Trojans in flux amid reflection

Tim Floyd was supposed to spend the off-season mulling fabric swatches for the Galen Center, not helping a despondent mother pick out a casket for one of his favorite players.

Yet there stood the USC basketball coach in a Baton Rouge, La., funeral home in May, freshman guard Ryan Francis lying before him.

Floyd dropped to his knees in sorrow and said a prayer for the hard-charging dynamo who had helped the Trojans to their first winning season in four years.

“He did it all with his heart,” Floyd would say later. “He maximized every inch of his 5-foot-9-inch frame and played with as much tenacity as any player that I’ve ever coached.”

The shooting death of the 19-year-old, the unintended victim of a dispute between two other men, deprived a single mother of her only child and the Trojans of their floor leader and only true point guard.

A team that was expected to be especially strong in the backcourt was thrown into further flux in the summer when junior guard Gabe Pruitt was declared academically ineligible for the first semester and incoming freshman Derek Glasser reneged on his commitment and signed with Arizona State.

That left freshmen Daniel Hackett and Kevin Galloway -- players whom Floyd had recruited to play other positions -- to assume the ball-handling duties. And it’s the main reason the media picked USC to finish sixth in the Pacific 10 Conference despite having the conference’s leading returning scorer in junior swingman Nick Young and its active leading career scorer in senior guard Lodrick Stewart.

“We don’t have [point] guards right now and we’re trying to develop a center,” said Floyd, whose team opens the season at 7:30 tonight when it plays host to South Carolina in its Galen Center debut. “We have some real question marks.”

The biggest in stature are post players Abdoulaye N’diaye and RouSean Cromwell, who are returning from off-season knee surgeries that hindered their development. Freshman forward Kasey Cunningham, who was expected to immediately fortify a team that had been outrebounded in 21 of 30 games last season, might have to redshirt after experiencing a slower-than-expected recovery from a torn knee ligament.

Nonetheless, there are reasons to believe the Trojans could make a run at their first postseason berth since advancing to the NCAA tournament during the 2001-02 season. USC has far more depth than it did a year ago, including a glut of small forwards and shooting guards that Floyd described as “clones.”

The Trojans also feature standouts Young, Stewart and, assuming he returns for the second semester, Pruitt. Former Lynwood High forward Davon Jefferson also could provide a late boost if he meets entrance requirements in time to join the Trojans for the second semester.

Stewart appears invigorated after slimming down considerably over the last month and no longer camps out on the perimeter waiting for the ball. The 6-foot-6 Young, who averaged 17.3 points last season, could be poised to make a run at Pac-10 player of the year.

“I’ve been working hard and coach has put me in the position to be a leader,” said Young, who has moved back to the perimeter after playing out of position last season at power forward. “It’s something I have to do. I have to focus on rebounding, scoring, setting screens trying to get my teammates open -- just trying to win, really.”

Young also has helped shepherd a group of 11 freshmen and sophomores by calling team meetings to work on deficiencies that have surfaced in practice. Despite the influx of newcomers, the Trojans are actually a more veteran group than they were a year ago, when they had a combined five years of Division I experience. Once Pruitt returns, this team will have 12 years of Division I experience among its scholarship players.

The surest sign USC is a program on the rise may have come Wednesday, when prep phenom O.J. Mayo signed a binding letter of intent with the Trojans. But the point guard can’t score a point for USC this season.

Though USC faces a difficult nonconference schedule that includes games against Kansas and George Washington, the Trojans should get a boost from playing most of their early games in their sparkling new facility. USC plays nine of its first 11 games at home and 10 of its first 11 in Southern California, counting the game against George Washington at the Honda Center in the Wooden Classic.

Playing in the Galen Center was one of the things Francis had looked forward to most. Instead, he will be remembered tonight during a halftime ceremony, and players will wear uniform patches bearing his name and number all season.

“We’re going to come out with a heavy heart,” Hackett said. “Hopefully, that will help us to come out and give 110% like Ryan did, because Ryan played hard all the time. We better come out and play hard because Little Man will be mad if we don’t. We always think about Little Man, and he’s always in our heart.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

The first five

The Trojans are planning to start two freshmen. A look at their projected lineup:

*--* G Daniel Hackett 6-5 Fr. G Lodrick Stewart 6-4 Senior G/F Nick Young 6-6 Junior F Taj Gibson 6-9 Fr. C Abdoulaye N’diaye 6-11 Senior

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USC breakdown

Scouting report

* Last season: 17-13, 8-10 in Pacific 10 Conference.

