University Southern California Trojans
Men's Hoops Wraps Up Season Vs. UW, WSU
March 06, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2000
LOS ANGELES - The USC men's basketball team (14-14 overall, 7-9 in the Pacific-10 Conference, tied for sixth place), under fourth-year head coach Henry Bibby, is still in the hunt for postseason action as it concludes the Pac-10 season by hosting Washington (10-18, 5-11, eighth place) on Thursday (March 9) at 7 p.m. and Washington State (6-20, 1-15, 10th place) on Saturday (March 11) at 5 p.m. USC, licking its wounds from a 111-68 loss to No. 1 Stanford on Thursday and an 86-73 loss at California on Saturday, was nevertheless buoyed by the return of sophomore forward Sam Clancy, who had missed 10 games with a foot injury. USC appeared in the AP rankings for the first time since 1992 earlier this season and remained as competitive as ever despite losing both Clancy (USC's leading scorer and rebounder when he went down) and senior forward Jarvis Turner (USC's top reserve) to long-term injuries during the Arizona State game on Jan. 20. Clancy, however, played 18 minutes at Stanford and 31 at Cal. USC is looking for its third postseason appearance in Bibby's fourth full season as the Trojan head coach. Last year, USC was 15-13 overall and 7-11 (tied for seventh) in the Pac-10 and reached the first round of the NIT at Wyoming.
GAME #29
USC (14-14, 7-9) vs. Washington (10-18, 5-11) on Thursday (March 9). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on XTRA-AM (690). The Huskies, under coach Bob Bender, are coming off of a 64-60 win over state rival Washington State. Washington's three leading scorers are guards Deon Luton (15.3 ppg), Senque Carey (10.6 ppg) and Michael Johnson (10.0). Will Perkins is the team's leading rebounder at 6.0.
GAME #30
USC vs. Washington State (6-20, 1-15) on Saturday (March 11). The game will be televised live on FOX Sports Net 2 and will be broadcast live on XTRA-AM (690). The Cougars, under first-year coach Paul Graham, are coming off of a 64-60 loss to rival Washington. They are led by senior forward Chris Crosby (15.5 ppg) and forward Mike Bush (13.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg). They are without senior sharpshooter Jan-Michael Thomas, who is out for the year with a knee injury.
INJURY UPDATE
Out since Jan. 20 with a fracture in his right foot, sophomore forward Sam Clancy made his return to the USC lineup against Stanford on Thursday (March 2) and then played a significant role at California on Saturday (March 4). He came off the bench in both games, scoring four points in 18 minutes against the Cardinal and 13 points in 31 minutes vs. the Bears. Clancy and senior forward Jarvis Turner had both been out since Jan. 20 while recovering from injuries suffered against Arizona State. Turner, who missed seven games with a stress fracture earlier in the season, suffered a fracture in his left ankle in the first half of the game against the Sun Devils. Clancy sustained his injury in the second half. Both injuries occurred while the players were attempting layups on fastbreaks. Turner is expected to be sidelined for at least two more weeks. In addition, junior forward Brian Scalabrine suffered a strained hip flexor against Stanford that kept him out of the second half against the Cardinal. He was able to play 37 minutes at Cal and is expected to play in both games this week, though he will be held out of practice.
LAST TWO GAMES
The good news on USC Bay Area swing was that Sam Clancy, out six weeks with a foot injury, made his return to the lineup. The rest was bad news as then-No. 1 Stanford crushed the Trojans, 111-68, on Thursday (March 2) and California completed the weekend sweep by defeating USC, 86-73, on Saturday (March 4). In its win, Stanford scored more points than any team has ever scored against USC. The Trojans were led by 17 points from David Bluthenthal, 12 points from Nate Hair and 11 assists from Brandon Granville. USC, however, wasn't in the game for long. Stanford went up 13-3 at 15:22 and the Trojans were still within 13 at 39-26 with 5:31 to go before the half. Then the Cardinal, led by Casey Jacobsen's 23 points, went on an 18-4 run to close the half and led by 27 at 57-30 at the break. It only got worse from there. Brian Scalabrine, the Pac-10's second-leading scorer, sat out the second half with a hip-pointer. Stanford poured it on in the second half and led by as many as 44 points, before settling for the 43-point win. Clancy played 18 minutes, scoring four points on 2-of-7 shooting. He also had five rebounds and two assists. Stanford shot 57.6% while USC shot only 37.1%. Against the Bears, Bluthenthal scored a game-high 17 points and Brandon Granville had his team best ninth double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. But USC shot only 41.0% compared to the Bears' 51.7% and the Trojans were outrebounded, 35-31. USC never led. Cal jumped out to a 17-5 lead five minutes into the game and the closest USC got in the first half was within six before going into halftime down 47-40. The Trojans got to within three points at 54-51 and at 62-59 and got to within one point at 67-66 with 4:35 left on a Brian Scalabrine layup. But USC went cold and watched Cal go on an 8-0 run to take a 75-66 lead with 2:18 to go, sealing the win.
