University Southern California Trojans
Men's Hoops Practice Starts Saturday
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
October 13, 1998
LOS ANGELES -- The USC men's basketball team, under the direction of third-year head coach Henry Bibby, opens practice on Saturday (Oct. 17) in preparation for Troy's 93rd season of the program. A year after reaching the 1997 NCAA Tournament, USC dipped to 9-19 overall and 5-13 in the Pacific-10 Conference (eighth), but finished 1998 on a high note. USC capped the season by upsetting No. 2 Arizona in overtime, 91-90, and dismantling Arizona State's NCAA Tournament hopes with a 117-71 shellacking. Bibby, USC's 20th coach, hopes to use that momentum as a platform for success in 1999.
This season's squad features seven returning lettermen, including seniors Elias Ayuso (guard) and Adam Spanich (forward). Also back is talented junior forward Jarvis Turner, sophomore forward Shannon Swillis (last season's leading rebounder), and a trio of athletic sophomores: guards Kevin Augustine and Jeff Trepagnier and forward Greg Lakey. Five newcomers have joined the squad, providing Bibby with the most depth he has had in his time at USC. Gone from last year's roster are five players, including leading scorer Gary Johnson and solid contributor Gary Williams.
EXHIBITION GAMES - The Trojans will participate in two exhibition games prior to their Nov. 17 opener against San Diego State at the Sports Arena at 7 p.m. USC will face the Slam & Jam All-Stars on Nov. 7 and the City Sports All-Stars on Nov. 14. Both games are at 7 p.m. on campus in the Lyon Center.
1998-99 SEASON OUTLOOK - Last year's USC men's basketball team didn't want the 1997-98 season to end. Considering Troy's final 9-19 overall record, that would seem like an unusual response to a season that saw USC finish eighth in the Pacific-10 Conference at 5-13. However, the Trojans were just starting to fire on all cylinders as the season concluded, having recorded college basketballs biggest upset of the season in a 91-90 overtime victory over then-No. 2 Arizona two days prior to a 117-71 rout of Arizona State (knocking the Sun Devils out of the NCAA Tournament) in the season finale.
Having ended the season with two consecutive victories for the first time since 1983, USC was hot.
That momentum now serves as a springboard to the 1998-99 campaign as USC head coach Henry Bibby aims to get the Trojans back into post-season play after a one-year absence.
"We had a strong end to last season," said Bibby, who led the Trojans to the NCAA Tournament in 1996-97, his first full season at the helm of the USC program. "Hopefully we will be able to build on that with some of the new people we have coming in along with the experienced players who will be returning."
Bibby, who will be in his third full season at Troy, has plenty of youth and athleticism at his disposal. There is also a considerable amount of experience in the mix as seven lettermen (four of whom are sophomores) return with a combined total of 81 starts.
Adding to that foundation will be a heralded recruiting class of five players (three freshmen and two junior college transfers), each of whom was on a state championship team last season. ESPN SportsZone has ranked USCs recruiting class at No. 15 in the nation.
"Im excited about the upcoming season with all the youth that will be coming into the program," Bibby said. "I feel that we are getting to where we need to be talent-wise and that we will have a team that can be competitive in one of the toughest conferences in the country."
Gone from last year's team are point guard Gary Johnson (who led the team in scoring in 1997-98), forward Gary Williams (a two-year starter), forward-center Anthony White and swingman Ken Sims.
THE SENIORS
Seniors Adam Spanich and Elias Ayuso no doubt will have a huge impact on Troy's fortunes in 1998-99, especially at the offensive end. Walk-on forward Seymour Daffeh also returns for his final season.
Spanich, a 6-foot-7, 212-pound small forward, is USC's leading returning scorer at 12.0 points per game. Last season, he led the Pac-10 in three-point field goals made, dropping in 73-of-174 from long distance. Spanich was also the hero in the upset victory over Arizona with two dramatic last -second three-pointers.
Ayuso, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound shooting guard, is also deadly from the perimeter. He sank 46 three-pointers last season and currently ranks at No. 9 on USC's all-time three-pointer list with a career total of 95 in only 54 games as a Trojan. Ayuso is the most experienced player on the roster, with 44 career starts (more than twice as many as any other USC player) already under his belt.
THE JUNIORS
Juniors Jarvis Turner and Quincy Wilder could be two of the more interesting players to watch next season in the Pac-10.
Turner, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward, was USCs go-to guy in the paint last season and averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Turner broke his hand prior the start of the 1998 conference season, forcing him to sit out six games, which all ended in USC losses. He also played a huge role in the upset over Arizona, scoring 19 points and grabbing a career-high 11 boards, despite badly dislocating a finger in the first half.
