Trojans Look for Consistency

When asked about expectations for the USC men’s basketball team, Coach Henry Bibby gave the kind of answer you’d expect from any coach before a first game.

His expectations are high.

“I am very optimistic about this group,” said Bibby, who begins his fourth season at USC. “We are getting better every year and getting good people into the program. We’ve got a lot to work with.”

But what kind of expectations are realistic for USC?

Last season the Trojans were a young team (four freshmen, six sophomores, two juniors, three seniors) that rode the roller coaster of inconsistency young teams often ride. USC won nine of its first 10 games, lost 10 of the next 13, then won three of its last four to earn a National Invitation Tournament berth.

After a loss to Wyoming in the first round of the NIT, the Trojans finished 15-13. They were 7-11 in the Pacific 10 Conference, tied for seventh.

This season the Trojans are still young. Jarvis Turner is the only senior. Seven players--more than half the roster--are freshmen or sophomores. But it is a team that’s capable of chasing a .500 or better conference record and an NCAA tournament berth.

Bibby has six returning players, four of them starters. Sam Clancy, Brandon Granville, Brian Scalabrine and Jeff Trepagnier started 16 of USC’s 28 games and continued to work together in the summer.

Along with new fifth starter David Bluthenthal and sixth man Turner, they provide Bibby a stable core, something he did not have last season when he tried eight lineups.

“I’ve said all along that when you have 12 guys who are basically equal in talent, as we had last year, you don’t know who to play,” Bibby said.

“This year the four returning starters should get the majority of the minutes. Jarvis Turner should get playing time because he is a senior. This is his last go-around and he’s seen it all. And Bluthenthal’s earned his spot.”

Bibby’s Picked Six will have to be durable. The off-season stripped USC of most of its known depth.

Beyond the loss of seniors Elias Ayuso and Adam Spanich, sophomore forward Greg Lakey and junior guard Quincy Wilder left the team in disputes over playing time. Sophomore guard Kevin Augustine and junior forward Shannon Swillis left under similar circumstances a year ago.

Barring a calamitous string of injuries, junior guard Rashad Jones, who transferred from San Jose City College, freshman guard Malachi Thurston and 6-foot-11 Greek import Konstantinos Charissis, a freshman, are the only newcomers expected to play.

“I think we’re going to be good,” Bluthenthal said. “We have an idea what we have, and everybody knows everybody on the team is working hard. When you can trust your teammates, when you know they’re getting better and you’re getting better, that helps your confidence.”

Going into the season, the Trojans are clear on the team’s pecking order.

Scalabrine, a 6-9 junior forward-center, is USC’s top returning player. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while making 53.1% of his shots. He will be the focal point of the offense.

Expecting defenders to surround him at every opportunity, Scalabrine said he has worked on becoming a better passer.

“Last year I really struggled with kicking the ball out from the low post,” he said.

“My goal this year is to get other people involved in the offense. And if they can hit the open jumper, then teams can’t double-team me anymore.”

Granville, a sophomore point guard who averaged 7.7 points and five assists, is next in importance. And he must do more than create opportunities for others. “I like point guards who can score,” Bibby said. “I think a point guard has to score. We need Brandon to give us some offense.”

Granville said he has learned that Bibby holds him to a higher standard than the rest of the team.

“I didn’t think that at first, but now I see that [Bibby] is definitely more demanding of me than anyone else on the court,” Granville said. “He wants me to be the leader. He wants me to call the plays. I believe I should be an extension of him on the court.”

Bluthenthal is the wild card to USC’s hopes. The 6-7 sophomore was a reserve power forward most of last season, battling on the boards and getting points here and there. This season he moves to small forward with a new objective--fill up the basket.

“This year I think my primary goal is to knock down shots,” said Bluthenthal, who averaged 2.1 points last season. “[Teams] will double-team Brian, and it’s necessary for me to score as well as rebound and defend.”

Trepagnier, a 6-4 junior who averaged 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds, was the only player in the Pac-10 last season who finished among the top 10 in steals (1.8), blocks (1.1) and field-goal percentage (49.2%). But as the lead shooting guard, he must give the Trojans more nights like the 24-point outing he had against Wyoming.

“‘I wanted to improve my ball-handling and shooting skills and worked on them pretty hard this summer,” he said. “I’m looking to surprise people.”

Clancy, a 6-7 sophomore forward who averaged 5.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, will be required to be an unsung inside presence. An excellent leaper, he is the conference’s leading returning shot blocker at 1.4 a game.

Turner, a 6-8 forward who averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 rebounds, must fix whatever problem USC is having on the floor as the first guy off the bench--whether that’s helping Scalabrine and Clancy rebound or putting a defensive clamp on the opponent’s hot shooting guard or forward.

Plenty of things must go right for USC to have the season it wants. Besides avoiding injury, the Trojans--not a big team--must have a collective appetite for rebounding. They cannot be discouraged by an early schedule that includes Atlantic Coast Conference powers North Carolina and Duke. And they must play better on the road; last season USC was 5-8 away from the Sports Arena, 3-6 as a Pac-10 visitor.

If that happens, USC can enter the Pac-10 schedule with an eye on finishing among the top five teams in the conference and getting an NCAA berth.

It’s a realistic expectation.

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USC at a Glance

Last season: 15-13 overall, 7-11 in Pacific 10.

Finish: Tied for seventh in conference, lost to Wyoming in first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Coach: Henry Bibby, fourth season, 41-43.

Who’s new: Konstantinos Charissis, Nate Hair, Rashad Jones, Luke Minor, Malachi Thurston.

Who’s gone: Kevin Augustine, Elias Ayuso, Greg Lakey, Adam Spanich, Shannon Swillis, Quincy Wilder.

Projected starters: Guards Brandon Granville (7.7 points, five assists) and Jeff Trepagnier (11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds); forwards David Bluthenthal (2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds) and Sam Clancy (5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds); center Brian Scalabrine (14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds).

Key to season: Bibby is handing the season to the starting five and sixth man Jarvis Turner. This group is guaranteed the majority of playing time because there is very little experience on the bench. Bluthenthal and Trepagnier must shoot well enough so Scalabrine doesn’t have to carry the offense by himself. All six must be willing to rebound and defend.

Outlook: A year’s experience has given the core group of Trojans the confidence they can finish in the upper half of the conference. If USC can avoid injury and not be overwhelmed by a rigorous nonconference schedule, an NCAA tournament berth is within reach.