Bibby Says Trojans Are Lacking a Leader

Henry Bibby is looking for a leader.

Listening to the USC coach, you get the sense that the Trojans (6-2) have been navigating their young season like a rudderless ship.

“You have to have a leader sometime that emerges and says, ‘Hey, I’m not going to let this happen. I’m going to take this [team] to the next level,’ ” Bibby said Tuesday at his weekly medialuncheon.

“And I don’t care which player it is. It could be a walk-on or a starter. We need somebody to do that. We haven’t had anybody do that yet.”

With the Trojans playing their penultimate nonconference game Thursday night at San Diego (5-3), Bibby met with his seniors--starters David Bluthenthal, Sam Clancy and Brandon Granville, and reserve Gennaro Busterna--Tuesday morning to discuss USC’s leadership vacuum.

“They have probably 20 games left to play in college basketball,” Bibby said. “That’s all they have. They can’t vacillate and think, ‘Well, I have another day.’ Well, you don’t have another day. The end is coming close. The free housing stops, the stipend check stops, the extra meals after practice stop. All this goes away 20 games from now.

“There’s an urgency now for them to pick it up. There’s an urgency to take on the leadership of this basketball team and leave their stamp.”

Bibby also acknowledged, though, that not one of his seniors is the fire-and-brimstone type of leader.

“We have a lot of low-key guys, nice guys who kind of go with the flow, and we need someone to step up and just say, ‘This is my team,’ and to lead by example,” Bibby said.

“If your upperclassmen are not doing it, you’re probably not going to get anybody to do it.”