Bibby Has Not Settled on Rotation

With the Pacific 10 Conference opener against Washington State three days away, Coach Henry Bibby has not decided on a rotation.

Bibby has had mixed feelings about bench over the last couple of weeks.

“I’m going to play it by ear,” Bibby said. “With Jeff [Trepagnier] coming back, he’s gonna demand playing time. Desmon Farmer has demanded playing time. Those guys [plus the other four starters] have proven they can play.

“So it’s a matter of how the rest of the rotation will go. Is it going to be Jarvis [Turner] or Kostas [Charissis] coming in at the other spots? Is it going to be Tyler Murphy, who has played well at times to deserve some minutes? Is Robert Hutchinson going to be there? I don’t know.”

The No. 20 Trojans seem confident that Trepagnier, who has not played this season because of an injured foot and a suspension pending an NCAA investigation, will be cleared in time for the Washington State game. However, they also believed he would be available Saturday for the Long Beach State game, but he was not yet eligible.

Even though Trepagnier is practicing with the Trojans, he has yet to do anything at game speed. How quick does Bibby think Trepagnier will be able to recapture the rhythm of the USC offense?

“He’s a senior, been here four years, and he knows the system,” Bibby said. “He’ll be a little rusty, but that’s OK.”