Bibby Tries to Stay Patient

Ah, youth.

So promising one moment, so hopelessly fruitless the next.

With the youth movement USC has undertaken this season, sending the Trojans and their fans on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, Coach Henry Bibby often has to remind himself of such perils associated with rebuilding. Especially after losing three senior starters.

But 16 games into the season, is youth still an excuse?

“As bad as we’re playing at times, we’re still in there [competing]. And as good as we’re playing at times, we’re in there,” Bibby said. “That’s what you’re going to have with an inexperienced, young basketball team.”

Bibby said that this season’s squad, which has four sophomore starters, reminds him of the 1999-2000 Trojans.

That was also a young and relatively inexperienced team that had three sophomore and two junior starters, and that, after finishing 16-14, was left without a postseason bid. But after a season of experience, and with Sam Clancy’s broken foot healing, the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

“I have to remind myself of [being patient] now more than any other year,” Bibby said. “But I still give this team a lot of credit.”

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Junior center Jonathan Oliver has not played in the last two games, but Bibby said that should not be taken as a sign that the Ventura College transfer is in his doghouse.

“I’ve always said that it takes a year for a junior college player to come around,” Bibby said. “You know that, but you look at him and think, ‘Gosh, he’s a 7-footer, he should be ready to go.’ But it’s a big adjustment for him. It’s a big adjustment for any junior college player.”

Unless that player’s name is Steve Francis or Shawn Marion, two recent junior college players who excelled immediately at the Division I level.

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Sophomore center Rory O’Neil acknowledged that he was “a step slow” in the second half of the Trojans’ discouraging loss to Oregon State on Thursday night, a game in which he had seven points and one rebound in 17 minutes.

But even if he was drained from averaging 39.5 minutes in the Trojans’ previous two games, at California and Stanford, O’Neil wasn’t admitting it.

“I don’t want to say it did [tire me out] because then Coach won’t play me like that again,” O’Neil said with a smile.

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TODAY

vs. No. 22 Oregon, noon

Fox Sports Net

Site -- Sports Arena.

Radio -- KMPC (1540), KPLS (830).

Records -- USC 7-9 overall, 3-5 in Pacific 10 Conference; Oregon 15-4, 5-3.

Update -- Oregon junior forward Luke Jackson took 13 stitches in his right ring finger Jan. 23 but still scored 27 points against UCLA on Thursday. Still, he is listed as questionable today, as are USC forwards Nick Curtis (right heel and left ankle) and Jerry Dupree (right foot).

Tickets -- (213) 740-4672.