University Southern California Trojans
USC To Hold Annual Cardinal & Gold Scrimmage Saturday
October 21, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 21, 2010
The 2010-11 USC men's basketball team will be on display this Saturday (Oct. 23) when it plays the annual Cardinal & Gold free scrimmage at the Galen Center at 12:30 p.m. Second-year Trojan head coach Kevin O'Neill will run the new team through a series of four-minute scrimmages roughly totaling one half of basketball.
USC finished the 2009-10 season with a 16-14 record and in the thick of the conference race until the final weeks, despite a self-imposed postseason ban. The 2010-11 Trojans feature the Pac-10's top two returning rebounders in forwards Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson. The junior Vucevic averaged 10.7 points and 9.4 rebounds last season, while the senior Stepheson chipped in with 8.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during the 2009-10 season. Also providing veteran leadership will be senior guards Donte Smith (3.8 ppg) and Marcus Simmons (3.0 ppg), who are expected to see their roles increase this season.
Trojan fans will also get the first look at the hightly-touted freshman class of forward Garrett Jackson, guard Bryce Jones, guard Maurice Jones and forward Curtis Washington.
In addition, transfer guard Jio Fontan (Fordham) who will be eligible after the first semester and transfer forward Aaron Fuller (Iowa) not eligible until the 2010-11 season, will be in action.
USC will play an exhibition game vs. Point Loma Nazarene on Nov. 6 at the Galen Center, before opening the season at home vs. UC Irvine on Nov. 13.