LAST GAME NOTES
Brandon Granville's 10 assists give him 371 for his career, fourth best on USC's career charts. It was the 12th time he's had at least 10 assists and, with his 12 points, marked his team-high ninth double-double ... David Bluthenthal made all six of his free throws, extending his consecutive make streak to 31 in a row.
WOODEN AWARD
USC's Brian Scalabrine was among 11 players that received grade checks in order to be added to the John R. Wooden Award's list of candidates for the Wooden Award and the Wooden Award All-American team. He did not however, make the national ballot for finalist consideration.
RANKINGS
USC made its first appearance in the AP Top 25 since the end of the 1992 season on Jan. 24 at No. 23. USC has since dropped out. As of March 5, USC is No. 44 in Sagarin and its strength of schedule is No. 8. USC's RPI clocked in at No. 72.
TWO QUICK FACTS
Brian Scalabrine currently leads USC in scoring with 17.9 points overall and 19.8 in the Pac-10. Those are the highest averages for a Trojan since Harold Miner led USC with a 26.3 scoring average overall and a 26.9 clip in Pac-10 games in 1991-92. Also, David Bluthenthal's 8.2 rebounds are the most by a Trojan since Jaha Wilson recorded 10.1 in 1995 and his 9.9 clip in the Pac-10 is on pace to break USC's previous Pac-10 rebounding best (Cliff Robinson, 9.8, 1979).
MINUTIA
It is no secret that USC's starters have played the lion's share of the minutes this season. But how does it compare to past Trojan teams? Since minute records began being kept in 1983, only three USC teams (1985, 1990 and 1991) featured as many as four players averaging at least 30 minutes a game and none had five. All five USC regular starters (including Sam Clancy, who just came back from injury) averaged at least 32.8 minutes per game. Jeff Trepagnier tops the list at 36.6, followed by Brandon Granville (36.2), Brian Scalabrine (35.2), David Bluthenthal (34.4) and Clancy (32.9). In Pac-10 play (which includes two single-overtime games), the minute numbers are more extreme. Brandon Granville is averaging 38.8 minutes per game, followed by Scalabrine (37.3) and Trepagnier (37.2) and Bluthenthal (37.2). Trepagnier's overall minutes average (36.9) is the most since Derrick Dowell averaged 36.8 in 1987. Wayne Carlander averaged 38.2 minutes in 1985. Granville's Pac-10 average (38.8) is the most since Carlander averaged 40.0, also in 1985. That year, of course, USC played a four-overtime game against UCLA, another two-overtime game against the Bruins and a single overtime game against Oregon State. Interestingly enough, USC only had one player average more than 30 minutes in each of the past three seasons. Last year, Scalabrine led USC in overall minutes (31.0) and in the Pac-10 (30.3).
PLATINUM RECORDS
* Sophomore forward David Bluthenthal tied a 22-year-old USC record with 28 rebounds vs. Arizona State on Jan. 20 at the Sports Arena. He tied Cliff Robinson, who had 28 boards vs. Portland State on the same date in 1978. It was the most in the conference since Robinson's effort and is tied for fifth-best ever in the Pac-10. Bluthenthal's 28 rebounds is the third-most ever in a Pac-10 game (tied with Washington's Steve Hawes in 1972) and the most in a conference game since Hawes' effort. The Pac-10 record in any game is 36, set by Swede Halbrook of Oregon State (Feb. 15, 1955). For perspective, no one in the Big Ten or the ACC has had at least 28 rebounds in the last 30 years.
* Junior guard Jeff Trepagnier set a USC (and Maui Invitational) single-game steals record with 10 against Utah State in the final game of the tournament on Nov. 24. He broke his own record of eight set against Loyola Marymount last season on Dec. 9. It is the most in the nation this year and it's one off the Pac-10 record (Tyus Edney, UCLA, 11, 1994).
* Sophomore guard Brandon Granville posted a USC and Maui Invitational single-game record with 15 assists against Memphis on the second day of the tournament on Nov. 23. The record was previously shared by Larry Friend (1986) and Stais Boseman (1996), who both had 14. It is the most in the Pac-10 in two seasons and ties for sixth all-time in the conference. The Pac-10 record is 19 by Arizona's Russell Brown in 1979.
* USC set a Pac-10, USC and a Gill Coliseum record for three-pointers made when they connected on 20-of-29 three-point attempts at Oregon State on Jan. 29. The previous conference record was 18 by Washington State vs. Seattle on Dec. 29, 1990. The previous USC record was 15, set against Arizona State in 1998 and Oregon State in 1992. The 20 three-pointers are the most in the nation this year. The NCAA record is 28 (Troy St., 1994).
ALL THINGS ASSISTS
* USC sophomore guard Brandon Granville, who set a school record earlier this year with 15 assists against Memphis (third most in the nation this year), has set a USC season record with 231 assists. He broke the old record (of 176 set by Larry Friend in 1985 in 29 games) with nine assists at UCLA (USC's 22nd game). The Pac-10 season record is 294 (Ahlon Lewis, ASU, 1998). He is tied for ninth place on the Pac-10 season assist chart with Arizona's Reggie Geary (1996). He needs 16 more to reach third place. Granville's total for all of last year was 140.
