The USC basketball team had just lost its Pac-12 Conference opener against Washington, its record falling to 9-5, and the Trojans bore little resemblance to a team picked among the nation's top 10 at the start of the season.
The displeasure reached the coaches' offices and boiled over after the loss to the Huskies. A team meeting was called.
"Everybody just came out with everything they had to say," Metu said. "We went around the room and guys said what they felt."
Coach Andy Enfield, often a man of few words, said an open conversation was necessary to move forward.