| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES -- The rim was at Jeff Trepagnier's eyes. His eyes. Got that? His quads were nearly tickling the twine of the net.
The guy was flying. Literally.
Superman didn't have this kind of liftoff.
Roughly 1,300 fans witnessed the dunk at Midnight Madness on Oct. 14 at USC's Lyon Center. But the tape of Trepagnier's circus display does the mystifying act justice.
|  | | At just 6-foot-3, Jeff Trapagnier often finds himself at eye level with the rim. |
"When you get that high, you want to get up higher," Trepagnier said. "I get a thrill watching me all the time. It feels close to flying. You're up there pretty high and above everybody else and it's real close to flying."
Just then, Trepagnier lets out an "Ooooohhhh. Man, I was high. Let's see it again."
USC assistant coach Damon Archibald rolls back the tape. He super slo-mo's the move to get the full effect. The ball is above the rim. Trepagnier's eyes are at the cylinder, his mouth about to take a bite out of orange metal, and his legs rising above the bottom of the backboard.
Trepagnier looks super imposed.
"Is it deceptive," the reporter asks.
"It's not," USC assistant sports information director Paul Goldberg said. "I was there."
"I've seen a lot of dunks in my career and I don't get excited," said USC coach Henry Bibby during ESPN.com's preseason tour Saturday. "But I got excited when I saw him dunk the basketball (at Midnight Madness). That's a dunk.
"Michael Jordan dunking on people is a dunk. Dr. J dunking over Bill Walton is a dunk. Vince Carter is no more a highlight film than Jeff Trepagnier. I've seen both and I give the extra step to Jeff because he's 6-foot-3."
Trepagnier isn't a comic book hero. He doesn't have strings attached, either, like some puppet. He's not MJ, Dr. J., or Vince. He's not a complete basketball player. He's not even all-Pac-10. But he could rival their athleticism in the air with a vertical leap approaching 45 inches.
He's still got to grasp the understanding of the game. And he is.
Trepagnier (tru-PAN-yay) is the X factor for USC in its quest to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years because of his athleticism. But simply because of his ability to jam.
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I've seen a lot of dunks in my career and I don't get excited. But I got excited when I saw him dunk the basketball (at Midnight Madness). That's a dunk. ... Vince Carter is no more a highlight film than Jeff Trepagnier. ” |
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— Henry Bibby,
USC head coach |
Trepagnier's athleticism is a microcosm of a trend coaches in the NBA and college want from their team overall.
They want athletic plays when a designed option can't work. They want creators, both defensively and, obviously, offensively. They want to be able to use athleticism to score, block shots and get steals. They'd like to have a Trepagnier on their team.
"He's not Vince Carter and he won't be until he jams over a 7-2 player," Stanford's Casey Jacobsen said of Carter's flush over France's Frederic Weis in the Sydney Olympics two weeks ago. "But Jeff has the quickest hops ever. He can be not in the play at all and then, because of his athleticism, get right there and boom. He's got a dunk or a block."
Trepagnier averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and had 40 blocks and 94 steals as a junior a year ago. He improved his 3-point shooting from 26.9 to 38 percent, raising his career average to 31 percent. Not bad for a then wiry, tweener coming out of Compton High who had little buzz and questionable grades.
"Coaches dropped off because of the grades and I couldn't hit a shot, but coach Bibby stuck by me and said you can't teach athleticism," Trepagnier said. "No one thought I would get eligible."
And even fewer considered him more than a novelty.
"I'll take a gifted athlete any day," Bibby said. "Coach (John) Wooden always told me you can't teach a guy to jump like that or run like that. I didn't have athleticism like that in nine years in the NBA, but I had the fundamentals. He doesn't use them because he doesn't have to. You can beat him off the dribble and he'll recover from behind for a block. He can beat you on the other end and get a dunk.
"He's one of the best athletes I've ever seen and I've seen some good ones in the NBA."
Bibby said he has never seen a player at 6-3 alter shots because of his defensive presence.
"He's always in the play," Bibby said. "If you cover him, he can jump over you. If you give him an opening, he's dunking on you."
Trepagnier defines athleticism because he can jump over players for a shot, get to the ball for a loose ball or rebound, flush a put back, and outrun a defender for a fast-break finish.
"I apply it to every part of my game," Trepagnier said of his shock-absorbing calves and machine-like quads. "I'm quick on defense, react to the passing lanes, block shots and cover big men."
And it doesn't matter if he has to stand flat-footed against a 7-foot center or a 6-9 forward. Trepagnier has done it and contested shots. He guarded Stanford's Tim Young as a freshman. He defended the Cardinal's Mark Madsen last year.
Trepagnier doesn't figure to have to play inside as much this season with all-American center Brian Scalabrine back, the development of forward David Bluthenthal, the return to health of Jarvis Turner, and the maturity of reserves Kostas Charissis and Luke Minor.
Trepagnier still makes errors, overrunning plays, being too aggressive and not harnessing his energy. But he gives the Trojans an asset that few teams can claim. And he knows he'll be perceived more as a highlight show if he can't get to the NCAA Tournament.
"If I just scored like two layups and played good defense and had no flashy dunks or highlights and we get to the tournament, then that would be great," Trepagnier said. "But you have to have athletic players to balance out with the fundamental guys."
Trepagnier is trying to be both. But the more he's at eye level with the rim, the more times he can make up for any deficiencies 19 feet away from the hoop.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Jeff Trepagnier uses both hands this time during Midnight Madness at USC.
avi: 608 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jeff Trepagnier elevates above the rim during USC's Midnight Madness.
avi: 655 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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