College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 22-11; Second (14-6) in the Pac-12 Conference, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament

Head Coach: Andy Enfield (11th Year; 207-129 at Southern Cal, with five NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

G Isaiah Collier – 6’5″, 210 – Freshman

G Boogie Ellis – 6’3″, 180 – Senior (5th)

W Kobe Johnson – 6’6″, 200 – Junior

F DJ Rodman – 6’6″, 225 – Senior (5th)

C Joshua Morgan – 6’11”, 225 – Senior

Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats

Isaiah Collier: 5-Star recruit

Boogie Ellis: 17.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg – 38.6% 3FG

Kobe Johnson: 9.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.2 spg – 36.0% 3FG

DJ Rodman: 9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.7 spg – 38.1% 3FG @ Washington State

Joshua Morgan: 7.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 0.5 spg – 58.2% FG

Experienced Reserves

G Oziyah Sellers – 6’5″, 185 – Sophomore

F Harrison Hornery – 6’10”, 230 – Junior

C Vincent Iwuchukwu – 7’1″, 240 – Sophomore

F Kijani Wright – 6’9″, 235 – Junior

Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats

Oziyah Sellers: 1.1 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.2 apg – 35.5% FG

Harrison Hornery: 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.2 bpg, 0.2 spg – 31.3% 3FG

Vincent Iwuchukwu: 5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.0 bpg – 50.9% FG

Kijani Wright: 1.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.5 bpg – 46.8% FG

Freshmen

G LeBron ‘Bronny’ James, Jr – 6’4″, 210 – Freshman – Consensus Top 50 recruit

C Arrinten Page – 6’11”, 245 – Freshman – Consensus Top 50 recruit

F Brandon Gardner – 6’8″, 210 – Freshman – Consensus Top 100 recruit

Over the summer, you may have heard some things about USC’s outstanding freshman guard. No, not just that one; the other outstanding freshman guard. 

While the Trojans added a touted youngster whose name has been well known for years, the biggest impact this year won’t actually come from Bronny James. That’s because head coach Andy Enfield didn’t just sign LeBron’s son, a ballyhooed Top 50 national prospect. USC also happened to snag this fella named Isaiah Collier, and the thing about him is that Isaiah Collier is generally agreed to be the best freshman prospect arriving on any roster in college basketball this season. 

What’s more, the Trojans have been building momentum. They’ve won at least 14 Pac-12 games each of the last three seasons and return a strong, proven core from last year including another outstanding guard: All-Pac-12 veteran Boogie Ellis. Add it all up, and Enfield has one of the best rosters in the country – and the hype around USC is palpable. The past two seasons, though, Southern Cal has failed to advance in March Madness. Now, with future NBA picks up and down the roster, the expectation is that this team will be heard from beyond the second weekend. 

Once a star at Memphis, Ellis is now firmly entrenched as a Trojan favorite. The first-team all-league pick last winter has averaged 15.2 points in a Trojan uniform, and has evolved as a genuine deep threat while wearing Cardinal and Gold. Ellis ripped off 83 triples last year – the most in the conference – and matched his career-high at a 38.6% rate from the land of trey, good for second in the Pac-12. At the same time, Ellis solidified his mid-range reputation. Though he had made steady progress each season, Ellis was just a 30.6% shooter from the in-between spots over his first three years. Last season, he made a strong 45.8% on his highest volume yet, per Bart Torvik. The vast majority of his longer 2FG’s came off the bounce, and Ellis has proven to be as difficult a cover as any returning player in the league. 

“If you would have seen Boogie last year compared to what he did this year, especially the second half of this season, it’s a really dramatic improvement,” Enfield said at the NCAA Tournament last season. “And he spent so much time focusing on how to lead a team, how to make plays for his teammates. His assist-to-turn ratio went up, his scoring went up, his shot selection became more efficient.” To his coach’s point, Ellis handed out 102 setups a year ago, the first time he’d ever hit triple digits. Ellis is very much a scoring guard, but has kept an improved eye out for good opportunities regardless of who has them. His 19.6% assist rate was a career-best, yet Ellis also managed to go off as a shooter down the stretch. Over USC’s final 13 games he averaged 20.9 points on 59.9% true shooting, all while handing out 3.8 assists and limiting turnovers despite a usage rate of almost 30%. With Collier – a bigger guard who can also create shots for others – running alongside him, Ellis should be even more dangerous. “He’s going to make life for me a lot more easier,” Ellis told the San Mateo Daily Journal of Collier. “I don’t have to score off the dribble so much. I get a lot more catch and shoots. So just having me and him pushing the ball we’re going to play a lot faster, and I feel like we have an elite group of guards.”

