Ryan Wetherell is a 5'10" sophomore guard for the University of Southern California basketball team.
Wetherell was a basketball star at Sir Winston Churchill High School, where he averaged 30 points
and 8 assists per game in his senior year. This was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary and the University of Alberta pursued him aggressively. They wanted Wetherell badly, but he had a dream. His dream was to play for a big-time college program; state-side. He would have to walk on if he wanted to play, but Ryan was up to the challenge. So now, in his sophomore year, Ryan is still at USC, playing hard for coach Tim Floyd.

Ryan took some time to sit down with me to discuss his situation, this year's team and his holiday wish list, among other things.

Aaron Fischman: Do you ever second guess your decision to walk on at USC, rather than taking a scholarship offer in your native Canda?

Ryan Wetherell: No, I don't really regret it because, even if I stayed in Canada, I would always wonder what it would be like to play big time ball in the States.

AF: Talk about the patience it takes to sit on the bench for so long, especially after playing such big minutes in high school.

RW: [I'm] not gonna lie, it takes a lot of patience. I'm so used to being the man on the team in high school and playing the whole game. But it's good for me to start at the bottom and work my way up to the top again.

AF: Has height limited your game at all? (Ryan is 5'10").

RW: I don't think height really limits my game. I mean, I would love to be taller and it would definitely help out a lot. But for my position I don't really need to be extremely tall.

AF: How did it feel to score in your first NCAA Tournament appearance last year against Arkansas? (Ryan scored in USC's opening round win against Arkansas).

RW:I honestly didn't even really think about it. I was pretty mad that game because I felt I could of played a lot better. I didn't play as well as I thought I could have or normally would (any other day). But when I think about it now, it makes me happy to say that I scored in a game at March Madness.

AF: What was it like playing with Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt? (Young now plays for the Washington Wizards, while Pruitt was drafted by the Boston Celtics and is now playing in the NBA Development league).

RW: It was awesome playing with Nick and Gabe. They were both so good. It helped my game a lot because I had to guard Gabe every day. I'm sure my hard, crazy defense helped him, too. But watching and playing with them was great for my game. I had a lot of fun with Nick. He was my roommate so we became pretty close, so it's sad not having him on the team this year.

AF: In last year's NCAA Tournament, your team beat the Texas Longhorns, who were led by freshman Kevin Durant. How does O.J. Mayo compare with Durant?

RW: It's hard to tell how they compare so early in the season. But I'm sure O.J. will be great this year.

AF: Talk about how the team has been able to succeed, despite losing three big contributors from last season (Nick Young, Loderick Stewart and Gabe Pruitt).

RW: We did lose three big players last year, but we did get a great freshman class this year. With the help of us returners, we can get ourselves back to that level, despite the loss [to Mercer].

AF: Tim Floyd (in his third season as USC head coach) has really turned things around for the Trojans, posting a 47-25 record. What do you think makes him so successful as a coach?

RW: [Tim Floyd] is such a knowledgeable coach. He knows so much about the game and he really breaks down our team to help us understand what it takes to win.

AF: This year's freshman class may be the best ever at USC. Describe the class.

RW: WE do have a lot of talent this year. I'm not sure how we'll do yet but so far we look pretty good. But the key is trying to get everyone to play together as a team! SO, we'll see how that goes.

AF: In the season-opener, your team gave up 96 points to Mercer. Since then, the defense has improved immensely. The team held the formely 19th ranked Southern Illinois Salukis to only 45 points. How has the defense been able to improve so much in such a short period of time?

RW: Well, Mercer was our first game so we weren't playing to our potential yet. The practices after that game and the wake up call we got from losing really helped us understand how important defense is to win games.

AF: You guys play Oklahoma this Thursday. The following games are against #5 Kansas and #3 Memphis (next Sunday and Thursday, respectively). How can your team avoid overlooking the Sooners?

RW: Yes, we do have a huge schedule ahead of us but we are trying to take one game at a time, focusing on what we have to do in order to win each game.

AF: Talk about the exciting challenge of playing two Top 5 teams in consecutive games.

RW: It is very exciting. It's a great opportunity for us to see where we stand and how good our team really is and what we need to work on or what we need to do to improve.

AF: I heard that Space Jam transformed you into a basketball fanatic. If you hadn't seen the movie, do you believe that you would be playing college hockey right now?

RW: Yes, Space Jam did start me off into b-ball. I wanted to be like Michael Jordan in the movie so I told my parents I wanted to play basketball. If I didn't see the movie, I'm not sure what I would be doing. Who knows if I would of picked up b-ball later on some other way? I probably would have played hockey longer than I did. The reason I quit hockey was because it was too much to play hockey and basketball [at the same time].

AF: What's your favorite memory of Michael Jordan's playing days?

RW: [My] favorite memory of Michael Jordan was when he won his last championship and he hit the shot on the top of the key (his last shot of his career). He had the perfect ending. That pumps me up every time I see it.

AF: What do you want for the holidays?

RW: For Christmas, I'm not really sure what I want. Probably a chance to go back home to Calgary for a few days or so to see friends and family.