* Finish: Sixth in the conference. Lost to California, 82-67, in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.

* Coach: Tim Floyd, 17-13, second season.

* Who’s gone: G Dwayne Shackleford (3.9 ppg., 1.6 apg.), G Collin Robinson (1.4 ppg.), F Greg Gaudino (0.3 ppg.).

* Projected starters: G/F Nick Young, 6-6, Jr.; G Lodrick Stewart, 6-4, Sr.; C Abdoulaye N’diaye, 6-11, Sr.; G Daniel Hackett, 6-5, Fr.; F Taj Gibson, 6-9, Fr.

* Tonight’s game: USC vs. South Carolina, 7:30, the Galen Center -- Floyd is grateful that Gamecocks Coach Dave Odom, a longtime friend, was willing to save the Trojans from playing a no-name opponent in their Galen Center debut after many other marquee teams declined the invitation. Nonetheless, the two-time defending postseason National Invitation Tournament champions have gotten off to a shaky start, defeating South Carolina State, 55-52, and losing to UC Irvine, 67-52. Senior guard Tre Kelley has averaged 12.5 points to lead the Gamecocks.

* Key dates: Dec. 4 at Kansas -- The Stewart twins, USC’s Lodrick and Kansas’ Rodrick, are reunited and Floyd ventures back to Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since leaving Iowa State; Dec. 19 vs. Longwood at the Galen Center -- This could be the game in which Gabe Pruitt returns from academic ineligibility; Jan. 13 vs. UCLA -- The first rivalry game in the Galen Center; Jan. 25 at Stanford -- The Trojans return to Maples Pavilion for the first time since a controversial last-minute call sparked a postgame brouhaha involving the USC bench and security guards after Floyd chased an official off the floor.

Roster

* Nick Young (G/F) -- No. 1, 6-6, 200, Jr.: Gifted scorer poised to make a run for Pacific 10 Conference player of the year.

* Ryan Wetherell (G) -- No. 2, 5-10, 165, Fr.: Canadian walk-on could contribute if he can overcome freshman jitters.

* Lodrick Stewart (G) -- No. 3, 6-4, 210, Sr.: Seems energized after coaches forced him to slim down.

* Chris Penrose (G) -- No. 10, 6-0, 172, Sr.: Team’s inspirational leader probably will play sparingly at the point.

* Daniel Hackett (G) -- No. 11, 6-5, 205, Fr.: After arriving a year early, will be tested by Kansas instead of Mater Dei.

* Kevin Galloway (G) -- No. 13, 6-7, 200, Fr.: Has a penchant for trying spectacular passes that wind up as turnovers.

* Dwight Lewis (G) -- No. 15, 6-5, 200, Fr.: Floyd’s latest Louisiana recruit possesses a smooth jump shot.

* Kyle Austin (F) -- No. 20, 6-7, 195, Fr.: A redshirt season remains a possibility since he just turned 18.

* Abdoulaye N’diaye (C) -- No. 21, 6-11, 220, Sr.: Appears to have softer hands than a year ago.

* Taj Gibson (F) -- No. 22, 6-9, 210, Fr.: A potentially potent rebounder and interior scoring threat.

* Keith Wilkinson (F) -- No. 23, 6-10, 220, So.: Still fighting on for a full ride after Floyd renewed his one-year scholarship.

* Sead Odzic (G) -- No. 25, 6-3, 192, So.: Hopes to find shooting touch that failed him last season.

* Terence Green (G) -- No. 30, 5-10, 176, So.: Primary role of walk-on is to fluster Hackett and Galloway in practice with quickness.

* Gabe Pruitt (G) -- No. 34, 6-4, 170, Jr.: Put teammates in a bind with first-semester academic ineligibility.

* Jeremy Barr (F) -- No. 41, 6-9, 264, So.: Decided to redshirt this season.

* RouSean Cromwell (F) -- No. 42, 6-11, 217, So.: Hasn’t progressed as much as hoped after knee surgery.

* Kasey Cunningham (F) -- No. 43, 6-7, 220, Fr.: Might redshirt because of slow recovery from torn knee ligament.

* Reed Doucette (F) -- No. 44, 6-6, 212, Jr.: Walk-on mechanical engineering major may help teammates -- with studies.