Craven Raises Hopes by Practicing Again

Three days after saying he wasn’t sure if the discomfort caused by the bone bruise in his right ankle would allow him to play again, senior shooting guard Errick Craven practiced Tuesday for an hour during USC’s 6 a.m. workout.

Yet while interim Coach Jim Saia reiterated that he was not sure if Craven, who first injured the ankle in practice Dec. 27, would suit up, Saia was hopeful Craven would do that and more.

“He’s a great contributor,” Saia said. “I’m hoping to get some of him back. It’s to-be-determined, but it would be nice.

“We’re going to shut it down [for the season] if it hurts and he can’t go.”

Craven, USC’s No. 19 all-time leading scorer, sat out the Trojans’ losses at Washington and Washington State last week.

He has slumped badly since the injury, having been held scoreless in three of his previous five games, though he is still only 13 steals from overtaking school career leader Brandon Granville, who had 229.

Craven is averaging 5.1 points, 6.9 below his career average entering the season.

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Saia found a soul mate with whom to commiserate on the Trojans’ layover in Las Vegas late Saturday night -- Steve Lavin.

Lavin, Saia’s boss at UCLA for seven years and now a college basketball analyst for ESPN, was on the same connecting flight to Los Angeles as the Trojans, who have lost four straight and are 2-9 in the Pacific 10 Conference.

“Steve was very complimentary,” Saia said. “He understands how a season can go south.”

So did Lavin offer any insight to dealing with an underachieving team?

“No, he didn’t have to,” Saia said. “I went through it with him [at UCLA], putting out fires.”

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Following Saturday’s loss at Washington State, a perturbed Saia intimated that he was going to complain to the Pac-10 about the officiating. Upon further reflection, he had a change of heart.

“The officiating is not what cost us the game,” he said.