Wilder’s Defense Draws Praise

As a sophomore at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash., last season, Quincy Wilder was best known for scoring 23 points a game. But now that he has transferred to USC, Wilder is emerging as the Trojans’ toughest one-on-one defender.

“He’s a junior college player who has a mature body,” Coach Henry Bibby said. “A kid like that can bump and grind you.”

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard led his junior college team to two Northwest Athletic Assn. of Community Colleges championships. In 1996, he was the Washington high school player of the year.

Bibby compares him to former Trojan guard Stais Boseman.

“He can play play tough defense on the little guys and also the quick big guards that we have in the Pac-10,” the coach said.

Once the season begins, Wilder is likely to play both guard positions as well as small forward. He had six points and three assists in an exhibition game last Saturday.

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Wilder wasn’t the only newcomer to show his stuff in last weekend’s 122-62 victory over the I-Can All-Stars at the Lyon Center. Five players--Wilder, Brandon Granville, Sam Clancy Jr., David Bluthenthal and Brian Scalabrine--played for the first time for USC. Clancy scored 17 points, Scalabrine 13 and Granville 11.