Men's basketball

War of words

By Joseph Soqui
Sports Editor

Bruin forward J.R. Henderson wants a challenge. He wants USC to come out with every possible weapon. He wants Rodrick Rhodes to be fully recovered from a recent bout with the flu. In fact, he's worried about Henry Bibby's allergy condition that kept him from attending the pre-game luncheon Tuesday. He doesn't want to hear any excuses come tipoff tonight.
Henderson has pushed the right buttons, single-handedly turning an important Pacific 10 Conference game into a bitter pre-game verbal struggle. The Trojans will get their opportunity to respond tonight at Pauley Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
"I just can't see `SC as this top-notch team," Henderson told the Los Angeles Times. "When I think about `SC, it's just `SC. We're going to beat them like we should. That's the way we're approaching it--it's just `SC."
Henderson's edicts have been floating around the media for the past few days. Following UCLA's win over Arizona, Henderson predicted Arizona would not lose to USC two days later.
After the Bruins swept and the Trojans were handed one of their worst losses of the season, snapping a five-game conference winning streak, Henderson reminded everyone of his accurate prediction and offered other words that made reporters salivate.
"They can read this, I don't care," Henderson said. "Let them read whatever they want to. This is how I feel. They're better (than they have been in the past), but I don't think they're as good as people are trying to make them out to be."
Not being one to pass on a motivational opportunity, Bibby posted the quotes in the lockerroom. USC players refused to respond publicly in the same tone, choosing instead to wait until tonight to reply.
"We can't get into that," senior forward Jaha Wilson said. "We have to keep focused on the game. We have to concentrate on what's at stake."
Normally, the rivalry is limited to the players and rarely extends to the coaching staff. However, Bibby, who was an All-American guard at UCLA during the 1970s, has voiced his feelings about his alma mater.
In an article that ran Tuesday in the Los Angeles Times, Bibby distanced himself from UCLA, saying that up until he was named coach at USC he did not receive alumni mail. Bibby also said it disturbs him when his name isn't brought up along with other Bruin greats from his era, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
"To me, it's another game against a Pac-10 team," Bibby said. "After (Tuesday's article), I don't think I'm gonna be accepted in the Bruin family anymore. I'm an official Trojan as of those statements this morning."
Members of the UCLA basketball team tried to downplay Henderson's comments at the press conference held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
"In no way (do Henderson's) statements reflect the way I feel as far as respect for USC," Lavin said. "Our motto is pretty simple: Respect everyone, but fear no one. As a coach, you give a little more latitude the week of the USC-UCLA game because (of) the nature of the rivalry. It's great for interest in Los Angeles."
UCLA seniors said Tuesday that Henderson's words are not reflective of the entire team. Forward Charles O'Bannon attempted to downplay the importance of the comments.
"Those kind of comments only get you fired up for the first 10 minutes of the game and after that the best team wins," O'Bannon said. "But it's a 40-minute ball game. This is a rivalry that needs no words. This is for the Pac-10 title."
"We respect them a lot and we look forward to playing them," Bruin guard Cameron Dollar said. "But at the same time, he's our brother. He made it. It's just like you had a little brother that said something that's kind of out of line that you don't agree (with), but at the same time, you've got to back him."
Lavin summed up the pre-game message by saying that on-the-court actions will be more important that any statement made in the papers.
"The bottom line is once that ball goes up at tipoff, then it's decided by their play, not by their words," he said. "The words make for fun; it fans the flame as far as the rivalry and it creates a stir in the media. The game will be determined by execution and fundamentals."