For USC, Cause Was Good, Result Was Bad

Perhaps the best thing about USC’s 65-54 loss to Temple on Sunday was that at least the Trojans lost for a good cause.

Playing in the inaugural Martin Luther King Classic doubleheader at The Pyramid, USC joined Temple, Georgetown and defending NCAA champion Arkansas in a fund-raising event created by the Black Coaches Assn. for underprivileged and unrepresented student-athletes.

“Ever since I heard that we were playing in the first annual (MLK Classic), I’ve been excited because it means so much,” USC guard Brandon Martin said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and, as a team, we had a great time off the court.”

It was on the court that the Trojans had their problems in losing their second game of the season. USC was outrebounded, 45-25, shot only 37% from the floor and did not attempt a free throw in the second half.

USC, which lost its season-opener to New Mexico State in the Preseason NIT, did not start Lorenzo Orr or Jaha Wilson, who were benched for breaking team rules early in the week.

With sophomore David Crouse and freshman Cameron Murray making their first career starts, the Trojans got off fast in taking a 16-10 lead midway through the first half.

Temple, which finished 23-8 last season, rallied to take a four-point lead behind the three-point shooting of Levan Auston and Rick Brunson. USC held on to trail, 35-32, at halftime thanks to the play of Wilson and Orr, who combined to score eight of the Trojans’ final 13 points.

As they did against New Mexico State, the Trojans failed to keep pace with Temple at the start of the second half. The Owls held USC to only seven points over a nine-minute span as they took a 56-46 lead with four minutes remaining in the game.

Temple, which had 17 offensive rebounds to USC’s eight, was led by Jason Ivey’s 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Lynard Stewart’s 10 points and seven rebounds.

“The thing that hurt us more than anything was offensive rebounds,” USC interim Coach Charlie Parker said. “Their offensive rebounds and our lack of offensive rebounds really killed us. We took good shots but we missed them, and if you do that you have to go and get them.”

In playing in the second game of the doubleheader following local favorite Arkansas’ victory over Georgetown, USC was led by Martin’s 14 points and seven rebounds. Burt Harris was the only other Trojan to score in double figures with 11 points. Wilson had a team-high 10 rebounds.

“We learned and we grew a little bit,” Parker said. “We made strides in that we became a 30-minute team after playing 20 minutes in our first game. We were right in there until we started missing shots from the perimeter. Our goal now is to get those next 10 minutes and become a full 40-minute team,”

Because of the efforts of recently retired Coach George Raveling, USC played a major role in the event, which proved to be more than a basketball doubleheader featuring four of the top African American coaches in the nation.

On Saturday night, the BCA held a benefit banquet and gave distinguished service awards to Georgetown’s John Thompson, Temple’s John Chaney, Arkansas’ Nolan Richardson and Raveling.

Raveling, who retired after suffering injuries in a Sept. 25 auto accident, did not attend because of travel restrictions placed on him by his doctors, but his presence was felt throughout the weekend.

“A very popular question to me has been ‘How is George?’ ” Parker said. “The question is understandable because Coach Raveling had such a big influence on the creation of the MLK Classic. He wanted very badly to be here, if not as a coach then just as a spectator. He just wanted to be a part of this.”

The BCA also honored future basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, Cleveland Indian outfielder Albert Belle, filmmaker Spike Lee, South African president Nelson Mandela and Rev. Jesse Jackson.

“(School) presidents have tried to lock our children out of school,” said Jackson, who received the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award. “We don’t need to lock up, we need to lift up. Coaches are one of the few groups that keep fighting to keep the door open for our children.”

Jordan and Belle were in attendance to accept their awards, while Lee missed the ceremony because his wife is about to give birth. Mandela gave his acceptance speech via video tape, saying, “I am honored to have my name associated with such a living spirit.”