Identity Crisis: USC's Biggest Hoops Obstacles

Nick Young. Gabe Pruitt. Oh, what could have been if they'd stayed one more year.

With USC crashing through their first three Pac-10 men's basketball games without a win, it's tempting to daydream for a minute.

Get over it. Fast.

The harsh reality is that this team is facing a crushing identity crisis.

After #4 Washington State easily dispatched the Trojans, 73-58, on Thursday night, I asked Coach Tim Floyd who was showing the most leadership in practice and in the locker room.

"They're a young group. Those are things that I think come from the coaching staff with young teams. Guys feel their way through. You have to be a guy that brings it every day in practice to do that. I don't think talking really does that."

Floyd directly said that talk is cheap. He may have indirectly said that recent practices haven't been very valuable, either.

It's a matter of speculation whether a bad practice was behind his decision to bench freshman Davon Jefferson, who has been critical to the team since returning from an injury early in the season. Jefferson bounced before the press got to the locker room.

Floyd only said, "We didn't play him tonight. We will play him on Saturday. He didn't make the cut tonight. We couldn't get him out there. It was a coach's decision. He's a young player, and there's a lot of room for growth in Davon. And that's all I'm gonna say about it."

A reporter started to ask, "Was it a disciplinary ..."

Floyd cut him off sharply and reiterated, "That's all I'm gonna say about it."

There was a slightly awkward pause before the next question.

No players would say much about the situation, merely mentioning that it would have been helpful to have him on the court.

Translation: It was disciplinary.

Specifics may leak out in the next couple of days, otherwise the issue will probably disappear. The fact that he'll take the court against Washington this weekend hopefully indicates it's not a long-term problem.

Still, one freshman doth not a team make -- not Jefferson, not even O.J. Mayo. USC's new star led another game in scoring, but later he continued a familiar refrain. Per Clay de Leon (SCPlaybook.com), after the game Mayo emphasized the importance of "team" and expressed a desire not to stand out from it. I missed that statement while speaking with another player, but it's in line with what Mayo's been saying all year.

Some people might have had questions about his character and reputation coming into school. Instead, Mayo pulled a 180. We expected edgy. We got Ward Cleaver.

That's not a big knock against a college freshman in this day and age. It's exemplary. But to date his extraordinary team attitude hasn't translated to extraordinary leadership. Trojan fans need to hope that emerges from Mayo early enough in the season for him to carry the team, or late enough that he decides to wait another year before jumping to the NBA.

Enough about the freshmen. How about the seniors? Scratch that. There are none. Juniors? They combined for 12.5% of the playing time against Wazzu.

That lack of experience has magnified an equal lack of depth and size.

Tonight's reserves were outscored by Washington State's, 22-0. Against Stanford it was 18-4, and at Cal it was 22-4. USC's bench had been regularly thumped by their opponents before league play, too.

The other big problem? Big men. RouSean Cromwell replaced Jefferson in the starting lineup against the Cougars. The 6'11" center managed two rebounds and four personal fouls in the game. Seven-footer Mamadou Diarra hasn't seen the court in a while. Taj Gibson is talented, but at 6'9" spends most of his time at forward -- where he'd be on any team with a regular center.

It's far too early to write off the men of Troy, though the bandwagon is probably shedding fans. Floyd was on-point in his assessment that the coaches will have to provide the leadership on this young squad. Most sports would allow for patience, but this is basketball.

O.J. Mayo. Davon Jefferson. Oh, what could be if they stay one more year.

Don't get caught daydreaming.

Comments

[michael J. Willman]

To whom it may concern,
If anyone is interested in what's wrong with USC's basketball team, all one needed to do was look across the court at Washington State. It is a shame that with all the money USC has to throw around they don't have the smarts to identify the void, namely Tim Floyd. He may be able to recruit which in todays game is synonymous with money, but when it comes to fundamentals he doesn't know his ABC's, nor can he add or subtract. USC will show flashes from time to time which is a reflection of talent, however, a consistent level of performance is beyond their grasp for it is beyond Floyd's. Until the building blocks are in place better basketball is played at the Sports Arena!

From a fan from way back, mike