Holiday Play Encouraged

Although he loathes to take any breaks during the basketball season--”I believe if you take one day off you lose a lot”--USC Coach Henry Bibby was not going to be a grinch at Christmas, excusing the Trojans Friday and today.

A few players will be traveling out of state for the Christmas holiday. But for those who remain in town, Bibby had a suggestion: Come down to the gym.

He planned to open the campus gym for several hours each day, hoping some of the Trojans would take advantage and at least shoot the ball.

“Basketball is a game of habits,” Bibby said. “I’m trying to get our young guys to develop good habits and break old habits that they have. And an old habit is not going to the gym and not have passion for it. I’ve got to make them love being there, so the success that we have will make them want to be there more.

“The 1/8players 3/8 that are still in town are the ones we’d like to see come in. It’s not mandatory, but we’ll see who really wants to become the basketball players. And when you see that, you know the kids will do what they need to do on the floor. “

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There are times when Jeff Trepagnier looks as if he can excel at any part of the game he wants to. Right now, he’s excelling at stealing the ball.

Trepagnier’s quick hands and excellent sense of anticipation have made him the Trojans’ leader with 43 steals. He ranks fourth in the nation.

The junior guard has had at least three steals in all but one of the 10 games he has played this season, including a school-record 10 steals against Utah State in the Maui Invitational.