Ailing Scalabrine Is Latest Concern
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A week after flu symptoms put forward Jarvis Turner out of action against Washington, center Brian Scalabrine has fallen ill.
Scalabrine’s illness could not have come at a worse time, with the Trojans scrambling for a berth in the National Invitation Tournament and playing their final two games on the road against Arizona and Arizona State.
“We’re sure [Scalabrine] is going to play Thursday, but what kind of energy is he going to have?” Coach Henry Bibby asked. “He’s a guy we depend on.”
Asked who would replace the 6-foot-9 sophomore, Bibby answered: “Probably Sam Williams.”
Williams, nicknamed “Sam the Slam,” is big and experienced. But he is also the team’s director of basketball operations, a 39-year-old NBA veteran who exhausted his college eligibility when the current players were still in diapers.
More likely substitutes are Turner, Greg Lakey, David Bluthenthal and Shannon Swillis.
“I don’t have a problem going with any of those guys,” Bibby said. “I think we could throw [them] in there and do a pretty good job.” . . . Saturday’s game against Arizona State at Tempe will begin at 11 a.m., a change from the previously scheduled time.
Coming up: Thursday at Arizona, Saturday at Arizona State.