* In less than two seasons, Granville already has 371 career assists, good for fourth place on USC's career chart. The career record is 409 by Larry Friend (1983-86). The Pac-10 record is 938 (Gary Payton, Oregon State, 1987-90). Tenth place on the Pac-10 list is 554 (Reggie Geary, Arizona, 1993-96).
* After never having had more than nine assists in a game as a freshman, Granville has had at least 10 assists 12 times as a sophomore, including one stretch of four straight and in all three games of the Maui Invitational. No Trojan since Burt Harris in the 1992-93 season has even posted double digits in assists in two games in a row. Granville also has posted nine double-doubles this season.
* Granville is averaging 8.3 assists per game. The Pac-10 record for assists average in a season is 9.19 (Ahlon Lewis, ASU, 1998).
* As a team, USC is averaging 17.0 assists per game, compared to its opponents' 14.4. Last year, the Trojans averaged 15.6.
ALL THINGS STEALS
* USC junior guard Jeff Trepagnier, who earlier this year set a USC school record with 10 steals in one game against Utah State (the most in the nation this year), broke Derrick Dowell's USC season record of 62 steals set in 1987 at Oregon (Jan. 27). Trepagnier, who now has 83, broke the record in his 17th game compared to Dowell's 28. The Pac-10 season record is 110 set by Jason Kidd (California) in 1993. Trepagnier is now tied for seventh on the Pac-10 single-season chart at 83 (with Stanford's Brevin Knight). He needs only two more to tie Jason Terry's 1997 fifth-place total of 85 and eight more to tie for third at 91. Brandon Granville now has 61 steals this season, one short of tying Dowell's original USC record.
* Trepagnier is averaging 3.1 steals per game. The Pac-10 record for steals average in a season is 3.8 (Jason Kidd, California, 1993).
* Trepagnier has had at least three steals 16 times and has had at least five steals six times.
* Trepagnier is working his way up the USC career Top 10 in steals with 161, good for third place. Derrick Dowell is second with 179 and Stais Boseman (1994-97) owns the record with 208. Brandon Granville has quietly followed Trepagnier up the list and is tied for fourth on the career chart with 115. The Pac-10 career record for steals us 321 (Gary Payton, Oregon State, 1986-90). Tenth-place on the list is Boseman at 208.
* Led by Trepagnier (83 steals) and Granville (61), USC has 254 steals as a team, compared to its opponents' 216.
USC PAC-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior forward Brian Scalabrine and sophomore forward David Bluthenthal have both earned Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Week honors this year. Bluthenthal was named for the week of Jan. 17-23. He averaged 22.0 points and 17.5 rebounds in the Trojans' sweep of the Arizona schools. He had 18 points and a USC-record-tying 28 rebounds against Arizona State and a career-high 26 points and seven rebounds vs. Arizona. It was Bluthenthal's first such honor, the second for USC this season and the 19th all-time for the Trojans. Scalabrine earned his award for the week of Dec. 6-12. Scalabrine averaged 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in blowout wins against Hawai`i and Loyola Marymount. In the latter game, he recorded his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds and added a career-high seven assists. It was the first time he's been honored with the Pac-10 award.
ROSTER MOVE
Sandy Fletcher, a freshman football player who played four games with the basketball team as a guard this season, left the squad shortly after the Pac-10 season started to concentrate on academics. Fletcher joined the team in mid-December and saw 11 combined minutes of action in games against Long Beach State, San Diego State, Washington State and Washington. He scored a total of four points.
USC AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
USC guards Brandon Granville and Jeff Trepagnier are both among the nation's leaders in their respective specialties, assists and steals (Feb. 29). Trepagnier (31 spg) is 12th and Granville (8.3 apg) is sixth. Trepagnier's school-record 10 steals against Utah State on Nov. 24 are the most in the nation this year.
PAC-10 STAT NEWS
Brian Scalabrine is second in the Pac-10 in scoring (17.9), fifth in field goal percentage (.527) and 15th in rebounds (6.0). Jeff Trepagnier is first in steals (3.1), sixth in the blocks (1.4) and ninth in scoring (15.3). Brandon Granville is first in assists (8.3), third in steals (3.2), 10th in free throw percentage (.783) and 17th in scoring (13.4). David Bluthenthal is third in rebounds (8.2) and free throw percentage (.837) and 15th in scoring (13.8).
In Pac-10 play only, Scalabrine is second in the conference in scoring (19.8), Bluthenthal is tops in rebounding (9.9) and free throw percentage (.887). Granville leads the Pac-10 in assists (8.5) and Trepagnier leads in steals (2.2). Nate Hair leads USC in three-point accuracy in the Pac-10 (.422) while Trepagnier is right behind him at .422. They are eighth and ninth, respectively, in the Pac-10 in that category. The Trojans are shooting .449 in conference play, .380 from three-point range and .735 from the foul line.
CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS CHART
Sophomore forward Sam Clancy had surpassed junior guard Jeff Trepagnier on the USC career blocked shot chart at 64. But Trepagnier has caught the injured Clancy and, standing only 6-foot-4 but possessing fantastic leaping ability, now has 81. Trepagnier is now fifth on the list and Clancy is seventh. Brian Scalabrine, with 48, is approaching the top 10. The USC record is 128 by Lorenzo Orr (1992-95).
STARTERS - AND FINISHERS
Prior to the injury to Sam Clancy against Arizona State on Jan. 20, USC was relying heavily on its five chief starters. The group of guards Jeff Trepagnier and Brandon Granville, forwards Sam Clancy and David Bluthenthal and forward/center Brian Scalabrine had combined to start all but two times and accounted for 83.0% of the minutes played.
40/45-MINUTE CLUB
Each regular starter has played at least a full game once this season (including overtime). Jeff Trepagnier has done it seven times, followed by Brandon Granville (six), Brian Scalabrine (five), David Bluthenthal (four) and Sam Clancy (once). Granville and Scalabrine both played 45 minutes in an overtime game at Washington and Granville did the same vs. Arizona State. Additionally, Bluthenthal played all but 15 seconds of the Arizona State game.
20-POINT PERFORMANCES
Each regular starter has scored at least 20 points once this season. Brian Scalabrine has done it 11 times, followed by Brandon Granville and Jeff Trepagnier (seven each), Sam Clancy (four) and David Bluthenthal (three).
RANDOM NOTES
* No Trojan had posted three consecutive double-doubles since Jaha Wilson did it in 1995-96. This season, two Trojans have done it. Sam Clancy did it earlier this year against UC Santa Barbara, St. Bonaventure and Hawai`i. David Bluthenthal matched it with three straight vs. Arizona State, Oregon State and Oregon. * USC has had seven games decided by five points or less and the Trojans are 2-5 in those games. * Stanford set a USC opponent record with 111 points. The previous record was 107, set by three teams: Kansas in 1999, Arizona in 1992 and UCLA in 1967. The 43-point margin of defeat was one point off of the worst USC loss in school history, a 92-48 setback against Arizona in 1988. The 57 points Stanford scored in the first half were the most given up by the Trojans in any half this year and the 27-point halftime deficit was also a season-worst * When USC faced then-No. 1Stanford on March 2, it was the first time it played a No. 1 team since playing UMass in the second round of the Rainbow Classic on Dec. 29, 1995, in Honolulu. USC lost to the Minutemen, 78-63 * All five USC starters have scored in double figures in the same game six times this year. * When David Bluthenthal made 10-of-10 free throws at ASU, he tied the USC single-game record for free throw percentage (minimum 10 attempts). The most any Trojan has attempted without a miss was John Block, who went 21-of-21 against Washington in 1966, a Pac-10 record. David Crouse also made 11-of-11 in 1996. When Bluthenthal scored 20 points against Northwestern, he did so on 9-of-10 shooting. That fell just short of the Trojans' individual record for field goal percentage, held by numerous people at 10-of-11. * USC's .652 shooting percentage (15-of-23) in the second half at Oregon State was its best 20-minute mark of the season, regardless of which half. * The 44 points USC allowed against Northwestern was the lowest opponent total for the Trojans since holding Loyola Marymount to 43 points last season (Dec. 9, 1998). USC's 58.3% shooting in the first half vs. LMU this year was a season best and its 56 first-half points against the Lions were a season best. * Brandon Granville has had at least four treys seven times in his career, including five times this year. He has also had at least five steals five times in his career. * Brian Scalabrine's .5315 field goal percentage in 1999 was good enough to put him fourth all-time on USC's career field goal percentage chart. He has continued his fine shooting in 1999-2000 and is at a .530 clip. * For seasons that have spanned the change of a decade (like 1989-90 or 1999-2000), USC has had seven winning seasons and only two losing ones. * USC's 25 assists against Memphis was its most since the 1997-98 season.
PACIFIC-10 PRESEASON POLL
USC was picked to finish seventh in the 1999-2000 Pac-10 media poll. Arizona (356 points), with 32 of a possible 36 first-place votes, was tabbed as the favorite to win the title this season. UCLA (307) finished second and had three first-place votes and Stanford (296) was picked for third with one first-place vote. Oregon (246) was fourth, followed by Oregon State (174), California (152), USC (151), Arizona State (129), Washington (117) and Washington State (44).
TOURNEY TEAMS ON THE SCHEDULE
The Trojans will face six teams this season that reached the 1998-99 NCAA Tournament (North Carolina, Duke, Washington, UCLA, Arizona and Stanford) and another three that played in the 1999 NIT (Northwestern, Oregon and California) for a combined 15 games against teams that reached the postseason a year ago. So far, USC is 4-10 against the above teams.
RANKED TEAMS ON THE SCHEDULE
USC is slated to play eight games against five teams ranked in the Associated Press' Preseason Top 25. They are North Carolina (No. 6 ), Arizona (No. 9 ), Duke (No. 10 ), UCLA (No. 12 ) and Stanford (No. 13). All rankings preseason.
