Fresh Start

Whenever you see Desmon Farmer on the basketball court, he always looks as if he’s in a hurry.

He’s one of the first Trojans downcourt when USC has the ball, fastbreak or no fastbreak. He zips to his favorite shooting spot whether he’s dribbling or not.

On defense he moves back and forth, sizing up his opponent like prey.

No matter where he’s going, Farmer will get there quickly. And this season No. 19-ranked USC has been willing--within limits--to let its 6-foot-4 freshman prodigy play at his own speed with his own agenda.

Today, though, Farmer is talking about patience. About learning. About going from high school star and national recruit to a small part of the big picture.

“Where I came from, it wasn’t basketball like this,” Farmer said. “The coach just let you play on your own. I had to learn the different defenses and how to play. It was a big change.

“It’s been harder than what I thought. It’s my first time like this.”

Still, Farmer--who is averaging 10 points and 3.1 rebounds for the 12-2 Trojans--has arrived in USC’s plans ahead of schedule.

He wasn’t supposed to be a starter. Coach Henry Bibby and his staff had their entire starting lineup back from last season, and it was considered one of the best in the Pacific 10 Conference. Besides, the Trojan offense may look simple--if you’re open, shoot--but it is predicated on timing and an ability to read defenses. It’s a system that takes time to learn.

But USC’s situation changed when Jeff Trepagnier could not play, first because of a foot injury and then because he was suspended during an NCAA investigation. Farmer was given the starting job and, though Trepagnier was cleared to play last week, the freshman hasn’t relinquished the spot.

“I’m very pleased with him,” Bibby said. “You expect incoming freshmen to be up and down. But he’s been consistent. He’s won some games for us. He’s kept us in other games. I love his enthusiasm on the floor. He’s a good addition for us.”

Said Sam Clancy: “With the absence of Jeff, he’s brought energy and athleticism to us. He’s young, always jumping around, always trying to get everyone hyped. The team feeds off his energy.”

But Farmer, 20, can do more than emote. He is third on the team in assists (23), and he has shown he is a scoring threat, dropping 21 points and nine rebounds on Cal State Northridge, and a career-high 24 points last week against Washington State.

He doesn’t jump as well as Trepagnier (few do), nor is he the defensive glove Trepagnier can be. But Farmer has a better outside shot, particularly from three-point range. And Farmer is arguably the best one-on-one player USC has.

The other starters, who could have been frosty to anyone replacing Trepagnier no matter the circumstances, are also enamored with Farmer.

“It was kinda like we had to be,” Brandon Granville said, smiling. “Jeff wasn’t going to play and we needed someone to step up. He was looking like the guy who showed the most progress early on. I think he’s played well. When he’s relaxed and doesn’t try to do too much, that’s when he has his best games.”

David Bluthenthal, who hosted Farmer when he made his recruiting trip to USC, got one of the first looks at Farmer’s abilities.

“He joined in a pickup game,” Bluthenthal said. “He wasn’t supposed to play because he was still recovering from knee surgery. But the first time down the court he made this really smooth crossover dribble to the basket. I thought ‘Yeah, this guy can play on our team.’

“He respects the veterans on the team and has really tried to fit in. I don’t think he’s been unleashed yet. He’s a much better player than what he’s shown. He’s capable of scoring 25 every night. He’s had some inconsistency as a freshman, but he’ll get better.”

But that doesn’t mean the older Trojans won’t put Farmer in his place.

During practice this week for UCLA, Farmer was lagging behind on a couple of running drills. Granville and Jarvis Turner pulled him to the side and barked, “You’ve got to make it. Coach is not going to stand for you not to run the times you’re supposed to run. You’re a starter now and you have to be responsible.”

Farmer took it in stride. Farmer takes everything in stride. He’s as loose as a bunch of spilled marbles.

He has had his share of obstacles to overcome, however.

Farmer, one of three sons (including older brother Tim, who is the director of basketball operations at USC), did not have that easy a time growing up in Flint, Mich. He said his father Earl wasn’t around and his mother, Sharon Jackson, had to take a job in Las Vegas in Farmer’s freshman year in high school. He finished growing up under the eye of his aunt, Janice Banks, an elementary school teacher.

But basketball kept Farmer from drifting into trouble. In his junior year at Northwestern High he averaged 18 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Colleges began reaching out.

Then there was a roadblock. While playing in a 1999 AAU summer game in Washington, Farmer and teammate Kelvin Torbert jumped to block a shot. Torbert fell on Farmer, and Framer tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Even though Farmer recovered and averaged 23 points his senior year, many colleges that had shown an interest suddenly lost his phone number.

Marquette and USC kept after him. USC assistant coach and lead recruiter Dave Miller pursued the hardest.

“I didn’t think [the injury] would change his game,” Miller said. “I thought it would make him even more intense and have more love for the game of basketball. And it’s obvious; you can see his enthusiasm on the court offensively and defensively.

“He’s one of the few kids, like Sam Clancy, that I was able to look at and say this is a definite blue-chip recruit that can come in and make a difference on the success of this team.”

Miller’s attention made Farmer’s choice easy.

“I trusted him,” Farmer said. “He and his family made me feel comfortable; they stayed in touch when I got hurt. They were constantly seeing how I was doing.

“I felt I was going to be taken care of here the way Coach Miller approached me. He made me feel he would also be a big brother or father because I really didn’t have one of those growing up.”

As to whether the Trojans took a risk on on Farmer because of the injury, Bibby said no.

“We’re not like UCLA where all the top kids want to come to, so we were going to stay with a kid like this,” Bibby said. “Hopefully he gets better and does what Farmer has done. You get lucky once in a while and get a kid like that.”