Post by mhbruin on May 15, 2023 15:24:29 GMT -8
CHANGES
- None -
---------------------------------
Next are the 2nd-3rd place USC Trojans. They have been very conisistently near the top of the Pac-12 lately finishing T-3rd, 2nd, 3rd, and T-2nd in the last 4 seasons. Quite a few people think this is the year they break through and win the league. With a lot of talent and some other top teams in the league being a bit down, it's now or never for the Trojans.
If they don't win the Pac-12, they never will. The last time the Trojans had a share of first place in the conference was a tie for the Pac-10 championship under Bob Boyd in 1985, led by Wayne Carlander. The last time they won an outright conference championship was in 1961, when they won the PCC. I doublt anyone can guess the name of their coach then. (Answer at the end,)
It's a put up or shut up year, (not that Trojans ever shut up.) After all, they finally made it through a season without losing to Stanford.
Before last season I wrote, "I think they will be one of the top 4 teams in the league, in part, because there are 8 teams that seem worse than the Trojans. However, I don't see them winning the Pac-12. A 3rd or 4th place finish and a #10 or #11 seed in the NCAA tournament seems about right." They finished tied for second, and they were a #10 seed that lost in the first round. Was it a blind squirrel moment?
Their best wins were over UCLA and Arizona State. They started the year with a head-scratching loss to Florida Gulf Coast. Maybe they were scratching their heads wondering why they were playing FGCU. It was by far FGCU's best win of the year. They also gave Oregon State their best win of the year.
GRADUATING
Peterson led the team in minuts played, rebounds and assists, and he was second in soring. His loss is significant. You may hate him, but he was a very good player.
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
TRANSFERRING OUT
The Trojaans lose a stater, the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, a promising young player, and Iaroslav Niagu.
RETURNING
Boogie Ellis was first-team All-Pac-12 (along with Drew Peterson.) Boogie can go off for 35 or 31 like he did against us, or he can score 6 points, like he did in a first-round NCAA loss to Michigan State. It rarely hurts to return your leading scorer.
With Kobe Johnson and Joshua Morgan you have two really good defensive players to build around, Morgan led the Pac-12 in blocks, and Kobe Johnson was second in the league in steals (behind Jaylen Clark.) One wonders if there will be a battle between Kobe and LeBron (Bronny) for playing time.'
Iwuchukwu is very talented, and if he takes a step formard, he should be VERY good.
That's a very strong core of 4 returning players to build around, If there is a problem, it is the lack of high-level 3-point shooting,
Wright and Hornery are two local players that UCLA didn't offer.. I was fine with it at the time, and I am still fine with it. I don't see either of as being all that great.
Oziyah Sellers looks like a great passer who can't shoot.
RECRUITS
(#9 class, #1 in Pac-12)
This is a monster class, headlined by the #1 player in the country. Page is very good, but will be playing behind Morgan and Iwuchukwu. I hope he enjoys practice and the bench.
(#121 class, #11 in Pac-12)
DJ Rodman (not to be confused with TJ Bamba, which I did in an earlier preview), is a very solid player. He is unlikely to be starting. Is sitting on the bench in Galen preferable to starting in Beasley Colliseum? He will find out. He is a very good rebounder. After all, he is a Rodman. He provides solid, proven backup.
CONCLUSION
- None -
---------------------------------
Next are the 2nd-3rd place USC Trojans. They have been very conisistently near the top of the Pac-12 lately finishing T-3rd, 2nd, 3rd, and T-2nd in the last 4 seasons. Quite a few people think this is the year they break through and win the league. With a lot of talent and some other top teams in the league being a bit down, it's now or never for the Trojans.
If they don't win the Pac-12, they never will. The last time the Trojans had a share of first place in the conference was a tie for the Pac-10 championship under Bob Boyd in 1985, led by Wayne Carlander. The last time they won an outright conference championship was in 1961, when they won the PCC. I doublt anyone can guess the name of their coach then. (Answer at the end,)
It's a put up or shut up year, (not that Trojans ever shut up.) After all, they finally made it through a season without losing to Stanford.
