Or at least one as these super athletes coming this way understand the entire one and done concept but want to be able to do two things; enjoy the LA lifestyle and be able to play right away.  Boyd led the Trojans to a good season in his first year in LA but not quite good enough for the Big Dance.  Boyd did not turn the Trojans into an overnight national power even with all of his super recruits but he will be back for more and is bringing with him one of the best recruiting classes in the country.  Heck, USC finally beat UCLA at something in basketball as this incoming class is actually rated higher than the Bruins.  But, they are the Bruins and John Wooden is John Wooden and Boyd’s watch is ticking.  How close were they this year to getting to the Big Dance?  Well, if the Trojans would have beat the Bruins in the final game of the year they probably would have been dancing.  And how close was that game?  The Trojans missed not one but two buzzer beating shots that would have won the game.  Sometimes you just have to settle for being not quite as good (or second best) and that will never happen when it comes to Trojans and Bruins.  So, the Trojans keep trying every which way they can and playing every angle to get the players in to wear the cardinal and gold and Coach Boyd to lead them to the kind of prominence and respect they get in the other sports.  And, most importantly to their fans and boosters:  Somebody who can beat UCLA! 

Coach Boyd’s team had a good year. But his predecessor at USC, Sam Barry, had many good years as well.  But losing the last 10 in a row to the Bruins kind of sealed his fate.  Boyd’s boys won enough to get them into the NIT and were competitive all throughout the year.  They do have talent coming back especially in the backcourt and on the wings.   But it is hard to hang with monsters from UCLA if your only player above 6’10 barely got on the court.  USC needs some size inside about as badly as the football team needs a new stadium but the Coliseum is the Coliseum and though Boyd has recruited as much as he can get there is no way these kids can matchup with Walton and Alcindor.  Boyd has decided not to go away from strength and it seems every super wing in the country wants to come to LA and this feisty coach sure as heck was not turning them away.  But will being dominant on the perimeter be enough to overcome the dominance of the other team from LA?  We shall see but if USC doesn’t get off their myopic attention towards their city of Angles brethren they might just passed up by some of the lesser known schools in the PAC-10. 

The Trojans have two world class shooting guards coming back this season.  This is a problem.  Or is it?  Senior Bill Sharman and Junior Paul Westphal can both really light it up.  Both know how to use a screen and are great shooters when they get the ball.  Westphal is a terrific ball handler for a bigger guard and ‘Bullseye Bill’ is the best free throw shooter on the West Coast as well as a heck of a break man.  Boyd did all he could to get them both minutes last year even putting them on the court at the same time.  This was difficult however as the Trojans have one of the best point guards in the country running the team.  It all worked out sort of when Sharman went down and the Trojans had the luxury of having an all-league type of talent to come in for him.  Westphal was magnificent after the injury averaging almost 18 a game down the stretch.   The great duo of shooters actually finished the season with the same scoring average in an ironic little twist.   Both of these guys are smart men who without question will be playing at the next level someday but for this year they will be splitting time at the two.  And the three.  As for now Boyd plans on starting them together on the wings but I cannot imagine that the 6’4 Westphal can handle guarding those athletic wings of this conference and Sharman, as smooth as he is, goes 6’2 so he will always be a shooting guard.  Well, except on the baseball diamond where he plays first base for the vaunted USC 9. 

The aforementioned Gus Williams is one terrific point guard.  The ‘Wizard’ as he is now known can distribute and score.  This 6’2 175 pound junior from Mount Vernon New York is the unquestioned leader of this team.  He loves to set up his teammates and get them involved.  But he also knows when to take over a game and he loves taking big shots at the end.  Williams is not only quick as nails but tough as a tree and just loves the competitive nature of the game.  There is more than one Wizard in LA and this one actually plays the game and is as magical as anyone on the court.  Williams does not get the attention he deserves as one of the premiere point guards in the country.  Mack Calvin is a solid backup who might get a chance to play if Gus goes down but even that is questionable as fellow senior Gene Rock is still around.  The 5’9 Rock once started here but is too small for the new PAC-10 and won’t play much in his final season.  Calvin has some skills but nowhere near Williams but after two years of JC is glad to be on any D-1 school.  And here he gets some attention for the future, just not a lot of minutes.  He is just stuck behind a magic man.  Fellow senior Ralph Vaughn and junior Dan Anderson round out the backcourt and both are better than most.  Boyd is bringing in a bunch more perimeter players including a transfer from of all places Kentucky who is like a ‘blur’ on the court he is so quick.  He better be that quick because the guys he is competing with are as good as they get in the back court. 