USC AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
The Trojans are 2-5 against ranked teams this year with wins over then-No. 2 Arizona and then-No. 25 UCLA and losses to then-No. 5 North Carolina, then-No. 15 Duke, then-No. 2 Stanford, then-No. 4 Arizona and then-No. 1 Stanford. USC's wins over Arizona and UCLA gave the Trojans back-to-back wins over ranked teams for the first time since the 1993-94 season. That year, USC downed No. 18 California, 86-78, and No. 15 UCLA, 85-79. The last time USC defeated ranked teams more than twice in a row was in 1991-92, when the Trojans did it four straight times. They beat No. 24 Stanford, 82-72, No. 2 UCLA, 86-82, No. 4 UCLA, 83-79, and No. 2 Arizona, 70-69. Counting wins over No. 5 Arizona and No. 12 UCLA at the end of the 1990-91 season, the Trojans defeated six straight ranked teams. USC went 1-6 against ranked teams in 1998-99 and is 6-22 versus ranked teams since December of 1996. USC's lone win over a ranked team last year was at then-No. 6 Stanford, 86-82, in overtime. In USC's other three wins in the above stretch (all at home), USC shocked then-No. 6 (and eventual NCAA champion) Arizona, 75-62, on Jan. 16, 1997, defeated then-No. 16 Stanford, 84-81, on Feb. 6, 1997, and toppled then-No. 2 Arizona, 91-90 (OT), on March 5, 1998.
USC AT HOME
USC saw its nine-game home winning streak snapped against California on Feb. 3. Dating back to 1996-97, the Trojans are 35-16 (.686) in their last 51 games at the Sports Arena and USC is 93-40 (.699) at the Sports Arena since the beginning of the 1991 season, including a 16-game winning streak over a span of the 1992 and 1993 seasons and two nine-game winning streaks that spanned the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons and the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons.
TROJANS ON TELEVISION
USC will be quite visible throughout the year. Currently, USC has 17 games that will be televised live in Los Angeles. Two of those games (against North Carolina and at Long Beach State) were broadcast nationally on ESPN and five other games will be aired nationally on FOX Sports Net (FOX Sports Net locally). Nine other games will be televised by FOX Sports Net 2 and the Duke game aired on KCAL (Channel 9).
HENRY BIBBY
Henry Bibby, a coach with 17 years of college and professional experience and the only player to ever play for an NCAA, NBA and CBA championship team, is in his fourth full season as the head coach of the USC men's basketball program. Last season, he directed the Trojans to a 15-13 overall mark (7-11 in the Pac-10, tied for seventh) and a first-round appearance in the NIT. USC went 9-19 the previous season, but closed out the year with a stunning 91-90 overtime victory over then-No. 2 Arizona and a 117-71 rout of Arizona State. In his first full season at the helm of the Trojan program, Bibby did not waste any time in moving Troy in the right direction. The 1996-97 campaign saw the Trojans finish second in the Pacific-10 Conference and make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1992. The previous year, the Trojans went 11-19 and finished ninth in the conference. The seven-game improvement is the third-biggest turnaround in USC history and the seven spot increase in the standings matches a school best. In addition, Bibby's 17-11 mark in 1996-97 is the best by a Trojan coach in his first full year since Forrest Twogood went 21-6 in his debut season in 1951. Bibby was named USC's head coach on March 15, 1996. Bibby joined the Trojan program in May of 1995 as an assistant coach. He was named USC's interim head coach on Feb. 7, 1996, replacing Charlie Parker. Bibby came to USC after coaching a club team in Venezuela in 1995. He was a head coach for eight seasons in the Continental Basketball Association. His teams made it into the CBA playoffs six times and posted a 223-213 regular season record, making him only the fourth CBA coach to post 200 wins.
