Bibby Sees Sad State of Affairs

College teams like scheduling away games in certain areas to gain exposure and make contacts with local high school coaches. No area is more important around the country than talent-laden Los Angeles, and for that reason, USC Coach Henry Bibby said he wasn’t crazy about having the Kansas Jayhawks on his home turf.

Kansas Coach Roy Williams regularly recruits some of California’s best players. Every one of his 10 teams at Kansas has had a point guard from California, including Jacque Vaughn from Pasadena, an All-American last season, and current reserve Jelani Janisse from Granada Hills.

“Look at all the California kids they have on their roster,” Bibby said, referring to the three Californians on the 13-man Kansas team: Paul Pierce from Inglewood, Eric Chenowith from Villa Park and Janisse. “They have a great team and a great coach in Roy Williams, but it sure doesn’t hurt their recruiting to play out here. I’d like to see the state’s best players staying home in California.”

Kansas, ranked No. 2, defeated USC, 74-69, Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.