NFL
By: Kevin Lucas
Currently sitting with a record of 5-3, Andy Enfield and his Trojans of USC have shown us some really good things to build from and some areas in need of improvement.
The brightest spot we’ve seen so far is that Isaiah Collier is even better than advertised. At 6’4 Collier plays with a poise and maturity that we rarely see from freshmen at the D1 level. In their 89-76 loss to Gonzaga out in Las Vegas, the Trojans continuously isolated Collier on the left wing and it worked for the majority of the game until the Zags decided to blitz him and let somebody else beat them.
No matter where you deploy him on the court he just has a knack for making the right play for himself or his teammates, a sign of an elite floor general. A major issue this team has is the lack of ball and player movement when Zay goes to the bench. Ideally, that’s where Boogie Ellis will have to step up as a 5th-year senior because until Bronny returns, USC only has 1 true facilitator in Collier.
Boogie can go out and get a bucket whenever he wants to but for this team to succeed they must get some more offensive production from their frontcourt quartet but especially from Joshua Morgan. The 4 big men so far this year are averaging a combined 19,1 points per game. I firmly believe that that number can jump up at least 8 points per game if they can put it all together.
Josh Morgan was mentioned specifically because not only is he the most seasoned of the group but due to his ability to step out and drill midrange shots while also having the proper amount of patience and skill to post-up and utilize his back-to-the-basket game, he presents an interesting offensive dynamic. Big Vincent Iwuchukwu made his season debut in the Trojans 3rd game of the year in a tough vs UC Irvine where the squad played without both Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson. With Vincent’s size and frame the more reps he gets the better he’ll become as a lob threat and especially as an offensive rebounder.
The biggest concern so far this season for USC is the lack of awareness on the defensive side of the ball. Going back to the Gonzaga game a few days ago there were just way too many easy baskets given up in transition for the Trojans on both made and missed baskets. They must make a consistent effort to show some type of resistance to opposing ballhandlers somewhere near halfcourt.
Lack of communication and the help-side defense can’t continue as they play a tough next 2 games where they host a gritty Long Beach State squad and then travel down South to take on the Bruce Pearl led Auburn Tigers, who will finish as one of the top teams in the SEC by the time this season is all said and done. Tightening up their defense and getting some more offensive flow will be the 2 biggest keys for this SC squad moving forward. Adding Bronny James to the fold will help out in both of these areas however the entire team must buy in if they want to accomplish great things as a whole.
Make sure to keep, up with me all season long as I bring my thoughts on the Trojans season. The Pac-12 is ultra-competitive and makes for some exciting basketball. I can also be followed on social media and podcasts found in my bio. Until next time college basketball fans