Before last season I wrote, "I think they will be one of the top 4 teams in the league, in part, because there are 8 teams that seem worse than the Trojans. However, I don't see them winning the Pac-12. A 3rd or 4th place finish and a #10 or #11 seed in the NCAA tournament seems about right." They finished tied for second, and they were a #10 seed that lost in the first round. Was it a blind squirrel moment?
Their best wins were over UCLA and Arizona State. They started the year with a head-scratching loss to Florida Gulf Coast. Maybe they were scratching their heads wondering why they were playing FGCU. It was by far FGCU's best win of the year. They also gave Oregon State their best win of the year.
GRADUATING
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
Drew Peterson | 33 | 33 | 36 | 14 | 6 | 4.3 |
Peterson led the team in minuts played, rebounds and assists, and he was second in soring. His loss is significant. You may hate him, but he was a very good player.
IN THE DRAFT OR TURNING PRO
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
-- none -- |
TRANSFERRING OUT
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Destination |
Reese Dixon-Waters | 29 | 8 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 1.1 | SDSU |
Tre White | 33 | 29 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 1.0 | Louisville |
Malik Thomas | 27 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0.3 | San Francisco |
Iaroslav Niagu | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 | Charlotte |
The Trojaans lose a stater, the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year, a promising young player, and Iaroslav Niagu.
RETURNING
Player | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3Pt% | A/TO | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
Boogie Ellis G | 33 | 33 | 33 | 18 | 4 | 3.1 | 43% | 39% | 1.6 | Sr 5 | 4 | 38 |
Kobe Johnson F | 33 | 29 | 29 | 9 | 5 | 2.6 | 47% | 36% | 1.7 | Jr | 3 | 247 |
Joshua Morgan F | 29 | 28 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 0.5 | 58% | --- | 0.4 | Sr 5 | 3 | 174 |
Vince Iwuchukwu F | 14 | 5 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 0.3 | 51% | --- | 0.3 | So | 5 | 23 |
Kijani Wright F | 29 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0.3 | 47% | --- | 0.4 | So | 4 | 44 |
Harrison Hornery F | 24 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0.2 | 43% | 31% | 1.0 | Jr | 4 | 102 |
Oziyah Sellers G | 25 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.2 | 36% | 26% | 5.0 | So | 3 | 138 |
Boogie Ellis was first-team All-Pac-12 (along with Drew Peterson.) Boogie can go off for 35 or 31 like he did against us, or he can score 6 points, like he did in a first-round NCAA loss to Michigan State. It rarely hurts to return your leading scorer.
With Kobe Johnson and Joshua Morgan you have two really good defensive players to build around, Morgan led the Pac-12 in blocks, and Kobe Johnson was second in the league in steals (behind Jaylen Clark.) One wonders if there will be a battle between Kobe and LeBron (Bronny) for playing time.'
Iwuchukwu is very talented, and if he takes a step formard, he should be VERY good.
That's a very strong core of 4 returning players to build around, If there is a problem, it is the lack of high-level 3-point shooting,
Wright and Hornery are two local players that UCLA didn't offer.. I was fine with it at the time, and I am still fine with it. I don't see either of as being all that great.
Oziyah Sellers looks like a great passer who can't shoot.
RECRUITS
(#9 class, #1 in Pac-12)
Player | Size | Position | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank | Offers |
Isaiah Collier | 6-3 190 | PG | 5 | 1 | UCLA, North Carolina, Alabama, Michigan |
Arrinten Page | 6-9 220 | C | 4 | 46 | Indiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia |
Bronny James | 6-3 190 | CG | 5 | 21 | Ohio State, Memphis |
This is a monster class, headlined by the #1 player in the country. Page is very good, but will be playing behind Morgan and Iwuchukwu. I hope he enjoys practice and the bench.
Bronny James, who's father is not Rick James nor Jesse James, seems to have set a record for the fewest offers ever to a 5-star recruit. I wonder what all those that didn't offer teams knew.
