Wilkinson Is Focused on Proving That He Belongs

The barometer for Keith Wilkinson was supposed to be the ability to show that he could play for a team such as Arizona. But playing big minutes against the Wildcats certainly didn’t hurt the USC freshman forward’s prospects for keeping his provisional scholarship.

Wilkinson, given one year by Coach Tim Floyd to prove he can compete at college basketball’s top level, played a career-high 32 minutes against Arizona on Thursday at the Sports Arena, giving the Trojans a much-needed boost when junior center Abdoulaye N’diaye was saddled with foul trouble for most the game. N’diaye played only eight minutes before fouling out.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Wilkinson scored only four points on one-for-seven shooting, but his nine rebounds helped USC defeat Arizona for the first time in six meetings.

“He didn’t put up a bunch of points, but the nine boards and the fact that he handled the ball and didn’t turn it over ... we’re thrilled that we could get through the game without [N’diaye’s] minutes,” Floyd said.

Wilkinson’s playing time has increased since the start of conference play. After averaging 4.7 minutes in six nonconference games, Wilkinson is averaging 12.3 minutes in eight conference games. He has moved up in the rotation ahead of freshman forward Jeremy Barr, who has not played in the Trojans’ last three games.

“I don’t really see myself as the sixth, seventh or eighth man even,” said Wilkinson, who is averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. “Jeremy Barr is also a great forward who can step up and play big, so it just totally depends on the personnel of the team and whoever coach thinks can get the job done to help us win the game.”

Part of the reason for Wilkinson’s increased playing time has been the absence of freshman forward RouSean Cromwell, who left USC’s front line woefully thin when he broke his right foot on Dec. 23. But Wilkinson has also showed the ability to guard versatile big men such as Arizona forward Ivan Radenovic who have the ability to play inside and on the wing.

“We brought him in here thinking he would be a three, a perimeter guy,” Floyd said of Wilkinson. “He’s not a big brute, he’s not a physical type of player. That’s really not his thing.”

Wilkinson and freshman guard Collin Robinson have been promised a scholarship for only one year, but there might be room for at least Wilkinson on the 2006-07 roster if Floyd doesn’t add to his four-man recruiting class. With his father recently leaving his job, Wilkinson said his family couldn’t afford to keep him enrolled at USC unless he kept his scholarship.

“It’s the perfect situation for me, so I definitely 110% want to stay here, but whatever way it works out, I love the game of basketball and that’s what I want to do,” Wilkinson said.

TODAY

vs. Arizona State, 3 p.m., FSNW2

Site -- Sports Arena.

Radio -- 1540.

Records -- USC 15-6, 6-4 in Pacific 10 Conference; Arizona State 7-12, 1-9.

Update -- Floyd said he was frightened by the prospect of playing the last-place Sun Devils because they had outplayed the Trojans until the final seconds of a 66-65 loss on Jan. 5. Unheralded big men Jeff Pendergraph and Serge Angounou combined for 35 points against the Trojans and put Arizona State in position for a victory until Lodrick Stewart’s three-point basket with 2.1 seconds left.

Tickets -- (213) 740-4672.