Since the basketball season began for USC last month, Coach George Raveling has been regularly using 10 or more players.

It’s a democratic approach but not one that has produced gratifying results, a 1-4 record going into tonight’s game with Cal State Long Beach (2-1) at the Sports Arena.

USC has a predominantly new cast of players this season, and Raveling is still trying to define their roles.

“It’s open to argument, but the talent is there,” Raveling said. “The problem for us as a staff is to find the five players who best play together.”

Raveling has been using a starting lineup of Dave Wiltz and Anthony Pendleton at guards, Chris Munk at center, and Bob Erbst and Chris Moore at forwards.

Don’t engrave those names in granite, though. Raveling could have a different starting lineup when USC opens the Pacific 10 Conference season against Stanford Dec. 21. He suggested that his future starters could be Munk, Wiltz, forwards Alan Pollard and Ronnie Coleman and guard Andy Olivarez.

Raveling said that he’s searching for that elusive quality called chemistry.

“I’m still learning the kids myself,” he said.

Raveling has one inherent problem--only four players, Munk, Erbst, Rich Grande and Brad Winslow, who played regularly last season.

All of the others are freshmen, junior college transfers, or players who were forced to sit out the 1986-87 season.

“By the time of the Pac-10 opener, we’ll have a definite substitution rotation and a starting five,” Raveling said. “If we have to go through games with Long Beach and Tennessee (USC’s opponent Saturday at the Sports Arena), so be it.”

USC has had only one home game since late November, a victory last week over Seattle, which plays in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Trojans performed respectably in losses to North Carolina and Alabama, but were routed by Boston University and Virginia Tech.

Even so, Raveling said he’s encouraged. “I see things to build on,” he said. “Our biggest problem is lack of cohesiveness. We’re a few steps away from being a solid team. To abandon what we are doing and panic would be a mistake.”

Raveling cited his areas of concern: “Our defense is not in a team setting, and we lack communication. And we haven’t been able to put two solid halves together.”

Trojan Notes Tonight’s game begins at 7:30. . . . George Raveling said he wouldn’t have scheduled a game with Long Beach if he had known that Joe Harrington would become the coach this season. “We were assistants at Maryland together, and I don’t like to play games against close friends,” Raveling said. Raveling is certain the 49ers will harass USC with a pressing defense, a tactic that he anticipates will be used by future opponents as well. USC has committed 102 turnovers compared to 82 for the opposition. The 49ers are led by guard Morlon Wiley, who is averaging 20.5 points a game, and forward Andre Purry with a 17.5 average. “My assistant, Mike Dunlap, scouted Long Beach and said they were just as good as Alabama,” Raveling said.

USC forward Chris Moore said after the Alabama game that the team was dwelling too much on missed shots, which affected its performance. “I told him there was no validity at all in what he was saying. It was our besting shooting game (68.1%) of the season,” Raveling said. . . . The USC coach said that pairing Andy Olivarez with Dave Wiltz in the backcourt should enhance the team’s defense. He added that if Alan Pollard becomes a starter in the front line with Chris Munk, the Trojans will have more bulk. Pollard stands 6 feet 9 inches and weighs 220 pounds. Munk is 6-9 and 230.