Fletcher Becomes Option for Bibby

It didn’t taken long for Sandy Fletcher to make an impression on the USC coaching staff.

Despite not having played basketball in nearly a year, Fletcher--a redshirt freshman football safety who joined the basketball team last week--was the player Coach Henry Bibby called on when point guard Brandon Granville was in foul trouble early in the second half of the San Diego State game.

Fletcher played five minutes, made two free throws and got a rebound. It appears he’ll also cut into the playing time of reserve guards Nate Hair and Malachi Thurston.

“I want to bring him along slowly,” Bibby said of Fletcher. “Sandy probably hasn’t touched a basketball since high school [Inglewood.] So I know what he’s going through. But I know he has quickness and he wants to be successful. And I know he’s not going to back down. that’s what I like about Sandy Fletcher.

“Is he gonna make jump shots? I don’t know; probably not a lot now. But I think he brings a toughness to the team. He definitely gives us a different look.”

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When the Trojans finally get to play Northwestern on Wednesday, they will face a team that will not have played in 11 days.

The Wildcats (4-5) will bring a three-game winning streak into the Sports Arena, although the victories are against Nicholls State, Jacksonville and Western Carolina.