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THIS SEASON: Gennaro Busterna, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound shooting guard, is a senior who has a potent perimeter touch and will be looked on to provide offense off the bench in 2002.
SAID BIBBY: “I’m really a fan of Gennaro Busterna. He’s a great shooter who really showed what he could do in practice. He’s kind of like (former Trojan sharp-shooter) Adam Spanich. He just drills shots, but he’s a streaky shooter. When he’s on, he’s a very good player. I’m excited to get him back. He needs to show us he can hit shots consistently. We expect him to give us a lot of outside offense.”
2000-2001: Busterna came to USC as a JUCO transfer as a 2001 junior guard, but saw limited action off the bench ... Busterna played in eight games, but only averaged 1.9 minutes per contest and missed all seven of his field goal attempts ... Sidelined much of the season by a toe injury, Busterna began suiting up in the Washington State game, but did not make his debut until playing four minutes off the bench at Arizona, going scoreless ... He played one minute at Arizona State and three minutes against Oregon State ... He got in late against UCLA at the Sports Arena, but missed both of his three-point attempts.
McCOOK COLLEGE: Busterna spent two seasons at McCook (Neb.) College ... As a sophomore, Busterna was the 2000 Nebraska Junior College and Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year and earned 2000 All-Region 9 first team honors while leading McCook to a 25-6 record ... He averaged 20.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last year ... He shot .505 from the field (202-of-436), .491 from three-point range (113-of-230) and .744 from the foul line (64-of-86) ... He also had 55 assists.
As a freshman in 1999, Busterna averaged 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game ... He shot .504 from the field (118-of-234), .414 from three-point range (63-of-152) and .851 on free throws (40-of-47) ... He added 53 assists as McCook went 24-7 that year.
HIGH SCHOOL: Busterna prepped at Manual High in Denver, Colo. ... He earned All-State and All-City 5-A honors as a senior in 1998, averaging 20.0 points per game and leading Manual to the state finals ... He played as both a shooting and point guard his senior year.
As a junior in 1997, Busterna averaged 15.0 points per game and earned All-City honorable mention honors.
Busterna didn’t play basketball as a freshman and didn’t join the team until late in his sophomore year.
SIDELIGHTS: Busterna was born on Oct. 31, 1979 ... He plans to study elementary education at USC ... His full name is Gennaro Busterna ... He enjoys fishing and swimming ... Among his favorite athletes are Kobe Bryant and Scottie Pippen.
