Inexperienced USC Will Count on Youth

Matching last year’s success is paramount to a USC basketball team that made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1992.

To do as well as last season, the Trojans will have to earn an NCAA tournament invitation, win at least 17 games and finish no worse than tied for second in the Pacific 10 Conference.

But they will have to accomplish this without the help of four starters, including Rodrick Rhodes and Stais Boseman, who accounted for 59% of USC’s scoring and rebounding in 1996-97. And with the loss of center David Crouse, the Trojans have no player taller than 6 feet 8.

On Tuesday, one returning player, senior Gary Williams, downplayed his team’s lack of size and experience. He said when one considers what another Pac-10 team did last season with similar shortcomings--a team the Trojans defeated--their chances don’t look that bad.

“Arizona didn’t have a center last year and look what they did,” Williams said, referring to the team that won the NCAA championship. “They supposedly didn’t have a good post game, but they overcame it.”

The Trojans also have lost sophomore Danny Walker, who was expected to start at guard. He transferred to New Mexico State during the summer.

Compounding USC’s problems, senior Anthony White, a 6-8 forward who played in 19 games last season, broke a bone in his left foot Monday, Coach Henry Bibby revealed Tuesday, and will be out probably until January.

“Any time you lose four starters, it’s going to be tough,” Bibby said. “It’s going to be tough to duplicate last year’s success . . . the young guys are going to have to help us immediately.”

Bibby said he will be forced to rely on freshmen, including forwards Shannon Swillis and Greg Lakey and guards Kevin Augustine and Jeff Trepagnier.

That means more will be expected of seniors Gary Johnson, Ken Sims and Williams, along with junior Elias Ayuso.

“I don’t have any problems being a so-called leader,” Williams said. “But you have to have good followers, too, and the new guys seem to be. They’re in the gym lifting weights and working hard and ready to learn.”

Talking about the differences between this season’s untried team and the one that went 17-11 overall and 12-6 in the Pac-10 last season, Bibby said: “I think this team is closer than last year’s team was at the same point. The guys have grown a lot in a very short time.”