Trojans suddenly are winning on all fronts

Tim Floyd was so worried about turnovers against Long Beach State that he forced his players to run sprints after every mistake in practice a few days before the game.

Considering how smoothly things went against the 49ers and on the recruiting front Friday, the USC coach’s biggest concern might not be turnovers so much as turnover.

Freeing up scholarships for the horde of prospects who say they intend to make the Galen Center their college basketball home could be the biggest challenge facing Floyd in the years to come.

Nine days after high school phenom O.J. Mayo signed a letter of intent with USC, highly rated junior point guard Brandon Jennings on Friday gave the Trojans an oral commitment that seemed like more, considering he said he didn’t plan to visit any other schools.

The current Trojans provided Floyd with some more good news Friday night, in the form of a 79-61 victory over Long Beach State before an announced 7,112 at the Galen Center.

USC dominated the 49ers in the paint and played with uncharacteristic poise against a team known for pestering its opponents into turnovers. Junior swingman Nick Young scored 22 points and freshman forward Taj Gibson had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the Trojans, who led by as many as 28 points in the second half.

“I just kept doing the dirty work,” said Gibson, who helped the Trojans outrebound the 49ers, 58-44.

“Coach told me to be an animal on the glass and help the team any way I can.”

Senior shooting guard Lodrick Stewart scored 16 points and became the 30th USC men’s player to score 1,000 points in his career.

Stewart and Long Beach State senior guard Kejuan Johnson were involved in an altercation early in the second half that resulted in offsetting technical fouls. Stewart said Johnson poked him in the face but called it “just two players playing hard. At that time of the game, that’s when everyone picks up their intensity.”

Senior guard Aaron Nixon had 13 points for the 49ers (2-2), who made only 29% of their shots from the field. Long Beach State forced USC (3-1) into 19 turnovers, but most of them came in the opening minutes and after the outcome had long been decided.

USC’s third consecutive victory was witnessed in person by Jennings, a 6-foot-1 junior from Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy who is rated as the top point guard in his class by scout.com. Jennings said he picked USC over Connecticut in part because he wanted to play in front of his family, which lives in Lakewood.

He said he also felt he could make an immediate impact regardless of whether Mayo stays for a second season or declares for the NBA draft.

“The only reason I didn’t go to UConn is because they have point guards already,” said Jennings, who said he wouldn’t even bother with an official visit to the campus in Storrs, Conn. “Those guys being from the East Coast and already being there a couple of years, you know how that is. Coming in to SC, I’ll play right away because they need some point guards.”

Jennings, who spent his freshman and sophomore years at Compton Dominguez High, said he also appreciated Floyd’s tell-it-like-it-is approach.

“Most coaches tell you what you want to hear,” Jennings said. “He told me I didn’t play defense real well and needed to get stronger. For a guy to keep it real with me, it made me want to go there.”

The Trojans’ 2007 recruiting class, which includes Mayo and former Lynwood High forward Davon Jefferson, is already ranked as high as No. 2 nationally by some scouting services. The 2008 class, which is also expected to include Lakewood Artesia forward Malik Story, could be as good or better.

“We felt like with the signing of O.J. and Davon one of the benefits would be future star players would have to consider us,” said Floyd, who cannot comment on recruits until they sign a binding letter of intent.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com