Wilder, a 6-3, 195-pound swingman, comes to USC from Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., with some impressive credentials. While leading his team to its second consecutive Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship, he averaged 23.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game and scored 20 or more points in 23 contests. Wilder is extremely well-rounded and could see time at as many as three positions.
THE SOPHOMORES
USC's sophomore class, which is filled with versatility, athleticism and experience, is led by returners Kevin Augustine, Shannon Swillis, Jeff Trepagnier and Greg Lakey, and newcomer Brian Scalabrine. Also returning and adding depth in the frontcourt is walk-on forward Shelby Jordan.
Augustine, a 6-foot, 185-pound point guard, started 10 games as a true freshman last season despite being hampered all year by a nagging shoulder injury. He averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. Augustine, who had successful shoulder surgery in the off-season, should be even more of a force for the Trojans with the departure of Johnson, who led USC in scoring (13.3), assists (3.7) and steals (2.1) in 1997-98.
Swillis, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound redshirt sophomore, was USC's top rebounder and shot blocker in 1997-98. He started nine games, averaged 5.9 boards per game and swatted a team-high 41 shots (1.52 per game, No. 2 in the Pac-10). Against UNLV, he yanked down 15 rebounds, the most by a Trojan in the past two years.
Trepagnier, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound swingman, is perhaps the most exciting player on the roster and one of the best leapers in the nation. As a true freshman last season, he impressively displayed uncommon athletic ability on a regular basis and averaged 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in only 16.4 minutes.
Lakey, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward, started 19 games last season as a true freshman (only Johnson started more games for USC in 1997-98) on his way to averaging 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. In one of his better games, he nearly posted a double-double against then-No. 2 Kansas with 10 points and nine boards.
Scalabrine, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound transfer from Highline Community College, could be the strong inside presence that USC has been lacking for the past few years. Scalabrine, who sat out last season at Highline, will have three years of eligibility left at USC. As a freshman at Highline in 1996-97, he averaged 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds as the Eagles went 31-1 and won their first of two consecutive NWAACC titles.
THE FRESHMEN
For the second consecutive year, USC's recruiting efforts brought three celebrated prep players to Troy Sam Clancy Jr. of St. Edward High in Cleveland, Ohio, and David Bluthenthal and Brandon Granville of Westchester (Calif.) High.
Clancy, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward, was a 1998 Parade Magazine All-America fourth team selection. He averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks last season, leading St. Edward to the Ohio "Big School" state championship. His inside play, especially on the glass and at the defensive end, will be warmly welcomed at USC.
Bluthenthal, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward, was named the 1998 Los Angeles City Section 4-A Player of the Year as he (along with Granville) led Westchester to the Division I state championship, averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Granville, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound point guard, ran the show for the Comets last season (30-3 overall), averaging 12 points, 10 assists and three steals per game. Granville was a 1998 USA Today All-USA honorable mention selection.
And another freshman two-sport star Jason Thomas could join the squad after the football season. Thomas, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback on the Trojan football team, was a standout in both sports at Dominguez High in Compton, Calif.
IN CONCLUSION
With this deep and athletic group, it appears as if the Trojans will have no shortage of players willing to run for 40 minutes. And with several three-point sharp-shooters and quick slashing swingmen at Bibby's disposal, it would be surprising if scoring punch was lacking.
Defensively, USC should be much improved, especially on the interior with the addition of Scalabrine, Clancy and Bluthenthal to the frontcourt.
Bibby and his staff also look at this year as somewhat of a new beginning for the Trojans, because the majority of the roster is comprised of players recruited in the past two years and fit nicely into Bibby's system of play.
THE SCHEDULE
The Trojans are faced with another challenging slate of games. USC's non-conference season is highlighted by a clash with the Kansas Jayhawks at historic Allen Fieldhouse. Troy's other two road games prior to the start of Pac-10 play are at UNLV and UC Santa Barbara.
The season opens at the Sports Arena on Nov. 18 against San Diego State. The Trojans play five other home non-conference games, including meetings against local rivals Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount.
USC opens league play at home against Arizona State and defending Pac-10 champion Arizona (Jan. 2 and Jan. 4). The Trojans will be faced with the task of closing the season with five of their last seven games on the road, including visits to UCLA's Pauley Pavilion and Arizona's McKale Center.
WOMEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT - The 1999 NCAA Women's Basketball West Regional, hosted by USC, will be held at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on March 20 and 22. Winner of the West Regional will advance to the 1999 Final Four in San Jose, Calif. For ticket information, call (213) 740-4672.
