USC coach Tim Floyd, left, walks with forward Keith Wilkinson(23) before he substitutes in the game. Said Floyd of Wilkinson: "He's really the lone surviving freshman from that group we brought in – the one that probably had the least expectations and contributed the most."
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
By MICHAEL LEV
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES – For Keith Wilkinson to finish his college basketball career the way he envisioned it, his USC Trojans will need a comeback like any number of the improbable ones his idol engineered.
Wilkinson, a senior forward from Capistrano Valley High, lived in Denver until he was 3 and still loves the Broncos – John Elway in particular.
"He was the ultimate competitor," Wilkinson said. "He always had a cool head. I just thought he was a great leader. He took control of his team in crunch time."
Elway directed some of the most memorable fourth-quarter rallies in NFL history en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But even "The Drive" didn't carry the degree of difficulty USC faces in its quest to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
USC probably will need to win next week's Pac-10 Tournament – which it will enter as no better than the fifth seed – to make the big tournament for the third year in a row. Losers of six of their past seven, the Trojans (16-12, 7-9) have gone from conference contenders to struggling underdogs.
Of course, there's something noble about the underdog's fight, as Wilkinson can attest. Lightly recruited out of Capo Valley, he came to USC in 2005 with no promises beyond one year from first-year coach Tim Floyd.
Wilkinson made it to Year 2, and about halfway through the Pac-10 portion of the schedule, after a victory over Arizona, he won Floyd over for good. No more year-to-year renewals; Wilkinson would be a Trojan for the full four seasons.
"He fought through a one-year scholarship offer and earned everything that he got, earned playing time," Floyd said. "He's really the lone surviving freshman from that group we brought in – the one that probably had the least expectations and contributed the most."
Wilkinson is the only member of the 2008-09 Trojans who played at the Sports Arena. Unless USC plays host in the NIT, Thursday and Saturday's games against Oregon and Oregon State will mark Wilkinson's final appearances at Galen Center. He greets the occasion with mixed emotions.
"It's sad. It's exciting. It's just kind of a whirlwind because it happened so fast," Wilkinson said. "It feels like I was playing in the Sports Arena a couple of weeks ago."
There's no telling how many minutes Wilkinson will get. He is a basketball utility man, giving Floyd whatever he needs without complaint.
Wilkinson played all 45 minutes in USC's overtime loss at Oregon State in the Pac-10 opener. He didn't play at all in the Trojans' loss at Stanford on Saturday.
"It's tough," Wilkinson said of his unpredictable role. "Obviously I'd like to be out there for 40 minutes. I feel like I can do that.
"Whatever it is, though, I'm totally for this team. I'm a team guy. I'm not selfish. I'm not worried about stats. I'm just worried about winning."
Wilkinson's contributions don't pop out in the stat sheet. He never has scored in double digits, and only once has he had double-figure rebounds. But, along with point guard Daniel Hackett, Wilkinson is one of only two Trojans with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
Wilkinson says his decision-making wisdom and court vision come from his football-playing days, when he was an Elway wannabe. Unfortunately, Capo Valley was a running team when Wilkinson was a freshman and didn't have much use for a quarterback who would grow to nearly 7 feet tall and liked to operate out of the shotgun.
Although he still jokes about following his father's equally large footprints to the NFL – 6-9 defensive end Jerry Wilkinson played two seasons in the league and appeared in Super Bowl XIV with the L.A. Rams — Keith Wilkinson has more realistic goals when he graduates this spring. A communications major, he is eyeing a career in sports broadcasting. He also might pursue professional basketball in Europe.
Hackett, who is from Italy, says any team should be glad to have him."Keith is a guy that every team needs," Hackett said, "a real good kid, cares about others, understands his role, plays with a lot of passion, plays right. He doesn't do a lot of wrong things on the court.
"He came from nothing. He … earned a scholarship, earned his way through. It's been a great ride for him."
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