BRIAN SCALABRINE
Junior * forward/center * 6-foot-9 * 250 pounds
* Averaging team-best 17.9 points and is also averaging 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals. His .410 three-point percentage (25-of-59) leads the team and is within striking distance of USC's single-season record of .426 (Anthony Pendleton, 1989). His .527 field goal percentage is also tops on the team and his 2.8 assists per game are second on the team. * Averaging 19.8 points in Pac-10 play (second in the league) and has scored at least 20 points in nine of 16 Pac-10 games. * Missed the second half at Stanford with a strained hip flexor. * 1999-2000 Top-50 Wooden Award and All-American candidate. * 2000 NABC All-District 15 first team. * Named Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 6-12, the first such honor of his career. During games against Hawai`i and Loyola Marymount, Scalabrine averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. * Posted career-high 29 points to go with 10 rebounds in loss vs. Oregon at Sports Arena. * Had 28 points in loss at No. 4 Arizona. * His 28 points at Arizona was the fourth consecutive game he had had at least 20 points, marking the first time a Trojan has done it since Lorenzo Orr did it six straight times in 1994-95. The four-game streak ended the next game at ASU. * Scored 27 points and six rebounds in upset of then-No. 2 Arizona at the Sports Arena. * Had 26 points vs. Arizona State, including seven points in overtime, and had 26 points vs. Oregon State. * Scored 25 points and had nine rebounds in losing effort vs. California. * Had 24 points and nine rebounds at Washington, playing all 45 minutes of overtime game. * Posted second and third career double-doubles with 21 points and career-high 11 rebounds at San Diego State and 16 points and 10 rebounds at Loyola Marymount. * 1998-99 Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year and also received All-Pac-10 honorable mention honors. * Led USC in scoring (14.6), rebounding (6.4) and field goal percentage (.531, 152-of-286) last year. Was second in assists (68) and third in blocks (25). * "Scalabrine showed us how smart of a player he is. He took our guys to school. He is arguably the best player in the league." -- Oregon State Coach Eddie Payne (2000) * "(Scalabrine) is an all-leaguer. He's the closest thing I've seen to Detlef Schrempf since Detlef Schrempf. He can bring it on the break. He can pass it and he can shoot it. He's a pro, no question." -- Arizona Coach Lute Olson (1999) * "(USC) is well-rounded with a great inside guy (Scalabrine) who will be a professional player. He's as good as it gets." -- Arkansas State Coach Dickey Nutt (1999) * "Scalabrine is a great Division I player. I think he's terrific." -- Long Beach State Coach Wayne Morgan (1999)
JEFF TREPAGNIER
Junior * guard * 6-foot-4 * 195 pounds
* One of the top athletes and best leapers in the nation whose dunks and athleticism (he has a 40-inch vertical leap) often land him on Plays of the Week highlight reels around the country. ESPN.com also had Trepagnier among its nominees for the best dunker in the country. * Leads the team in steals (3.1, first in the Pac-10), blocks (1.41) and minutes (36.6) and is third in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (6.6). He has five double-doubles. * 2000 NABC All-District 15 second team. * Set USC season record for steals with 83 and counting (tied for seventh on Pac-10 single-season chart). The old USC record was 62 by Derrick Dowell. He has made at least three steals 16 times and has had at least five steals six times. * Scored a career-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds in win over then-No. 25 UCLA. * Had a spectacular game against Utah State in defeat at the Maui Invitational. Had 19 points, broke his own USC single-game steals record with 10 steals (the old mark was eight), blocked four shots and had seven rebounds. Overall in Maui, Trepagnier averaged 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 steals, 2.7 assists and 1.7 blocks in 39.0 minutes per game. * Scored five of his 16 points vs. ASU in the final 90 seconds of regulation to erase an 82-77 USC deficit and force overtime in an eventual Trojan win. * Scored 23 points and had career-high four three-pointers vs. Oregon State. * Had fourth double-double of season with 20 points and season-high 13 rebounds at No. 4 Arizona and followed it with fifth double-double at ASU (11 points, 10 boards). * Posted double-double vs. then-No. 15 Duke with 15 points and 12 rebounds. * Had 23 points vs. UC Santa Barbara to go with five steals. Posted 21 points at UCLA, 20 points vs. both Northwestern and Hawai`i and had 19 points, six steals and four assists against Memphis. * Had 17 points, including three treys, at Oregon State. * Missed the St. Bonaventure game while attending a funeral for his grandmother in Southern California. * Was the only Pac-10 player to finish in the Top 10 in steals, blocks and field goal percentage (.492, 125-of-154) last year and he averaged a double-double in his last five games (16.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg). * Was also a two-sport athlete in 1999, competing in the high jump for the track and field team in a dual meet with UCLA and at the Pac-10 Championships. New to the sport, he won the event against the Bruins (6-9 3/4) and finished second at the Pac-10s (7-0 1/2), earning All-Pac-10 first team honors. * Posted fifth double-double of last season with a then-career-high 24 points and career-high 17 rebounds at Wyoming in the first round of the NIT. * "Jeff Trepagnier is as good of an athlete as we've played against and he's got courage, too." - Mike Krzyzewski, Duke Head Coach (2000) * "(Jeff Trepagnier) is the conference's top defender." - Richard Obert, Arizona Republic. (2000) * "Trepagnier has been the missing link for the Trojans ... He has given the Trojans the scoring pop on the wing that they lacked a year ago." -- Andy Katz, ESPN.com (2000)
BRANDON GRANVILLE
Sophomore * guard * 5-foot-9 * 175 pounds
* Averaging 8.3 assists per game (first in the Pac-10) and has 12 double-digit assist efforts and nine double-doubles. He is second on the team in steals (2.2) and fifth in scoring (13.4). * With nine assists at UCLA on Feb. 9, Granville broke Larry Friend's 1985 USC season assist record of 176. Granville now has 231 and counting. Earlier in the year, he set the USC single-game record for assists with 15 against Memphis in the Maui Invitational, also setting a tournament record. He also had 19 points and five steals in the game. * Averaging 14.1 points and 8.5 assists in Pac-10 play. * His 95 career three-pointers puts him 11th on USC's career chart. Rodney Chatman is 10th with 105. Harold Miner owns the school record with 176. His 54 treys puts him 11th on USC's single-season chart, two away from 10th. * Reached double digits in assists in four straight games once this season and did it three straight times earlier this year. * Had USC best eighth double-double with 20 points and 11 assists at No. 4 Arizona. He also had 21 points and 11 assists at Oregon State and tied career high with five three-pointers. * Posted career highs in points (24) and field goals (eight) at San Diego State and made a career-high tying 5-of-7 three-pointers. * Had second-best scoring outing of season vs. Arizona State, scoring 22 points and dishing out 11 assists. * Scored 20 points, dished out seven assists and had five steals, without a turnover, against Northwestern. * Had 20 points in only 22 minutes at Loyola Marymount and made 3-of-4 three-pointers and had a career-high two blocks. * Had 17 points and 10 assists against then-No. 25 UCLA. * Posted 10 assists and 14 points at Washington. * Scored 15 points and had 11 assists against then-No. 5 North Carolina and had 12 assists and five steals vs. UC Santa Barbara. * Earned 1998-99 Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention honors.
