Jarvis Turner

USC freshman Jarvis Turner will be out four weeks because of a stress fracture in his lower back. Turner, who has been splitting time with Gary Williams at power forward, has not practiced the last few days. Tests completed Monday revealed the fracture. The Trojans are hoping he will return Dec. 21 against Ohio State.

Lead reserve Jarvis Turner, who underwent arthroscopic surgery Dec. 13 to remove torn cartilage in his left knee, had hoped to be ready to return tonight against Northwestern. But Turner's recovery is not complete, and he did not make the trip. He has played in five games, averaging four points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench. Jeff Trepagnier, as expected, also did not make the trip.

USC will get some much needed front-line help for Saturday's game against Ohio State with freshman foward Jarvis Turner returning to the lineup after missing the first six games because of a stress fracture in his lower back. Turner, who was expected to start at power forward before the injury, said after Wednesday's loss at Tennessee that he feels fine and will play against the Buckeyes. "I am excited and the back feels good," he said. "It has been hard watching from the sidelines."

Despite their 7-0 start and nine-game winning streak, the No. 13 Trojans understand they're expected to win by larger margins. The last four games have been decided by nine points or fewer. And in the last two games, UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine unraveled double-digit USC leads with less than three minutes to play and nearly stole the game at the end.

Sophomore forward Jarvis Turner, who broke a bone in his left hand against Nevada Las Vegas two weeks ago, will have his cast removed next week, Coach Henry Bibby said Monday. Turner may be ready to play by the Pacific 10 Conference opener against Arizona State on Jan. 3. Junior Elias Ayuso sprained his shoulder last week and freshman Kevin Augustine is suffering from tendinitis in his right shoulder.

It's a good thing the Trojans don't resume Pacific 10 Conference play until next Thursday, because they want to savor their first victory in five years over rival UCLA. "To finally get this [10-game losing streak] off our backs is huge," said Jeff Trepagnier, whose career-high 26 points were integral to USC's 91-79 victory. "They walk around town and don't think anything of us, don't give us any respect. So now they have to look at us in different way."

The one thing Jarvis Turner wanted more than anything else in his senior season was to be injury free. "I really haven't played a whole year of college basketball," the 6-foot-8 swingman said. "My first year I was out eight to 10 weeks with a back injury. My sophomore year I broke my hand and missed another six to eight weeks. "I'm looking forward to a healthy year, and bringing some type of leadership role to the team as an older guy."

Lead reserve Jarvis Turner, who underwent arthroscopic surgery Dec. 13 to remove torn cartilage in his left knee, had hoped to be ready to return tonight against Northwestern. But Turner's recovery is not complete, and he did not make the trip. He has played in five games, averaging four points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench. Jeff Trepagnier, as expected, also did not make the trip.

Despite their 7-0 start and nine-game winning streak, the No. 13 Trojans understand they're expected to win by larger margins. The last four games have been decided by nine points or fewer. And in the last two games, UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine unraveled double-digit USC leads with less than three minutes to play and nearly stole the game at the end.

USC got some good news Saturday when 6-foot-8 swingman Jarvis Turner, who missed the last two games of the Maui Invitational because of a sore left foot, was able to dress for the Duke game. Coach Henry Bibby said an MRI exam revealed that Turner has a bone bruise. "He probably needs a week off," Bibby said. "We're not sure yet if we're going to play him against Santa Barbara on Wednesday, but he'll be ready after that." Turner scored two points and had a steal in 12 minutes Saturday.

USC forward Jarvis Turner was awarded a fifth year of college eligibility for the upcoming basketball season after being granted a medical hardship by the NCAA. Turner's college career appeared over after suffering a fractured ankle midway through his senior season last year. He played in only seven of the Trojans' 30 games, appearing in only four games before fracturing his ankle Jan. 20 against Arizona State.

It's a good thing the Trojans don't resume Pacific 10 Conference play until next Thursday, because they want to savor their first victory in five years over rival UCLA. "To finally get this [10-game losing streak] off our backs is huge," said Jeff Trepagnier, whose career-high 26 points were integral to USC's 91-79 victory. "They walk around town and don't think anything of us, don't give us any respect. So now they have to look at us in different way."

The one thing Jarvis Turner wanted more than anything else in his senior season was to be injury free. "I really haven't played a whole year of college basketball," the 6-foot-8 swingman said. "My first year I was out eight to 10 weeks with a back injury. My sophomore year I broke my hand and missed another six to eight weeks. "I'm looking forward to a healthy year, and bringing some type of leadership role to the team as an older guy."

USC got some good news Saturday when 6-foot-8 swingman Jarvis Turner, who missed the last two games of the Maui Invitational because of a sore left foot, was able to dress for the Duke game. Coach Henry Bibby said an MRI exam revealed that Turner has a bone bruise. "He probably needs a week off," Bibby said. "We're not sure yet if we're going to play him against Santa Barbara on Wednesday, but he'll be ready after that." Turner scored two points and had a steal in 12 minutes Saturday.

Jarvis Turner is listed as a probable starter against St. Bonaventure tonight despite nursing a sore back through the start of the Trojans' nonconference schedule. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward has started all three games but has been receiving therapy for the injury. That might explain a slight dip in his numbers from last season, when he averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. Turner, playing 16 minutes a game, is scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds.

Schedule Nov. 17: USC 101, San Diego State 54 Friday: at Nevada Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30: St. Bonaventure, 5 p.m. Dec. 4: at UC Santa Barbara, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9: Loyola Marymount, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12: at Kansas, 5 p.m. Dec. 21: American, 7 p.m. Dec. 29: Arkansas State, 8 p.m. Jan. 2: Arizona State, 5 p.m. Jan. 4: Arizona, 1 p.m. Jan. 7: at Oregon, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9: at Oregon State, 7 p.m. Jan. 14: Stanford, 5 p.m. Jan. 16: California, 5 p.m. Jan.

Jarvis Turner is listed as a probable starter against St. Bonaventure tonight despite nursing a sore back through the start of the Trojans' nonconference schedule. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward has started all three games but has been receiving therapy for the injury. That might explain a slight dip in his numbers from last season, when he averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. Turner, playing 16 minutes a game, is scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds.

USC forward Jarvis Turner was awarded a fifth year of college eligibility for the upcoming basketball season after being granted a medical hardship by the NCAA. Turner's college career appeared over after suffering a fractured ankle midway through his senior season last year. He played in only seven of the Trojans' 30 games, appearing in only four games before fracturing his ankle Jan. 20 against Arizona State.

The kid was smooth enough on the basketball court, and tall enough at 6 feet 8, to fancy himself another Magic Johnson or Scottie Pippen. "Pushing the ball up the floor," he said. "Getting creative." But those dreams pretty much died the day Jarvis Turner left South Bakersfield for the USC campus. The Trojans had no big men so Coach Henry Bibby needed Turner to play inside, where the grinding work of defense and rebounding gets done. He needed the freshman to put the team ahead of his dreams.

Sophomore forward Jarvis Turner, who broke a bone in his left hand against Nevada Las Vegas two weeks ago, will have his cast removed next week, Coach Henry Bibby said Monday. Turner may be ready to play by the Pacific 10 Conference opener against Arizona State on Jan. 3. Junior Elias Ayuso sprained his shoulder last week and freshman Kevin Augustine is suffering from tendinitis in his right shoulder.