Trojans back on horse quickly with O'Neill, Gerrity
Alex Stepheson swears he never second-guessed his decision.
But man, I don't see how.
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| Kevin O'Neill took a job few wanted, and has the Trojans at a surprising 8-4. (AP) |
It was the mess of all messes.
And Stepheson walked right into it.
And he never second-guessed that decision?
"Not at all," Stepheson said Monday by phone. "I stayed positive because I knew we'd get a good coach, and I thought we could be a good team still. So I just stayed confident and worked hard, and things are working out right now."
But did you think they'd work out this well this quickly?
"No," Stepheson said. "I did not."
Join the club, Alex!
You might've noticed that USC broke into the Top 25 (and one) late Sunday. On Monday, the Trojans got 27 points in the AP poll, which essentially put them in the top 35 heading into Thursday's game against Arizona. That's Arizona, as in the school Kevin O'Neill coached two seasons ago and would still be coaching now if Lute Olson hadn't decided that, on second thought, he didn't want O'Neill serving as his permanent successor. Now O'Neill is coaching USC. So you can see why I decided to write this column this week, because the surprising and surging Trojans have won six straight and are now favored to open Pac-10 play with a win over the school that told their coach to beat it.
Fun times, indeed.
"If I got jacked up to play every school I ever coached at I'd be in trouble," O'Neill said with a laugh Monday night, the kind of laugh a man quieting skeptics can laugh. And yes, I was one of skeptics. I was pretty sure this hire wouldn't work in the long run, and 100 percent certain it wouldn't work this season. Hell, USC could've hired Tom Izzo and put Rick Pitino, Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim on his bench as assistants, and I would not have predicted anything but losses this season, given the situation USC's new coach was inheriting from Tim Floyd, who resigned in June after it was alleged that he gave cash to O.J. Mayo's handler.
Again, the Trojans lost three of their top four scorers and every heralded recruit -- including Derrick Williams, who is averaging 15 points as a freshman at Arizona. So it was no surprise when USC started with a 2-4 record featuring a 79-53 loss at Georgia Tech. But what's happening now is surprising, right up there with Tiger Woods catching a 9-iron to the head.
The Trojans are currently 8-4.
They haven't lost since Dec. 5.
They've been dominant since Mike Gerrity got eligible, which was four games ago. He's led USC to a 77-55 win over No. 14 Tennessee, a 55-51 win over a Western Michigan team that owns a victory over VCU, a 60-49 win over a Saint Mary's team that entered with a 10-1 record, and a 67-56 win over previously ranked UNLV. Gerrity, a transfer from Charlotte, is averaging 14.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds. He's the main reason some are predicting USC will challenge Washington and California for the Pac-10 title.
Which is stunning in every way.
USC challenging for a Pac-10 title?
After being picked ninth in the Pac-10?
After starting 2-4 with a 26-point loss at Georgia Tech?
I mean, who even thought it was possible for USC to be better than UCLA?
"I don't think anybody would've bought into that," O'Neill answered. "But it remains to be seen where we'll end up. We have a lot of work to do. So I'm not ready to pat us on the back just yet."
Well then allow me.
Because O'Neill and USC deserve a pat on the back.
That they're relevant in late December is reason enough.
