McMillian Is Ready for USC

Chris McMillian was just small enough to slip through the cracks. That’s how a 5-foot-10 point guard from Southern California ended up playing basketball on distant, snow-covered plains.

“I liked USC but they wouldn’t even give me a look,” McMillian said. “I had to go to a school that wanted me.”

So the former Brea Olinda High standout packed his bags and traveled east to Wyoming. Tonight, he gets a shot at revenge when the Cowboys play the Trojans in a first-round game of the National Invitation Tournament.

“Chris was more excited than anyone when he heard we were playing USC,” Wyoming Coach Steve McClain said. “There’s no question, that is a factor with him.”

Only a freshman, McMillian was shoved into the lineup when returning starter Andy Young broke his hip at the start of the season. Since battling through an early shooting slump, he has led the Cowboys to a 17-9 record, averaging 9.5 points and 4.9 assists.

“[After] a turnover a lot of kids might hang their heads, but he never does,” McClain said. “He plays with great composure.”

Tonight, McMillian faces a longtime adversary in USC point guard Brandon Granville. They played against each other in Southern California tournaments as far back as age 10. Like McMillian, Granville was thrust into a starting role as a freshman.

“He’s a real strong defender and he knows how to make plays,” McMillian said. “He’s been doing that since we were young.”

Therein lies a difference between the two point guards and their otherwise similar teams.

USC and Wyoming are young, small and quick and both get much of their scoring punch from undersized centers. The Trojans have 6-foot-9 sophomore Brian Scalabrine, the Pacific 10 Conference’s newcomer of the year. The Cowboys have 6-8 sophomore Ugo Udezue, a native of Nigeria who averages 20.5 points and 7.7 rebounds.

But USC fought its way to a 15-12 record with defense, a constant swirl of man-to-man, zone and press. The Trojans scratch to keep the score low, trying to augment an inconsistent offense with steals and fast-break layups.

Wyoming, on the other hand, likes to shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

“They run and they shoot it quick,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “That scares me.”

And whereas Granville leads USC with 53 steals, McMillian has become a scoring force for Wyoming. Tonight, he wants to break quickly from the gate, hoping to inspire some noise from the home crowd.

McMillian has something to prove to the Trojans.

“They must have doubted my abilities,” he said. “I want to make a little bit of a statement.”