He Keeps His Team Sized Up

When Jeff McMillan transferred to USC from Fordham in the summer of 2002, the Trojan staff hoped that the power forward would help fill the sizable void left by the departing Sam Clancy.

In his first season of eligibility, McMillan has done that and more, on Friday picking up the honor as the Pacific 10 Conference’s newcomer of the year in voting by the league’s radio play-by-play announcers.

“It’s nice to win any award,” McMillan, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound junior, said in a statement.

The players were deemed off-limits to the media by Coach Henry Bibby.

McMillan, who is averaging 11.4 points and 8.7 rebounds while leading the conference with a .638 field-goal percentage, becomes the third USC player, joining Rodrick Rhodes in 1997 and Brian Scalabrine in 1999, to win the award, which began in 1993.

McMillan, the only Trojan to start all 27 games this season, has nine double-doubles and has averaged 13.4 rebounds over the Trojans’ last five games. He probably will break the USC field-goal percentage record of .574 set by Steve Smith in 1978-79.

The award is named after late UCLA broadcaster Fred Hessler.

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TODAY

at Oregon State, 5 p.m.

Fox Sports Net

Site -- Gill Coliseum.

Radio -- KMPC (1540), KSPA (1510), XEMM (800).

Records -- USC 12-14 overall, 7-10 in Pacific 10; Oregon State 12-15, 6-11.

Update -- Without the suspended Derrick Craven, Bibby said freshman Rodrick Stewart would start at point guard.