Coming into the season ranked No. 21 in the nation, the buzz around USC men’s basketball has never been louder.
The incoming freshman class is loaded with the No. 1 recruit in the country in guard Isaiah Collier and four-star guard Bronny James. The returnees feature the Trojans’ leading scorer from last year, fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis, and a preseason Pac-12 Second Team member, junior guard Kobe Johnson.
Add in Washington State transfer graduate forward D.J. Rodman, and it’s hard not to see why Trojan fans are hyped to watch their squad play at the Galen Center. It’s certainly one of the best rosters that USC basketball has put together under head coach Andy Enfield, and one that could compare to USC’s 2021 team that reached the Elite Eight.
“This year’s team is different, because our best offensive players are our guards and forwards,” Enfield said. “On that team we had Evan and Isaiah Mobley and Chevez Goodwin. We were big in size but had a perimeter game as well. This team is a little different, but overall, equally as talented.”
The key to success this year for USC will be the relationship between Collier and Ellis, with some national media outlets like Bleacher Report suggesting that they may be the best backcourt in college basketball.
Ellis, who averaged 17.7 points per game last season, was named to the preseason Pac-12 First Team with Collier. The two have been forming a bond on and off the court, and it’s shown so far during the Trojans’ preseason trip to Greece and Croatia, and the rest of their scrimmages.
“We’ve been connecting since day one in May,” Collier said. “We work out every day together and push each other every day. We also have to show that we are the best backcourt in the country, we can’t just talk about it no more.”
Collier showed out during the Trojans’ scrimmage against UNLV back on Oct. 21, dropping 23 points, along with nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. He was also perfect on all four shots from 3-point range.
Besides the two guards, the Trojans’ roster features plenty of depth in both guards and bigs. Johnson and Rodman likely will start alongside redshirt senior Joshua Morgan in the frontcourt to round out USC’s starting lineup to begin the season.
Johnson took a big leap in all facets of his game last season, including being a defensive stalwart for the Trojans. Look for him to be more involved in the offense after shooting 47% from the field and 38% from 3-point range last season. Rodman will bring tons of experience and leadership with him after averaging 9.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
Enfield mentioned at practice Friday that he saw great improvement in a lot of returning players, such as junior forward Harrison Hornery, sophomore forward Kijani Wright, sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers and sophomore forward Vincent Iwuchukwu.
Iwuchukwu may be the one to break out the most out of the group of returnees. He missed USC’s first 16 games last season due to a cardiac arrest he suffered in July 2022, but averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14 games. He’s currently questionable to play Monday due to a back injury, but when he’s fully healthy, he can be USC’s big weapon off the bench.
Enfield also expects contributions from his other freshmen, forwards Brandon Gardner and Arrinten Page. USC had issues guarding bigger players last year, but with much added length and strength, defense should be a key area for the Trojans this season.
USC is currently projected to finish second in the Pac-12 behind No. 12 Arizona and is one spot ahead of rival UCLA. Even though the Trojans aren’t the favorites, they certainly have the chance of crashing the party in their last year in the Pac-12.
“You can try to project all you want, but when the lights turn on, you have to know what to do,” Enfield said. “You can’t think about March Madness right now before you’ve played your first game, because you have a lot to prove.”
USC opens its season on Monday against Kansas State, an Elite Eight team from last year. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Las Vegas for the 2023 Hall of Fame Series.