John’s firing affects plans

Oregon State has gone from the closest thing to a sure victory for Pacific 10 Conference opponents to something of an enigma this week after the firing of Coach Jay John.

Not only does USC have to contend with the potentially galvanizing effect of a team pulling together under trying circumstances, the Trojans also have to worry about changes in personnel and philosophy under interim Coach Kevin Mouton.

“If the new coach makes changes and adjustments, we’re going to have to adjust on the fly, and we won’t have the benefit of preparation work,” said USC Coach Tim Floyd, whose Trojans play the Beavers on Thursday in Corvallis, Ore. “So we’ll spend a lot of time working on basics and hope that they carry us through the game.”

John was fired Sunday in the sixth season of a rebuilding project that never quite took hold. Oregon State went to the National Invitation Tournament three years ago but appears in the midst of a free fall, having lost eight consecutive games to drop to 6-12 overall and 0-6 in the Pac-10.

Floyd empathized with the difficulties John faced recruiting at a remote location, having endured similar challenges while coaching at Idaho and Iowa State.

“He’s at a tough place,” Floyd said. “It’s like my Iowa State. It’s hard to find the same people that we can get down here, and typically things come back to trying to get enough great players in to keep your job.”

John had hoped that Kansas transfer C.J. Giles would be the impact player the Beavers sorely needed, but the 6-foot-11 center averaged only 6.3 points and 5.6 rebounds this season before being dismissed from the team by Mouton on Monday for unspecified reasons.

John had a record of 72-97 and a conference mark of 26-68. Oregon State owes him about $1.1 million.

Attendance has been reaching record lows at Gill Coliseum, and the Beavers have posted only one winning season since 1989-90. “Sometimes things just don’t work out, and that’s the case here,” Athletic Director Bob De Carolis said. “We needed to move on.”

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Floyd has experience as a fill-in coach, having taken over at Texas El Paso for Don Haskins for one game in February 1986 when Haskins was too sick to travel.

The location of Floyd’s first unofficial coaching victory? Gill Coliseum, where the Miners defeated Oregon State, 64-49.

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The Trojans’ 72-63 victory over then-No. 4 UCLA on Saturday was great and everything, but now it’s time for the next challenge.

Floyd tried to make that point after a brief film session Monday in which coaches maintained a routine of pointing out good plays while attempting to correct mistakes.

“It’s over now,” sophomore guard Dwight Lewis said. “We’ve got to move on to Oregon State.”

Floyd said he was pleased that his players “weren’t giddy and laughing and this and that. They were serious about what they were watching, and I think that was a good sign.”

One facet of the victory that especially satisfied Floyd was the Trojans’ 17 dunks or layups, a sign of unselfishness.

“We were willing to make the next extra pass, we were good in offensive transition, we were better off the dribble than we’ve been in a while, which was encouraging, and the decision making on the back end of the dribble for layup or kick versus shooting it over three guys, finding the next open guy, we were very good in that area,” Floyd said.

The play of Daniel Hackett also stood out during a game in which the sophomore guard had eight assists and functioned as the “point” of USC’s triangle-and-two defense.

“He’s the active guy who has to make decisions -- do I go chase him, is he a shooter, is he a non-shooter?” Floyd said. “Am I not guarding at all and going to sit back in and contain and help on [Kevin] Love? I thought he was just outstanding, and I thought he really played smart.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com