TRANSFERRING IN
(#121 class, #11 in Pac-12)
Player | Size | Games | Starts | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG % | 3-Pt % | From | Class | Recruiting Stars | Recruiting Rank |
D J Rodman F | 6-6 215 | 31 | 20 | 32 | 10 | 6 | 1.4 | 41% | 38% | Washington State | Sr 5 | 2 | 572 |
DJ Rodman (not to be confused with TJ Bamba, which I did in an earlier preview), is a very solid player. He is unlikely to be starting. Is sitting on the bench in Galen preferable to starting in Beasley Colliseum? He will find out. He is a very good rebounder. After all, he is a Rodman. He provides solid, proven backup.
CONCLUSION
USC is getting a lot of hype this season, and that isn't even consdering the Bronny James hype. They have a lot of talent, and 5 really good veterans, along with highly-rated recruits.
What could go wrong? Some people point to Andy Enfield's coaching. I don't think he is a great coach, but he has hired some very good assistants.
Will PG be a problem? It all depends on Collier. If he lives up to the hype, he should fill that role very well.
Team chemistry? That could certainly be a problem. Many people question whether Bronny will be given too much PT before he is ready, and that could lead to resentment. Also, Boogie, Collier, and Bronny will all want the ball in their hands. Last I heard, there was still only one ball in a college basketball game at a time.
Can the freshmen deliver? Teams highly dependent on freshmen haven't been winning a lot of championships lately.
Can Boogie deliver on a consistent basis? TBD.
Can they find consistent 3-point shooting? ALso, TBD.
This team has the potential to be Enfield's best at USC. There are still lots of questions, and it is still Just SC.
With all that, they are still the obvious pick to win the Pac-12 for their first and last time.
Wilner:
1. USC
The Trojans solidified their frontrunner status with a stellar spring in which DJ Rodman joined the program from Washington State and five-star recruit Bronny James offered a hard commitment. Add that duo to a rotation featuring all-conference returnee Boogie Ellis and guard Isaiah Collier, the nation’s No. 1 recruit — not to mention several long-armed defenders — and the end result is arguably the strongest overall roster of the Andy Enfield era. But with LeBron James’ son comes the inevitable circus. Navigating the distractions will be Enfield’s greatest challenge. Previous: 1
Vrooman: 3
A lot of people have USC as the leading team in the Pac thanks to a dynamic 1-2 punch of Boogie Ellis and #1 overall recruit Isaiah Collier. Sure enough they are #2 and #3 respectively in the model’s top rated players in the Pac behind Keion Brooks Jr. The difference here comes down to the coaching.
WHO WAS THE USC COACH IN 1961?
Forest Twogood.
What could go wrong? Some people point to Andy Enfield's coaching. I don't think he is a great coach, but he has hired some very good assistants.
Will PG be a problem? It all depends on Collier. If he lives up to the hype, he should fill that role very well.
Team chemistry? That could certainly be a problem. Many people question whether Bronny will be given too much PT before he is ready, and that could lead to resentment. Also, Boogie, Collier, and Bronny will all want the ball in their hands. Last I heard, there was still only one ball in a college basketball game at a time.
Can the freshmen deliver? Teams highly dependent on freshmen haven't been winning a lot of championships lately.
Can Boogie deliver on a consistent basis? TBD.
Can they find consistent 3-point shooting? ALso, TBD.
This team has the potential to be Enfield's best at USC. There are still lots of questions, and it is still Just SC.
With all that, they are still the obvious pick to win the Pac-12 for their first and last time.
Wilner:
1. USC
The Trojans solidified their frontrunner status with a stellar spring in which DJ Rodman joined the program from Washington State and five-star recruit Bronny James offered a hard commitment. Add that duo to a rotation featuring all-conference returnee Boogie Ellis and guard Isaiah Collier, the nation’s No. 1 recruit — not to mention several long-armed defenders — and the end result is arguably the strongest overall roster of the Andy Enfield era. But with LeBron James’ son comes the inevitable circus. Navigating the distractions will be Enfield’s greatest challenge. Previous: 1
Vrooman: 3
A lot of people have USC as the leading team in the Pac thanks to a dynamic 1-2 punch of Boogie Ellis and #1 overall recruit Isaiah Collier. Sure enough they are #2 and #3 respectively in the model’s top rated players in the Pac behind Keion Brooks Jr. The difference here comes down to the coaching.
WHO WAS THE USC COACH IN 1961?
Forest Twogood.