Written by Larry Helfand at LA Times.com
March is a good time to make an introduction, and 30 minutes into an improbable USC comeback victory on Wednesday, 75-71 over Providence, the college basketball world met Nick Rakocevic.
The best way to watch Rakocevic is to watch his teammates. Halfway through the second half of the NCAA tournament “First Four,” two of his best teammates, forwards Chimezie Metu and Bennie Boatwright, were on the bench, watching with visibly surging enthusiasm.
Rakocevic, a 6-foot-11 double shot of espresso from Chicago, had been trying to perfect a specific move against the pair countless times in practice. It had never worked in a game. As they looked on against Providence, Rakocevic jabbed, pumped up, scooped under and then shot.
“He finally did it,” a grinning Boatwright said after.
