Usc Has New Arena In Its Future

Southern California president Steven B. Sample says the school will build a 10,000-seat, on-campus arena at some point in the future.

“We’re going to do it, but I can’t tell you when and I can’t give you a location,” Sample said in Friday’s editions of the Los Angeles Times. “The university needs an on-campus facility where students and staff can see their teams compete as well as major entertainment events.”

Sample said the arena plan has been undergoing “a lot of serious thought, analysis and planning.”

USC basketball games in the 15,000-seat Los Angeles Sports Arena, which is a short distance from the campus, have generally been poorly attended for many years.

Odd couple

Just days before Bill Frieder resigned as coach at Arizona State in August, he and Arizona coach Lute Olson filmed two more commercials for Bank One. The ads, featuring the frumpy Frieder as the comic and the impeccable Olson as the straight man, have been wildly popular since they started airing a few years ago.

Frieder’s resignation won’t affect the commercials.

“Customers were calling our office every day to tell us that Lute and Bill are memorable as a comedic pair, not just as college basketball coaches,” said Steve Roman, Bank One’s director of marketing.