For the next four to six weeks, the USC men’s basketball team will be without star freshman guard Isaiah Collier, the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class. Collier sustained the injury trying to steal the basketball in the second half of Wednesday night’s loss to Washington State.
In 16 games this season, Collier has averaged 15.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists (team-high) and 1.3 steals. Last Saturday, Collier had a career-high 26 points in a 93-79 win over Stanford.
The loss of Collier could not come at a worse time for the Trojans, who are trying to turn around their season. After Wednesday night’s loss, the Trojans dropped to 8-8 and sit tied for sixth in the Pac-12, with their March Madness hopes slowly slipping.
The injury bug has plagued the Trojans all season, affecting the rhythm of practices and games.
“We have had so many practices where we have six, seven, eight guys that are available because of the injuries and sicknesses throughout the season,” Enfield said Wednesday night. “It really takes a toll on your efficiency on both sides of the ball.”
In addition to Collier, USC is dealing with other afflictions from redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan (illness) and fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis (hamstring). Morgan’s timeline is unclear, and Ellis seems to be playing through a bad hamstring.
With Collier gone, head coach Andy Enfield will have to find someone to fill the shoes of a consensus top-five pick in this year’s NBA Draft. His options are likely between sophomore guard Oziyah Sellers and freshman guard Bronny James.
While Sellers has been with the program a year longer, James has shown more of an ability to be both a playmaker and scorer, affecting the game in many ways. In eight games, James has averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while providing great defense on the other end.
And for the Trojans, the uphill battle gets even more challenging with the schedule ahead. On an upcoming three-game road stretch, USC will face two of the top three teams in the Pac-12 standings: Associated Press No. 8 Arizona and Arizona State.
Trojans begin the road trip on Saturday with a clash versus the Colorado Buffaloes (11-5, 2-3 Pac-12) at 7 p.m.