USC has turned things around after a lackluster 1997-‘98 season

Steve Carp

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 10:52 a.m.

The 1997-98 campaign may be in Henry Bibby's rear-view mirror, but the wreck that was Southern Cal's basketball season a year ago remains etched in Bibby's mind.

The Trojans were wracked with injuries and they struggled to a 9-19 record and finished eighth in the Pacific 10 Conference at 5-13. However, one positive memory has stayed with Bibby -- a season-ending 117-71 rout of Arizona State which came off a 91-90 shocker at Arizona, ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time.

Not only did that final game knock the Sun Devils off the NCAA Tournament bubble, it was a jumping-off point for the future of USC basketball.

"The best thing about this year is the way we finished last year," Bibby said. "Those two wins will be a springboard to getting off to a good start."

Sure enough, USC started the 1998-99 season the way it ended '97-98. The Trojans mauled a subpar San Diego State squad 101-54 Tuesday, so USC should be a confident team when it comes to the Thomas & Mack Center on Friday to face 2-0 UNLV.

"We remind ourselves every day," Bibby said of last season's strong finish. "We're beefed up all around and while we're a much younger team, we have some experience."

With Jarvis Turner, Adam Spanich, Elias Ayuso and Jeff Trepagnier back, Bibby has a solid core to build around. Sophomores Greg Lakey and Kevin Augustine have a year under their belts and newcomer Brian Scalabrine debuted impressively with 14 points against San Diego State.

But when Bibby talks about improvement, he points to intangibles.

"The attitude's better," he said. "We're getting people who want to be here to get an education and play basketball instead of those who are looking at it from one side -- basketball."

It has been one of Bibby's priorities since he took over for Charlie Parker more than three years ago.

"We want kids who want to go to class," he said. "We want kids who want an education."

As for the basketball side of things, Bibby likes the way his guys are competing in practice. Apparently, it is carrying over to game night. At least it did Tuesday.

"We're more competitive this year," he said. "Last year, we had no choice but to play the freshmen. This year, guys are out there competing and fighting it out on the floor."

It also helps to have a healthy Jarvis Turner. Last year against UNLV, Turner broke his hand in the first half and did not return. USC fell to the Rebels, 82-72, and lost the next six games with Turner sidelined.

"Jarvis was a big factor," Bibby said of the 6-foot-8 junior power forward. "When he went out, we struggled."

With Turner on the floor, USC can be multi-dimensional on offense. Last year, the Trojans took 610 3-point shots, second-most in school history.

"We want to be an inside-out team," Bibby said. "And I think we can be. The key is everyone accepting their roles."

Bibby also has come to accept certain things that come with coaching at USC. There's always talk of building an on-campus arena, but the Trojans' home remains the antiquated Los Angeles Sports Arena.

"I don't know where it's at," Bibby said when asked about plans for a new building for his program. "But I don't worry about it. We have an arena where we play so I don't make an issue of it."

He did concede that other schools use the Sports Arena as a negative recruiting tool, but he tries to downplay the matter as much as he can.

The other inherent issue at USC is it is in the same town as national power UCLA.

But Bibby, a Bruin alumnus, doesn't worry about what Steve Lavin does across town. His focus is squarely on his own program.

"We're just trying to get better every day," he said. "And I like the direction we're headed."