RHODES DIRECTS TROJANS OVER TO WINNING PATH : USC 77, WASHINGTON 58.

Byline: Scott Wolf Daily News Staff Writer

First, USC coach Henry Bibby made a point to Rodrick Rhodes, then Bibby made Rhodes the point.

Bibby expressed his displeasure in the Kentucky transfer's play this season, and in an attempt to find a solution, moved Rhodes to the point forward position.

The decision was an initial success Thursday night, as Rhodes had 17 points and five assists to lead USC past Washington 77-58 before 2,139 at the Sports Arena in the Pacific-10 Conference opener for both teams.

Rhodes directed the Trojans' offense, and in the process, freed up another struggling senior, point guard Stais Boseman.

The pair were the main reasons for USC's easy win over Washington, which suffered its worst loss in 43 games.

``Coach (Bibby) brought it up and I was totally shocked,'' Rhodes said of the position change. ``For me, I like it. You have the ball in your hands more.You have to be part of the game.''

Bibby has been mystified by the slumping play of his two star seniors, and decided a change was necessary following last weekend's loss to Nevada-Las Vegas.

Rhodes had briefly played point forward at Kentucky, and was receptive to the move during Monday's practice. He did commit six turnovers, but was more involved in USC's offense, and made 7 of 13 shots after entering the game shooting 37 percent from the field.

``I wanted to put him in a position where he could be successful,'' Bibby said. ``He draws a lot of attention. He can do something with the basketball. I knew that.''

Boseman also benefited with 14 points, and played one of his better defensive games of the season. He made the key plays in the first half that changed the tone of the game after USC got off to a sluggish start.

USC (6-3, 1-0) was trailing the Huskies 27-20, when he made a 14-foot jump shot. Boseman then stole a pass from Donald Watts near the basket and quickly dunked the ball.

Washington inbounded the ball, and Boseman stole it again from Watts and passed off to Rhodes who made a layup.

The entire sequence started a 28-7 run that broke the game open for the Trojans.

``It kind of set the tone for Stais and gave him a little more confidence and was a real shot in the arm for us,'' Bibby said. ``We weren't doing anything. We were giving up a lot of easy baskets. Tonight (Rhodes and Boseman) showed up and you see what happens when they come to play.''

Washington (7-2, 0-1) also appeared caught off guard by the position switch.

``Rodrick Rhodes was great tonight,'' Huskies coach Bob Bender said. ``We wanted to force him to be a jump shooter and he just wouldn't accept it.''

Huskies forward Mark Sanford, who made himself eligible for last year's NBA draft before changing his mind, scored a team-high 15 points and had 11 rebounds.

But he only scored three points in the second half, when the Trojans concentrated on keeping Washington's post players away from the basket.

With the victory, the Trojans improved to 4-0 at home, but remain inconsistent team away from the Sports Arena, with only a 2-3 road record.

``We've probably been up and down just because we're on the road,'' Boseman said. ``It's hard to win on the road. If I knew why we struggled, half the college teams in American would be calling me.''