For all the great guard and wing play and all the hype those players get the most important Trojan player last year was without a doubt Junior big man Cliff Robinson.  Robinson was basically a one man show in the post for the Trojans.  He was not only the number one option offensively but led the team in scoring and rebounding and by pretty healthy margins.  But that only begins to tell you of his importance.  Robinson always guarded the other team’s best player not because he wanted to but because he had to.  This 6’9 220 pound stud has some issues with guys like Alcindor down low and is better suited for the four. But this team does not really have a true center.  At least not one who is anywhere near the big man for the Bruins in size or talent.  Senior John Rudometkin who started most of the early games next to Robinson can play a little offense but at six foot six is not guarding any real post players.  The ‘Reckless Russian’ plays with a high level of energy and the fans love him but he is just not big enough to play post in the modern Pac 10.  Rudometkin ran out gas midway through the year as he contracted a rare disease that had him grounded for the rest of the season but opened the doors for others to take leadership roles as he is the team captain.  Robinson took the responsibility of being the main man down low and flourished.  He did not get the attention of his teammates especially by the fans but the opposing coaches knew who they had to contain to beat the Trojans?  How important was Robinson to the Trojans?  He missed six games this year and they lost all six.  Kind of like the Eddie Johnsons of Illinois and Auburn he and his namesake that plays for UConn do not get their due mainly because they have such common names (though very uncommon games) and people are always mixing them up.  Robinson is a hot commodity with the pros (who isn’t down here?) who covet big men and can score and board and he most definitely fits that bill.  The Trojans have to figure out a way of keeping the talent they recruit in the beautiful city of LA for longer than a cup of coffee. You don’t see anybody from UCLA leaving early now do you? 

The bench for the Trojans features many a big man trying to help out up front.  Boyd used many players trying to find the right mix.  As stated above, Rudometkin got the starts early but fellow senior John Block got the most minutes and when the Russian went down Block stepped into the starting role at the 5.  Block is a solid low post player that at least can help a little defensively and on the boards but still only goes 6’9 207.  He is not a match for a Walton or Alcindor but is a solid player who can play with most big men and puts up good numbers.  Boyd had several options he tried to find the right guy next to Robinson up front but Block was the granite that he kept coming back to for his consistency though in LA his mundane game does not get him a huge fan base like most of his teammates.  Junior John Lambert has some size (6’10) and toughness for the gig but is vastly inconsistent and did not get many minutes.  Fellow Junior Ron Riley is a great board guy and got some quality minutes but does not have the size (6’8 and a trim 195) to guard centers and true power forwards though he is tough and is not afraid to throw an elbow or two; just ask Walton?  The man with the best shot of hanging with those monsters is 7’1 265 Ron ‘Tiny’ Taylor.  Taylor has the size to hang but his skill set is limited and he gets in foul trouble often.  Taylor likes to draw charges and his acting chops are just not up to par.  And refs do not like to give charges to seven footers, ask big Lou.  USC needs Taylor to playing the part of a basketball player and start being one.  A trio of sophomores showed they have some game and will battle for PT up front this year.  Derrick Dowell, Wayne Carlander and Purvis Miller were the front line for the JV this past season and performed well.  Miller was the best of the bunch and plays both forwards and is talented enough to hang at this level.  All three have a future here but we will find out more when they play the big dogs of the Pac-10.  JV is a long way from varsity at any level but especially in D-1 major college basketball.   

The USC Trojans know how to bring in talent to their program.  Whether it is football or baseball or yes even basketball the Trojans are at the top of the recruiting classes every year.  The problem is that the football and baseball programs find a way of keeping their players around and building top notch teams that can compete year in and year out for national crowns.  The basketball program gets talent but the players are usually one and done and on to the pros or have severe off the court issues. There is no continuity with the players or even the coaches who seem to be turned over almost as quick as the student-athletes.  Coach Bob Boyd melded some of that great talent together into a fine team last season in SoCal.  The Trojan hoopsters were closer than a meth whore in heat to a man with a big Johnson to getting an invite to the Big Party but alas could not beat the mighty Bruins in a regular season ending classic.  The Trojans had to settle for the second fiddle status of the NIT and the fans were not happy.  To make matters worse the player that hit the game winning shot for the Bruins in that game was none other than Reggie Miller the brother of Trojan superstar and national champion Cheryl Miller. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound?  How can the Trojans not land both Millers?  Well, the simple answer is that the family wants to play on national championship contending teams and this Trojan Men’s basketball team is just not that.  Yet!  Will they ever get there?  Well, the talent is there and they are getting the recruits no matter what the cost.  Maybe for once they should try to keep some of the players around and build a nucleus of real basketball players and quit bringing in the leapers and super athletes.  Get basketball players first.  And while you are at it keep a coach long enough to see a class he brings in graduate.  Most importantly though remember you are the USC Trojans, the greatest Sports University in the country and no matter how many titles the Bruins win in hoops you still have the coolest nickname on the planet.  I would rather be a Trojan than a Bruin any day. And the greatest sweaters on the planet!