With the beginning of school basketball season in early November, we’ll study the convention as a complete and Indiana’s roster over the approaching weeks.
Right now, our staff previews proceed with USC.
Beforehand: Penn State, Washington, Minnesota
A brand new period of USC basketball begins this winter with a brand new coach and a brand new convention to navigate. After Andy Enfield departed USC for SMU after 11 seasons, the Trojans employed Eric Musselman from Arkansas.
The 59-year-old Musselman constructed profitable packages in Nevada and Arkansas and brings his switch portal-heavy strategy to Los Angeles and the Massive Ten.
Whereas Musselman has traditionally been one of the crucial aggressive coaches in pursuing transfers, he had no selection however to prioritize the portal when establishing his first USC roster.
With only one returning participant – 6-foot-10 senior Harrison Hornery – Musselman and his employees landed 11 transfers and two freshmen.
The Trojans may have loads of expertise with eight graduate college students on the 2024-25 roster.
Desmond Claude, a 6-foot-6 Xavier switch, is without doubt one of the doubtless backcourt starters. Claude averaged 16.6 factors, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.8 minutes final season for the Musketeers. He began all 34 video games and earned Massive East most improved participant honors.
Penn switch Clark Slajchert had no scarcity of suitors within the portal due to his capturing prowess however opted to return dwelling to Los Angeles to complete his eligibility. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 18 factors and shot near 40 % from deep final season for the Quakers.
Bryce Pope, a 6-foot-5 switch from UC San Diego, is wired to attain. Pope averaged 18.3 factors in additional than 35 minutes per recreation final season and shot simply over 33 % on 3s. He ought to present a scoring punch off the bench for USC.
Freshman Isaiah Elohim, a Northridge, California native, was the No. 51 participant nationally within the ultimate 247Composite rankings for the 2024 class. Elohim initially signed with Musselman at Arkansas after which opted to comply with him to USC after the teaching change. Elohim has a college-ready physique and may very well be able to contribute immediately to the Trojan backcourt.
As with most of Musselman’s groups, this roster has a number of gamers between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 who can play and guard a number of positions.
The headliner from the group is Saint Thomas, a switch from Northern Colorado. Thomas averaged 19.7 factors, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals final season and must be USC’s go-to scorer. Thomas shot near 57 % on 2s and 86.5 % on free throws.
After enjoying 4 seasons at Michigan, Terrence Williams II has loads of Massive Ten expertise. Williams can play each ahead spots and had a strong season final 12 months for the Wolverines regardless of this system bottoming out beneath Juwan Howard. Williams averaged 12.4 factors and 4.5 rebounds whereas capturing near 40 % on 3s.
Chibuzo Agbo arrives from Boise State, the place he shot near 41 % on 3s and averaged 13.7 factors and 5.1 rebounds on an NCAA match staff. At 6-foot-7, he matches the mildew of the kind of wing Musselman likes to construct his staff round.
Sophomore Kevin Patton Jr. arrives from San Diego and may very well be a constructing block for this system’s future. An All-freshman choice final season within the West Coast Convention, Patton Jr. is 6-foot-8 however can play the guard spots or on the wing. He averaged 9.8 factors, 4.4 rebounds and a couple of.4 assists whereas capturing near 34 % from distance.
Two different forwards who might determine into the rotation are Yale switch Matt Knowling and freshman Jalen Shelley, who initially signed with Arkansas however is following Musselman to LA after the teaching change.
Knowling is a 6-foot-6 ahead who began within the Ivy League and performed a key position in this system’s NCAA match upset of Auburn final season. Figuring out isn’t a shooter however averaged a strong 11.6 factors and 4.9 rebounds in simply over 28 minutes final season.
Shelley is a 6-foot-8 wing who was ranked because the No. 62 participant within the 247Composite. He could also be a season away from important minutes, however like Patton Jr. and Elohim, he’s a key to USC’s future.
The minutes on the 5 are more likely to go to 6-foot-10 Josh Cohen, a switch from UMass, Rashaun Agee, a switch from Bowling Inexperienced, and Hornery, the lone returnee.
Cohen isn’t a standard massive man and likes to shoot from the perimeter, however he’s additionally a strong rebounder and finisher on the rim. He averaged 15.9 factors and 6.8 rebounds final season for the Minutemen. Agee is simply 6-foot-8, however he was the most effective offensive rebounders within the nation final season and almost averaged a double-double (13.3 factors and 9.9 rebounds per recreation). Hornery offers Musselman one other participant with dimension and expertise within the frontcourt. In restricted time final season, he averaged 3.3 factors and a couple of.8 rebounds.
Regardless of the roster turnover, USC is presently ranked fiftieth in Bart Torvik’s 2024-25 season preseason projections. The NCAA match isn’t anticipated in 12 months one of many Musselman period, nevertheless it wouldn’t be a shock given the expertise and flexibility assembled.
Backside line: After failing final season at Arkansas with a transfer-heavy roster, Musselman can be motivated to succeed rapidly in Los Angeles. The roster he assembled is heavy on expertise and manufacturing and a mushy non-conference schedule ought to give the Trojans an opportunity for early-season success. Publish-play may very well be an issue in opposition to a number of the Massive Ten’s larger and extra bodily groups, however USC has a strong rotation of guards and wings that must be aggressive immediately.
Quotable: “We predict the potential right here is thru the roof. Coach Enfield did nice issues for 11 years right here. We need to proceed to do issues that he’s achieved and attempt to construct on a few of these issues as nicely.” – Musselman in his introductory press convention in early April.
Filed to: 2024-25 Massive Ten preview, USC Trojans
