COLLEGE BASKETBALL 1992-93 : No Miner, but All Isn’t Lost for These Trojans

The Harold Miner era ended a season early at USC, and with it, possibly the Trojans’ best chance for a berth in the Final Four in almost 30 years.

When Miner, the 6-foot-5 All-American and Pacific 10 Conference player of the year, decided to forgo his senior year to join the NBA, it dealt a severe blow to the Trojans’ hopes. With Miner, the Trojans were 24-6, had a 15-3 conference record and went to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

Without the forward-guard, that kind of a season is probably out of the question. But, even so, Coach George Raveling begins his seventh season expecting USC’s basketball program to continue on the upswing.

This despite losing his point guard, the underrated Duane Cooper, and forward Yamen Sanders, besides Miner. The three departed players were the leaders in scoring and minutes played. They scored 60% of the points and played half the minutes. It is not surprising that all three are in the NBA.

The Trojans will need to find a playmaker and make up for the loss of 50 points and nearly 16 rebounds a game.

So, why is Raveling so optimistic? For one thing, there’s still an abundance of talent, with veterans Rodney Chatman, Phil Glenn, Mark Boyd and Lorenzo Orr, last season’s freshman sensation. Also, there is junior college transfer Damian Powell joining five talented freshmen, including two big men, 6-11 David Crouse from Rancho Cordova and 7-0 Kirk Homenick from Canada.

While other Pac-10 coaches are complaining about the new rule that delayed the start of practice for two weeks, Raveling is encouraged by what he sees.

“With our losses, most people expect us to have a poor season,” he said. “But I don’t share the concern. Sure, there’s a void. There has to be when you lose Harold Miner, Duane Cooper and Yamen Sanders.

“We are going to have trouble finding all those points, but we will have quickness and speed. And, I’ll match our three-point shooters with just about anyone.

“We had some players last year, who submerged themselves for the good of the team. I look for them to assert themselves this year.

“I’m talking in particular about Chatman, Orr and Boyd. Chatman, playing in the L.A. Summer League, against players like Arizona’s Chris Mills, was the leading scorer, averaging 36 points. The most valuable player was Orr, over all those more seasoned collegians. In Atlanta, Mark Boyd averaged 26 points in that summer league.

“We don’t have a marquee player or one who has to have the ball. In addition to the speed and quickness, I like the effort, the togetherness and the determination to prove we can survive without Harold Miner. I’m confident we’ll return to the NCAA.

“Our style won’t change, we just won’t be built around one player. We weren’t a one-man team last year. Chatman and Cooper both hit more big shots than Miner did.

“Chatman isn’t a point guard. So it will be up to (5-10 Fairfax freshman) Burt Harris and Damian Powell. One looks good one practice, then the other looks good. I like the attitude of the five new kids. We have an enormous challenge, but I think we can live up to it.”

Raveling also expects to have added depth, especially among the big men. Dan Buie, 6-8, is one of the freshmen who figures to help. Homenick is a redshirt who continues to develop. Crouse has made an impression on Raveling.

“He has been a revelation,” Raveling said of Crouse, who averaged 64% from the field and 83% from the line in high school.

“I never saw him play. What impressed me most was his 1280 on the SAT. He played very well in the summer league. He has lots to learn about defense, but I like his court awareness and he can really score. If we didn’t care about winning, he could come in and score 20 points a game. He suffers from youth, but he has speed.

“I expect Orr to be improved, too. He reminds me every day he is a changed person. Tremayne (Anchrum) is another reason I like our depth up front. He is a power forward in a small body.”

Until the first game in the NCAA tournament against Northeast Louisiana, Anchrum had played sparingly. But three minutes into the game, with Sanders in foul trouble, Anchrum made the most of his opportunity. After scoring only 24 points in 23 previous games, he sparked the Trojans to an 85-54 victory with 16 points, on seven-for-eight shooting, and a game-high eight rebounds.

Raveling sees an open race in the Pac-10 and includes his Trojans among the contenders.

“I can see where Arizona is the logical choice,” he said. “But my conclusion is that Oregon State will win the conference. Jim Anderson has the best center in the league (Scott Haskin) and a great point guard in Charles McKinney.”

The Trojans will open the season at the Sports Arena against San Francisco State next Tuesday. Other nonconference opponents include Ohio State and Notre Dame, both on the road.

“I went looking for a schedule that would get us ready for league play,” Raveling said. “That was my only concern.”

PACIFIC 10: A look at the conference’s other teams. C6