DAVID BLUTHENTHAL
Sophomore * forward * 6-foot-7 * 220 pounds
* After coming off the bench last year, has earned a starting role in 1999-2000 at small forward. * USC's leading rebounder (8.2) and fourth-leading scorer (13.8) and he has seven double-doubles. * Averaging 15.3 points and 9.9 rebounds in Pac-10 play and has made 63-of-71 foul shots (.887), including a current streak of 31 in a row. * Named Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 17-23, the first such honor of his career. During games against Arizona State and Arizona, Bluthenthal averaged 22.0 points and 17.5 rebounds and made 14-of-23 field goals and 14-of-17 free throws. It is USC's 19th such honor. * Had a monster performance vs. Arizona State, recording 28 rebounds and scoring 18 points. The 28 boards tied USC's school record (Cliff Robinson, 1978, Portland State) and was the most rebounds in the Pac-10 since that same game. * Had career-high 26 points (on 9-of-12 shooting) and had seven rebounds in win over then-No. 2 Arizona. * Posted third straight double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds vs. Oregon at Sports Arena. * Had 19 points and 15 rebounds at UCLA, 19 points (including 10-of-10 from the foul line) and 12 rebounds at ASU and 19 points and 11 rebounds vs. Oregon State. * Scored 20 points vs. Northwestern on 9-of-10 shooting. * Made career-high five three-pointers at Oregon State. * Had 19 points (17 in the first half) and nine rebounds at Long Beach State and played all 40 minutes for the first time. * Posted 18 points and 11 rebounds against Memphis in the Maui Invitational for first career double-double. He shot 9-of-12 in the game. * Had 12 rebounds and 12 points against UCLA at Sports Arena. * Scored 17 points (including 4-of-7 on three-pointers) at St. Bonaventure and had career-high four steals at San Diego State. * Scored 14 points and had nine rebounds against Utah State in the final game of the Maui Invitational. He averaged a team-high 8.7 rebounds in the tournament and also averaged 12.7 points. * Played in 20 games and averaged 7.6 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman.
SAM CLANCY
Sophomore * forward * 6-foot-7 * 240 pounds
* Clancy, out for six weeks while recovering from a fractured right foot suffered in the second half of the Arizona State game at the Sports Arena on Jan. 20, returned to the lineup at Stanford on Thursday (March 2). He played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds. He then played 31 minutes off the bench at California, scoring 13 points and getting four rebounds. * Clancy, who missed 10 games, is USC's second-leading scorer (16.3), rebounder (7.3) and shot blocker (1.39). * Scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games before his injury. * Scored career-high 24 points on 8-of-9 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws and also had eight rebounds against Cal State Northridge. * Had 23 points (including career-high 11 field goals) and three steals against then-No. 5 North Carolina and had 23 points at Washington. * Posted fifth double-double of season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Pac-10 opener at Washington State. * Had 18 points, nine rebounds vs. UCLA. * Seventh on USC's career blocked shot chart (64). * First Trojan to post three consecutive double-doubles since Jaha Wilson did it four consecutive times in the 1995-96 season (vs. Oregon, Stanford, California and Arizona State). Clancy's double-doubles came against UC Santa Barbara (22 points and 11 rebounds), St. Bonaventure (15 and 11) and Hawai`i (16 and 11). * Had 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks at Long Beach State, had 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocks vs. then-No. 15 Duke and 18 points and nine boards at San Diego State.
JARVIS TURNER
Senior * forward * 6-foot-8 * 240 pounds
* After missing seven games earlier in the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, he has missed the last six weeks recovering from a fracture in his left ankle against Arizona State on Jan. 20. His return this season is still doubtful. * Turner has only played in seven games this year, averaging 1.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14.1 minutes of action. * USC's lone senior, he was fourth on team in rebounding (3.5) in 1998-99 in only 13.1 minutes per game. * Returned from seven-game layoff at Washington State with five points in 14 minutes then played a key defensive role in USC's overtime win at Washington. * Missed seven games recovering from a stress fracture in his foot. He suffered the injury in the preseason but initially tried to play on it. * Started three times last season but has 23 career starts to his credit. * Scored season-high 16 points and had six rebounds against St. Bonaventure last year.
