Hutchinson Sees Tonight’s Game as Icing on the Cake

Robert Hutchinson celebrated his 23rd birthday Friday with little fanfare and hoped that his teammates remained blissfully unaware of it, lest they pull some sort of prank on the senior point guard.

Besides, Hutchinson already had what he considered a good birthday present. His right ankle, which had kept him on the sidelines since he sprained it a second time Dec. 21, has healed enough for him to proclaim himself ready to play against Pennsylvania in a nonconference game tonight.

“I was able to get up and down the court today,” Hutchinson said after the Trojans’ morning practice at the Forum, his second practice in as many days. “I have lift [from the foot] now. I’m anxious to play.”

Hutchinson, last year’s team captain as a reserve, said his time sitting on the bench for the Trojans’ first three Pacific 10 Conference games has been frustrating, but it has also allowed him to soak in some knowledge.

“You see a lot of things,” he said. “They’re communicating so well out there and they’ve played really well. It looks fun and I want to be a part of it.”

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The Pac-10 season has just begun, but the young and rebuilding USC team is well represented among individual statistical leaders.

In conference games only, junior guard Desmon Farmer’s 25.3 scoring average is second in the league behind the 25.7 average of Washington State’s Marcus Moore, and the 14 three-point baskets Farmer has made tie UCLA’s Jason Kapono for most in the league.

Sophomore forward Nick Curtis is the leading rebounder with 10.7 per game, and his 5.7 offensive rebound average is also tops.

Sophomore guard Errick Craven’s 6.3 defensive rebound average is tied for second with Arizona State’s Tommy Smith behind UCLA’s T.J. Cummings (7.0).

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Still without the on-campus arena that has been talked about since at least the 1960s, USC is playing at the Forum because the Sports Arena has been booked by a Disney on Ice show.

Not that the Trojans are complaining ... much. After all, they went 3-1 at Inglewood last year and are 9-5 all-time in the Lakers’ former home.

A potential scheduling conflict with the Sports Arena exists next season when Arizona and Arizona State are scheduled to visit Jan. 15 and Jan. 17, 2004.