Freshman Page says he wants to start
They were done in, ultimately, in the paint on Saturday, a blue horde of Bruins crashing the glass and earning second chances to empty possessions, USC outrebounded by 14 to UCLA and losing by 15. So center Joshua Morgan, the Trojans' 6-foot-11 stalwart man in the middle, took the onus postgame.
“That's me, that's Kijani (Wright), that's really — there's not much excuse for that,” Morgan said, his tone a few notches above a mutter.
And USC's big man rotation has been scattershot, in the midst of a scattershot season as a whole for a team (8-12, 2-7 Pac-12) currently at the bottom of the conference standings. Head coach Andy Enfield has flip-flopped between starting the steadier Morgan and more energetic Vincent Iwuchukwu, who has shown intriguing flashes but has struggled to finish around the rim; Enfield has often yanked one for the other or called on Wright after mistakes.
At the end of the bench, meanwhile, freshman Arrinten Page has been the X-factor of the bunch, a visibly talented 6-11 freshman with range who hasn't been able to consistently crack the rotation. Friends and teammates with freshman point guard Isaiah Collier at Wheeler High in Georgia, Page has averaged 3.2 points in 11.2 minutes per game, playing just two minutes in the loss to UCLA.
And when asked about his goals for the rest of the season after Wednesday's practice, Page paused for a moment — and then spoke firmly.
“I want to become, like, a starter on this team,” Page said, holding an electric scooter. “I'd like to start on this team. I think I have the talent to do so.”
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“Using my God-given abilities,” he responded. “Being active. Getting rebounds. Blocking shots. Things of that nature.”
“I'm very well capable,” Page said, matter-of-fact.
“I don't know, that's up to the coach,” Page said. “But I know if I apply my talents, it may happen, it may not, but I'll play hard as I can no matter what.”
Amid a five-game losing streak, it was a notable exchange, Page's confidence apparent despite inconsistent play time. He came out of Georgia as one of the topranked centers in the country, and he has flashed floor-spacing ability in spurts for USC but has struggled defensively at times in his minutes amid a transition to the speed and physicality of the college game.
“He's not quite in shape, he had mono — sickness, in preseason, so he missed over three weeks in preseason, so he's just catching up right now,” Enfield said of Page after a season-opening victory over Kansas State. “But he's such a natural athlete, he's such a good basketball player.”
Whoever Enfield tosses into the paint tonight will have to sink or swim against Oregon (14-6, 6-3), a program that beat USC on Dec. 28 without star center N'Faly Dante and is tied for first in the Pac-12 as of Wednesday. Dante is officially back after knee surgery, with a few games under his belt, and USC will have to do a better job keeping him and others off the glass to get back in the win column.