LOSSES HURT USC DEATH OF FRANCIS, INELIGIBILITY OF PRUITT ARE COSTLY.Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL Staff Writer Despite failing to receive a bid to a postseason tournament, the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. men's basketball team had reason to be optimistic at the end of last season. The Trojans took a step in the right direction in Tim Floyd's first year as coach, and it appeared they would return all five starters -- including the Pacific-10 Conference's top two returning scorers -- to help break in the Galen Center History USC had planned to build an on-campus indoor arena for over 100 years. Before the Galen Center, USC basketball had been played at a variety of locations, including the neighboring Shrine Auditorium stage, the old Pan-Pacific Auditorium in the Fairfax District, and since . That all changed in a three-week span. In May, starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the guard Ryan Francis Ryan Francis (March 17, 1987 – May 13, 2006) was an American college basketball player. At the time of his death, he was the starting point guard for the University of Southern California Trojans basketball team. was shot to death in a tragic case of mistaken identity mistaken identity n → erreur f d'identité mistaken identity mistake n → Verwechslung f mistaken identity n in his home state of Louisiana CODE, OF LOUISIANA. In 1822, Peter Derbigny, Edward Livingston, and Moreau Lislet, were selected by the legislature to revise and amend the civil code, and to add to it such laws still in force as were not included therein. . Then Gabe Pruitt, second on the team in scoring with a 16.9-point average, was declared academically ineligible for the fall semester. He might return in mid-December if he gets his academics together. There remains optimism for the future of the program, but the loss of Francis and Pruitt have hurt USC's bid to be a darkhorse candidate for the conference title. ``I felt the backcourt would be the strength of the team with Ryan and Gabe returning,'' Floyd said. ``Backcourts are where it's at in college basketball. You look at the final eight teams (in last year's NCAA Tournament), and their guards are all great.'' Three freshmen -- Daniel Hackett, Kevin Galloway and Dwight Lewis -- will be counted on to pick up the slack. USC started four guards or small forwards much of the time last season because of a lack of big men. That might not change. USC's only addition up front was 6-foot-9 freshman Taj Gibson, and 6-11 RouSean Cromwell is coming back from knee surgery. ``I really like all our guys right now,'' Floyd said. ``But there's too much duplication. We have a bunch of guys A Bunch of Guys (BOGs), or Group of Guys (GOGs) are terms used by counter-terrorism officials to refer to small, self-organizing terrorist cells.[1] BOGs typically have little to no contact with global terrorist groups like al Qaeda, so they independently plan and who look like clones, all 6-5 to 6-7 and the same type of players.'' Still, USC returns leading scorer Nick Young, a Cleveland High of Reseda product. Floyd calls Young, who averaged 17.3 points last season, the most improved player In some sports, a Most Improved Player award is given to players who have improved the most over the year.
The move from the dreary Sports Arena to the new arena should bring excitement, which could spark the team. ``I hope people come and fall in love with the building, then come back and create some kind of home-court edge,'' Floyd said. matthew.kredell@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: USC will try to get over the death of point guard Ryan Francis, who was shot to death in Louisiana in May. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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