Thursday, January 23, 1997
Roderick Rhodes, Stais Boseman lead USC powerhouseBy Hye
Kwon
Daily Bruin Staff
Less than a year ago, the USC men’s basketball team was the butt
of many jokes after going 0-9 under interim head coach Henry Bibby.
Frustration, turmoil and a lack of team unity were all wrapped in
one neat package as the Trojans spiraled into impotence.
Now, as Bibby’s team challenges the Bruins for the Pacific 10
lead at the Sports Arena at 7:30 tonight, the hapless USC team of
last year is nowhere to be seen, both literally and
figuratively.
Gone from last year are eight players, including Brandon Martin,
Tyson Reuter, Cameron Murray and Avondre Jones, who all played
crucial roles on the team. Kentucky transfer Roderick Rhodes leads
the list of 10 new players  seven of whom are transfers
 who have changed the complexion of the program entirely.
Joining forces with senior guard Stais Boseman, the new players
have led the Trojans to a sweep of both the Arizona and the
Washington schools. In other words, USC (9-5 overall, 4-2 in the
Pac-10) is not a team the Bruins can overlook two days before the
big Louisville game.
"With the junior college kids and obviously Stais Boseman
continuing to improve, and with a guy like Roderick Rhodes … they
have a blend that makes them very, very competitive this year,"
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "Coach Bibby’s got a much more
athletic, quicker, much more explosive team."
The most important new addition to Bibby’s team has been Rhodes,
who sat out the entire season last year after transferring from
Kentucky in 1995. Rhodes has been slowed for the last four games
due to a sprained knee, but the senior still maintains a scoring
average of 13.7 points per game.
The offensive spark that Rhodes provides has been an important
factor for the Trojans, but as far as experience and defensive
tenacity are concerned, Boseman is still the unequivocal leader.
Boseman currently leads the team in scoring (16.2 points per game)
and assists (4.0 per game).
Coupled with a Washington victory over Stanford, a Trojan win
tonight over UCLA (10-4, 5-1) would propel USC to the top spot in
the Pac-10 standings for the first time since 1994. The last time
the Trojans had a meaningful lead in the conference was five years
ago, when Harold Miner helped USC compile a record of 9-1 midway
through the 1992-93 season.