Hutchinson Sits Out Practice

Senior point guard Robert Hutchinson, who has had a sore right ankle since spraining it for a second time this season Dec. 21, was held out of practice Monday by Coach Henry Bibby, putting Hutchinson’s availability for Wednesday’s game at UCLA in doubt.

USC had hoped that Hutchinson, who already has been sidelined for three games this season because of the injury, would be ready for the Bruins.

“We’re trying to figure out if I can get through the pain,” said Hutchinson, who shot around during the three-hour workout, “or if it’s too much pain that it means something else [is wrong].”

Hutchinson said he expected to see a doctor today.

Said Bibby: “It’s day-to-day and if he’s ready, then we’re going to play him. Hopefully we’ll get to the game Wednesday and he has enough adrenaline going he wants to play.”

Hutchinson said that the pain of sitting helplessly on the bench Saturday at Washington while the Trojans’ 21-point lead evaporated into a loss stung worse than the constant throbbing in his ankle.

“It hurt me,” he said. “I felt like I let my teammates down because during the game they were telling me that they needed me and they wanted me to play.”

Sophomore Derrick Craven, who has been starting at the point, said the Trojans miss Hutchinson’s on-court presence.

“We need him back,” Craven said. “He’s the leader of the team. He calms everything down and sets the tempo.”

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Gregg Guenther, the two-sport athlete who spent the fall playing backup tight end on the football team, rejoined the basketball squad Monday, albeit a couple of hours late.

The 6-foot-8, 245-pound power forward, who played in nine games and started three after joining the basketball team two games into Pacific 10 Conference play last year, was told by a teammate that practice began at 3:30 p.m. It had been moved up to 1:30.

“I’m just looking to get in shape and get some minutes, help the team win some games,” said a sheepish Guenther, who underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage from his left knee in November.