Gibson likes the size of help on front line

It wasn’t exactly Taj Gibson & The Four Lilliputians, but it seemed for long stretches last season as if Gibson was the only dependable big man on the court for USC.

Gibson can look around now and find some sturdy reinforcements, and not only in the form of the two freshman big men who have joined the roster.

Junior forward Keith Wilkinson, who spent much of his first two seasons on the wing, is trying to become more of a back-to-the-basket player.

Junior forward RouSean Cromwell, whose energy was offset by his penchant for turnovers as a freshman and sophomore, is attempting to slow his tempo and play within himself.

And redshirt freshman forward Kasey Cunningham is back after sitting out last year because of a knee injury.

They will be joined by a pair of promising freshmen, 6-foot-8 Davon Jefferson and 7-foot Mamadou Diarra.

“The post is a lot deeper this year,” Gibson said. “There’s a lot of guys who are more physical.”

Gibson has added 15 pounds of muscle, which the sophomore hopes will help him avoid wearing down in the second half like he did last season.

After registering eight double-doubles in his first 16 games, the 6-9 Gibson tallied only three more in his final 21 games.

“It’s good because during the season your body wears and tears,” Gibson said, “so the extra weight helps my body being physical and going to the basket stronger.”

Coach Tim Floyd said he has noticed some big changes in the All-Pacific 10 Conference freshman.

“I don’t know if it’s confidence because he’s been out here a year and knows where he’s going,” Floyd said, “but he’s always around the glass and it seems like he’s finishing a lot better than he did this time last year.”

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Jefferson, Marcus Simmons and Dwight Lewis, all nursing various injuries, practiced with limited success Monday.

Floyd said all three players were about a week away from being able to play at full strength, though he expected Jefferson (sprained knee) and Lewis (bruised quadriceps) to participate in Sunday’s Cardinal & Gold scrimmage at the Galen Center.

“Right now I’m not jumping to my highest ability, so some rebounds I can’t get,” Jefferson said. “I’m thinking about sitting out to let it get 100%, but it’s up to coach and the trainers. . . . I kind of limp running up the court, so I can’t really run that hard.”

Simmons (sprained ankle), who only participated in about 10 minutes of practice Monday and was walking with a noticeable limp afterward, seems the furthest away from being 100%.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com