University Southern California Trojans
Deztiny
March 14, 2003 | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2003
By Benny Artiaga
Sports Information Student Assistant
In a televised game earlier this season, Fox Sports West commentator Reggie Theus said, "That might be the ugliest facial expression I have ever seen," referring to a facial scowl by USC junior guard Desmon Farmer after he made a basket and let his emotions run wild.
Those all too familiar facial gestures mean many things to Trojans fans, but none include the word ugly. To the Troy faithful it is a sign of spirit, hope, and a will to inspire dedicated Trojan crowd. "When Desmon gets all hyped up and starts throwing his fist in the air, it fires all of us up," said Trojan teammate Rory O'Neil. "Every team needs a player like that and Dez is our guy."
Farmer was in his usual form on Thursday (March 13), scoring big (24 points) and getting his team into the game as USC upset No. 14 Stanford, 79-74. In the process, he became only the 27th Trojan ever to score at least 1,000 points and he now has 1,020, tied for 25th on USC's career chart.
An up and down season hasn't changed or stopped Farmer from enjoying what he does best. Playing basketball.
"This season hasn't necessarily gone the way we hoped. When I get excited, it is just a way of trying to hype up my teammates and the crowd," said Farmer. "I still enjoy just going out there and playing basketball and that is a part of my game that will never change."
It has been awhile since someone so spirited has graced the Sports Arena floor. At 6-foot 4, 225 pounds, high tube socks, a gold headband sporting an upside down SC logo, and a passion for inspiring the crowd and his teammates, Dez, as he is known by his teammates is starting to realize his time to become a leader is now.
"This young team is really looking for a leader right now. A freshman, a walk-on or a senior, it doesn't matter who it is," says Farmer. "Someone has to step up and make everyone around them better". Added Farmer, before Thursday's game: "I truly believe the Trojans are going to make some noise in the Pac-10 Tournament. This is a very young team but we have nothing to lose, we can just focus on going out there and having some fun."
In 2000 USC Head Coach Henry Bibby and his staff recruited Farmer despite an injury (torn ACL in his left knee), the previous season. Still there was much expectation for this slinky kid from Northwestern High in Flynt, Mich.
"When I first saw Desmon play in high school and I saw a kid with an extreme desire to play and he was full of energy," said Bibby. "He was all excited about playing and he could really shoot the basketball."
The injury occurred in the off-season between his junior and senior season. A rigorous and demanding rehabilitation process which included therapy four times a week and extended hours in the gym allowed Farmer to be ready by the time basketball season came back around. Farmer played his senior season averaging 23 points and leading his team to a 23-2 mark en route to the state championship playoffs. Given up on by schools closer to home like Michigan State and Michigan, Farmer decided to bring his high-flying act to Los Angeles.
"This was not a tough decision for me because I saw which teams really kept an interest in me," said Farmer. "Besides, I wanted to get away from home and start to do things for myself. USC was a right fit for me and I felt this university really respected its athletes."
Farmer made an immediate impact with the Trojans, starting 15 of his first 16 games as a 2001 freshman in place of Jeff Trepagnier, who missed the first half of the season due to a suspension. His playing time turned out to be valuable experience as he averaged 9.1 points through the first half of the season. When Trepagnier returned, Farmer became an essential part of the Trojan bench in a season the Trojans won 24 games and made an unforgettable Elite Eight run.
Farmer started only five games and averaged 22.5 minutes as a sophomore in 2002 as USC won 22 games and played in the Pac-10 Tournament championship. Farmer, eager to show he could be a solid contributor, stepped up his game in the last part of the season. He averaged 17.6 points in the final five games, which included contests against Oregon, Arizona, and Stanford. This would set the tone for the 2003 season.
Now a junior, Farmer's game has come together quite nicely. He is averaging a team-leading 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and shooting 83.3 % from the free throw stripe. More impressively he has stepped up his game in Pac-10 play averaging 20.4 points a game becoming only the second Trojan player to average 20 points in Pac-10 games since Harold Miner in 1992.
Farmer has shown signs of brilliance and what type of player he can truly be. In a game earlier this season against Washington State, the Trojans were down six at half-time and Desmon had only four points. After a half-time revitalization, he erupted for 31 points and seven trifectas and more importantly, a Trojan victory.
"Desmon's game has really improved over the years. His rebounding, his shot selection and his overall mental approach to the game have all improved," says Bibby. "He used to sulk a lot as a freshman and now I feel he has matured as player and a person. Now it's just a matter of Desmon improving his leadership skills and stepping up to accept that role."
"This year's team took a serious blow with the losses of (Sam) Clancy, (David) Bluthenthal and (Brandon) Granville. Farmer acknowledges that it was hard to recover from losing that many starters. More importantly he notes the importance of losing a leader like Granville."
Said Farmer: "Brandon was a great leader for us the last few seasons. He was just one of those guys that was a natural leader. This is an area where I have room for improvement and I am going to work hard in the off-season to become the complete player. I am hoping to get together with Brandon and ask a lot of questions. There are just so many questions I have and hopefully I can come back next season and help the younger guys around me the way he did."
