Clancy Looking Ahead

It wasn’t the fact that he had been snubbed in the latest Pacific 10 Conference player of the week announcement that got to Sam Clancy.

It was the fact that the USC senior power forward lost out in making a little sibling rivalry history that rubbed him the wrong way.

Clancy’s younger brother Samario, a junior at St. Edward High in Lakewood, Ohio, was honored Monday as his league’s player of the week.

“We could have been player of the week together,” Clancy said with a smile. “But it didn’t happen so there’s always next week.

“It would have been nice to have been Pac-10 player of the week, but it’s not something I look too much forward to. It’s not like they give you a trophy or anything.”

Clancy did enough in the Trojans’ home split against California and Stanford to garner serious consideration for the Pac-10 honor.

Against the Golden Bears and Cardinal, two teams that came in with a combined record of 24-7, Clancy averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 steals while making 74.1% (20 of 27) of his free throws and shooting 48.4% (15 of 31) from the field.

But Oregon State junior forward Philip Ricci was feted after averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals against Washington and Washington State, the league’s two last-place teams, which were a combined 12-22.

Clancy will get an up-close-and-personal look at Ricci Thursday when the 23rd-ranked Trojans play at Oregon State.

“I’ve never seen him play and I heard he was a good player,” Clancy said. “That’s the only thing I’m taking into the game.”

Paul Gutierrez