Here’s USC coach Bob Cantu after the UCLA game:
“It was a big hole and we couldn’t get out of it (in the first half). We were just too far down to get back.”
“It was just their day today.”
“(Omar Oraby) did play really well. We went smaller in the second half. We could have definitely used his offense.”
“They were changing coverages (on Jio Fontan). His perimeter shots just didn’t drop.”
It’s all over from the Galen Center where the Trojans shot only 35 percent with guard Jio Fontan going 2 for 11 and guard Byron Wesley 3 for 11 while forward Eric Wise was 4 for 12.
This is just the start of a tough three-game homestand that has Arizona coming here Wednesday night. J.T. Terrell led USC wih 17 points.
UCLa is shooting 61 percent while the Trojans are mired at 33 percent and that’s why the Bruins lead 47-26 at the half. Jio Fontan, Renaldo Woolridge, J.T. Terrell and Byron Wesley are 3 for 17 on FGs.
Wide receiver Robert Woods was impressive in his drills at the NFL combine this morning and made plenty of catches to remind everyone why he was so highly regarded a year ago.
Woods ran the 40 in 4.44 seconds unofficially, which later officially became 4.51.
USC plays UCLA at the Galen Center today. Here’s a look at how things have changed under interim basketball coach Bob Cantu.
Meanwhile, former secondary coach Marvin Sanders was hired as head coach at Loyola High School in Los Angeles.
Winners
New assistant coaches Mike Summers and Mike Ekeler: A big pay raise and big step up from Kentucky and Indiana.
USC football players: Coaching staff should be complete for start of spring practice.
The USC coaching staff is nearly completed. Running backs coach Tommie Robinson is expected to favor USC although he is weighing another job offer. This means the new hires have about two weeks to get ready for spring practice.
And it sure looks like Clay Helton will become offensive coordinator. That sort of ruins the theory some had that firing Kennedy Pola was necessary to bring in a top-notch coordinator.
Meanwhile, center Khaled Holmes is not expected to perform in any more workouts at the NFL combine after straining a chest muscle on the benchpress.
Mike Ekeler, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Indiana, was hired by Lane Kiffin as USC’s linebackers coach. Here is his bio from Indiana.
The USC center strained a chest muscle during the bench press and may not work out tomorrow according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Remember center Robert Swift of Bakersfield, who committed to USC about 10 years ago, but turned pro instead and played three seasons with the Seattle Sonics, lost his house and refuses to leave according to Seattle TV station KOMO.