Bibby Would Do It Again
Tuesday brought no second thoughts for Coach Henry Bibby, who chose to keep four of his starters in Monday’s game against Arizona even after they got into foul trouble.
The Trojans let a nine-point lead slip away and lost. Center Brian Scalabrine and forward Jeff Trepagnier said the foul situation made them tentative.
“That’s the heart and soul of the team,” Bibby said. “If we’re thinking about winning the game, we have to go with those guys.”
Given similar circumstances, Scalabrine said he would not worry so much about picking up a fifth foul next time. Bibby hopes to avoid a next time.
“We have to know the officials,” he said. “Certain officials call things closer than others. Some nights you can play more physical, some nights you can’t.”
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The Trojans shot a season-low 37% from the field against Arizona, but their coach was most concerned about defense.
“They have people who can take you off the dribble and we couldn’t stop that,” Bibby said. “People got in the lane, they got easy baskets, and that makes a big difference when you’re trying to make runs.
“We scored enough points to win, but . . . we can’t give up 87 points a night.”
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If losing weren’t bad enough, Bibby spent Tuesday dealing with burst pipes in his house and rushing to catch an afternoon flight to Oregon, where the team plays next. “Wasn’t a good night,” he said. “Not a good morning.”