NATE HAIR
Freshman * guard * 6-foot-3 * 195 pounds
* An athletic guard, Hair has become an oft-used reserve in the Trojans' guard rotation and has seen considerably more playing time since the injuries to Sam Clancy and Jarvis Turner, starting three times. * Averaging 4.0 points in 17.3 minutes overall and 5.0 points in 20.8 minutes in the Pac-10. * Made first career start at Oregon State and posted season highs in points (14), three-pointers (four), assists (seven), steals (three) and minutes (39). * Tied career-high with four three-pointers (accounting for all 12 points) at No. 1 Stanford. * Had 13 points in 35 minutes at Oregon off the bench, hitting 3-of-4 three-point attempts. He tied season high with five rebounds. * He has made 20-of-47 (.426) three-point attempts in Pac-10 play, best on the team. * Scored nine points (on 3-of-5 three-pointers) vs. then-No. 2 Stanford. * Had nine points and five rebounds at Loyola Marymount. * Subbed in for fouled-out Jeff Trepagnier in overtime win at Washington and helped hold Huskies to 1-of-10 shooting in extra frame. * Scored first six points of his career at St. Bonaventure, going 2-of-3 on three-pointers, playing season-high 28 minutes. * Missed most of the preseason and both exhibition games recovering from a stress fracture in his knee. * Was a 1999 Street & Smith's All-American honorable mention, an All-Stater Sports 1999 West Regional Dream Team fourth teamer and a 1999 Best in the West and 1999 Orange County Register Fab 15 second team pick as a senior at Capistrano Valley (Calif.) High. * Averaged 15 points and five rebounds his senior year in high school.
KONSTANTINOS CHARISSIS
Freshman * center * 6-foot-11 * 250 pounds
* A talented big man with a traditional European game, he has seen increased playing time since the injuries to Sam Clancy and Jarvis Turner and has proved to be an effective rebounder. He has started 11 times in 24 games, including in eight straight games. * Had by far his most productive game of the season at No. 4 Arizona. He posted career highs in points (nine), rebounds (eight), minutes (33), free throws made and attempted (3 of 4) and assists (four). * Averaging 1.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game overall and 1.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.6 minutes in Pac-10 play. * Had five points and six rebounds in only 15 minutes at ASU. * Made first career start against Hawai`i and had four points and six rebounds six in 23 minutes. * Also goes by the first name Kostas. * Was a reserve center on the mid-level Greek club team Papagou-Athens in 1999 and averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in limited action.
RASHAD JONES
Junior * guard * 6-foot-2 * 195 pounds
* A hard-working point guard, he backs up Brandon Granville in the backcourt in his first year as a Trojan. He has seen slightly more playing time since the injuries to Sam Clancy and Jarvis Turner. * Played 24 minutes off the bench in USC's 1999-2000 season opener against Cal State Northridge, scoring six points (all on free throws) and grabbing six rebounds to go with two steals. He also played 21 minutes against Memphis and had three rebounds and two points. * Shooting .840 from free throw line (21-of-25). * His one point at ASU was his first since the LMU game. * Averaging 6.9 minutes as a reserve guard. * Averaged 15.7 points, 6.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game in leading the Jaguars to a 19-10 mark as a 1999 sophomore at San Jose (Calif.) City College. He made 50.4 percent of his field goal attempts (120-of-238) and shot 80.1 percent from the foul line (125-of-156).
MALACHI THURSTON
Freshman * guard * 6-foot-4 * 200 pounds
* An athletic swingman, he competes for minutes as a reserve in the backcourt. His minutes increased somewhat since the injuries to Sam Clancy and Jarvis Turner. * Made first career start at St. Bonaventure, scoring three points and getting four rebounds. * Posted career highs of eight points and two three-pointers at No. 1 Stanford off the bench. * Played 26 minutes against UC Santa Barbara, grabbing a career-high five rebounds and scoring four points. * Averaging 5.7 minutes per game overall and 5.5 minutes in 10 Pac-10 games. * He averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists last year at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., and earned the William Duryee Award as the top player in the Tri-State League.
LUKE MINOR
Freshman * center * 7-foot-3 * 320 pounds
* USC's tallest player ever, he is redshirting as a true freshman. * Minor averaged 7.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks as 1999 senior at Blue Ride Academy in Dyke, Va., leading his team to a 19-6 mark and an appearance in the state semifinals of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. * He broke the school's season block record with 67 and the career block record with 124. Minor was named Virginia's 10th best prospect by the Roanoke Times.
ABDULLAH ELMAGBARI, FRANKIE EVANISKO, ROB ERES AND SHELBY JORDAN
* Rounding out the USC roster are four walk-ons: junior forward Shelby Jordan, sophomore forward Rob Eres, juniors forward Abdullah Elmagbari and freshman guard Frankie Evanisko. Of the four, Elmagbari has seen the most meaningful time, including a four-minute stint in the second half of USC's upset of then-No. 2 Arizona and cameo appearances in both games against Stanford. He has played 19 minutes in eight games overall. Jordan has played 18 minutes in seven games, scoring two points at Loyola Marymount. Eres has played three minutes in two games without scoring and Evanisko has played two minutes in two games, scoring one point against the Lions.
