USC Teams Indulge in a Little ‘Madness’

The USC men’s basketball team listed in several preseason Top 25 polls expects to challenge Arizona, Stanford and UCLA for the Pacific 10 Conference title. The USC women also believe they are conference contenders after their second-half Pac-10 rush that included upsets of Oregon, UCLA and Arizona.

So, eager to get the 2000-01 season underway, both Trojan teams held a “Midnight Madness” practice Friday before an estimated 1,300 fans and family members in the campus Lyon Center. It marked the first midnight basketball practices at USC since 1995.

Each squad kept things light and moving, holding eight-minute scrimmages that were glorified run-and-gun exercises. Jeff Trepagnier impressed onlookers with a smorgasbord of jams in a dunking contest. And Jessica Cheeks and Lauren Smith-Hams defeated Nate Hair and Gennaro Busterna in a three-point shootout challenge.

But the 45-minute practice (preceded by two hours of entertainment by the USC band, cheerleaders, dance team and various promotions sponsored by Nike and the movie “Love And Basketball”), while busy and boisterous, was not on the manic level of a Kentucky or Duke.

Perhaps school officials are waiting for the proposed new arena to be built before expanding on “Midnight Madness.”

Then again, Coach Henry Bibby--who sent his players through their first real practice at 9 a.m. Saturday--said the USC men are still trying to build a basketball tradition.

It starts with winning, Bibby said, as well as cultivating a loyal fan base.

“Both teams can be good this season and we want to get the students involved,” Bibby said. “We need them to get the word out about USC basketball. So tonight was a way to say hello to the students and show them we need them.”

Acknowledging the fans’ enjoyment of the midnight experience, Bibby said he couldn’t wait to get going. “[The scrimmage] showed me we have a lot of work to do,” he said.

The men’s team is coming off a 16-14 season, with a 9-9 record and sixth-place finish in the Pac-10. During the scrimmage, spectators got their first look at touted freshman Desmon Farmer and junior college transfers Busterna and Robert Hutchinson. All three are guards, and all had their moments.

The USC women were also 16-14 last season, and finished fifth in the Pac-10 with a 10-8 record. They were invited to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the first time since 1997 and beat Santa Clara in the first round before losing to Colorado State.

Among the freshmen making their USC debuts were forward Ebony Hoffman, who starred at Harbor City Narbonne High, and guard Aisha Hollans from Berkeley High.