Once the Shock Fades, a Good Future Awaits

Was it merely fool’s gold, USC’s spirited run to the Pacific 10 Conference tournament title game?

Or was it a glimpse into the Trojans’ future?

Either way, it was an opportunity lost -- USC missing out on appearing in the NCAA tournament by virtue of its 74-66 loss to Oregon on Saturday -- and it shouldn’t have been that surprising.

Not when you consider the words uttered by USC Coach Henry Bibby late in the season.

“We’re a team that’s never capitalized on opportunities,” he said. “We just haven’t.”

Bibby often pointed to his team’s youth as a reason for its inconsistency. After all, there was little doubt that USC, which often started four sophomores and a junior, would suffer growing pains this season after losing three senior starters.

No one, though, could have predicted the bumpy road the Trojans would endure en route to a 13-17 season that culminated with a second consecutive appearance in the conference tournament title game ... and a second consecutive heartbreaking loss.

Nowhere did the Trojans hurt more than at point guard.

Senior Robert Hutchinson, who started the first four games, was slowed by a right ankle that he twisted three times before conference play was four games old.

Disillusioned and fretting about his future, Hutchinson left the team for three games near the end of the season.

Sophomore Brandon Brooks, who expected to win the starting spot by the start of conference play, was beginning to assume command when he was lost for the season on Jan. 14, dislocating his left ankle and breaking his leg in a freak accident at practice.

Junior guard Roy Smiley sprained his right knee late in the season (he broke his left leg on Saturday) and forwards Jerry Dupree, who got a late start after serving a semester-long suspension to focus on academics, and Nick Curtis had nagging heel and foot injuries.

Plus, the Trojans were sorely lacking in senior leadership. Hutchinson and center Kostas Charissis were the only seniors. And it’s hard to have senior leadership when your seniors rarely play.

Maybe that’s why it was almost a look of relief, rather than regretful reflection, that Charissis wore in the locker room after Saturday’s loss ended USC’s season and his career.

“I thought the whole season there were only two games where we played with heart and passion to win,” he said, referring to the Trojans’ Pac-10 tournament wins over Stanford and California.

Indeed, the Trojans never won more than three games in a row this season. They had three such streaks -- and a seven-game losing skid.

“But I think with all the guys they’ve got coming back,” Charissis said, “and the experience, things will be better next year.”

Especially when you factor in the new players.

Top-50 high school recruits Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart of Seattle’s Rainier Beach High will strengthen the Trojan backcourt and USC will get some much needed size down low from power forward Jeff McMillan, who transferred from Fordham and will be eligible.

“Who expected us to win a national championship this year?” Bibby wondered aloud in a familiar refrain. “You have a couple of slow-down years, where guys mature a little more.

“Again, how many McDonald’s All-Americans do we get? We get pretty good players in here and we coach them fairly well, but we don’t have too many McDonald’s All-Americans in our program. Once we start getting those down the road, kids will want to come to USC.

“Then we’ll be a program when you can expect me to be there every year -- the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight and winning the Pac-10 tournament.”

The luxury of rebuilding years seems to afford some solace.