Brooks Does a Solid Job at the Point

Coach Henry Bibby’s heart dropped when he saw senior point guard Robert Hutchinson go down and out in the seventh minute Saturday night after his right ankle was rolled over in a pile for a loose ball.

“I was like, ‘Oh [shucks], here we go. What do we do now?’ ” Bibby said.

Bibby turned the game over to sophomore Brandon Brooks. And Brooks maintained the flow for the Trojans in their 89-63 victory over La Salle.

“When Hutch went down, I knew I’d end up playing most of the game,” said Brooks, who finished with seven points, six assists and two turnovers in 23 minutes.

“I just need my minutes to produce. I didn’t play my best game, but I ran the team.”

The previous squad Brooks ran was one made up of himself and four walk-ons late in the Trojans’ blowout victory over Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 11.

“That killed me,” Brooks said. “I love them dudes [the walk-ons], but that just killed me. My head wasn’t in it.”

UP NEXT

Jan. 2 at Washington State, 7 p.m. -- If Jerry Dupree’s grades keep him eligible, and if Bibby deems the junior forward’s attitude acceptable, then he will join USC for the Pacific 10 Conference opener.

-- Paul Gutierrez