The thing is, saying that Collier can create shots for others is sort of like saying that Connor McDavid is quick with the puck; it in no way does justice to exactly how slick and entertaining he can be. As Adam Finklestein of 247 Sports said of Collier this spring, “He has all types of passes in his bag – he reads ball-screens well, is poised probing the lane with terrific change of pace, very good penetrating to pitch, able to throw darts off the dribble with either hand, use his size to throw over top of defenders, and a very accurate lob thrower.” Given that the Trojans certainly have some dudes capable of finishing a lob, there may be some highlights created at the Galen Center this winter. 

With the size and athleticism that the NBA craves from a playmaker, Collier is one of the most-anticipated prospects of next year’s draft class. This season, he will look to grow as a jump shooter and show that defenders must respect him all over the court. Collier is at his best getting downhill through the lane. He’s physically strong and though not the most explosive player of all, is both nimble and quick in the tight spaces around the cup. Collier can bull his way inside to get his own points, and knows how to exploit a favorable matchup in isolation. A good defender whose physicality translates to both ends of the floor, Collier will help Ellis by taking on some larger matchups. Being that he’s not yet a finished product as a deep shooter, Collier should contrast well with Ellis, a guy who opponents know they must cover anywhere inside of halfcourt. Collier can occasionally get into the weeds trying to make things happen or forcing a play that isn’t there, but that is largely correctable and a product of him testing the limits of his extraordinary talent. It’s highly likely that this will be his only college season, and for the next few months, Collier is going to put on a show. 

The third star of USC’s backcourt is coming off of a breakout season, and hoping for another. Kobe Johnson is the brother of former Duke forward Jalen Johnson and the son of two hoopin’ parents. The Sun Prairie, WI, product didn’t stay to play for the Milwaukee Panthers like his folks, though. Kobe Johnson spent his first year in Los Angeles as a reserve who averaged just 7.5 minutes per game. His growth last year, though, was tremendous. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Defense team, ranked second in the conference and 19th nationally with 72 steals, and scored in double figures 14 times. Now that he’s proven himself an outstanding defender, Johnson hopes to expand his offensive game. He made 36.0% of his triple tries and 84.1% of his freebies, and Johnson’s genuine versatility makes him an elite 3-and-D prospect. He blended smoothly into a loaded backcourt last year, facilitating for others as he stepped out as a scoring threat. He finished third on the team in helpers last winter, and Johnson does strong work on the glass; while grabbing 43 offensive boards, Johnson led the Trojans with 17 putback stabs last year, per Hoop-Math. There are plenty of mouths to feed in Los Angeles again this year, but Johnson’s growth should continue because he does so many things at a high level. 

Joining Johnson on the wing is a familiar face, but also a new one for the Trojans. DJ Rodman spent the first four seasons of his career at Washington State, USC’s conference rival – for one more season, at least. After declaring that he would return to the Palouse for his final season of eligibility, something came along to change Rodman’s mind, and he made the spicy decision to take his talents to SoCal. “He has no ego. He just wants to win,” Enfield said this fall of Rodman. “He’s a great complement as a position defender. He’s very skilled offensively, very smart player, and he can play with other good players.” Rodman has never been a star, but he’s the sort of player who can help stars be their best selves. Another strong defender who hits the boards like he means it – no surprise, given that DJ is the son of longtime NBA glass artist Dennis Rodman. Over his last two campaigns, DJ Rodman has grabbed 122 offensive boards, and will add a rugged presence to the Trojans’ rotation. Not simply a burly rebounder, DJ Rodman is also a 35.2% career shooter from the land of trey, and he will add a quality secondary deep threat when he’s not rambling towards the paint. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

56.9 – FG Attempts Per Game (234th)

5.1 – Blocks Per Game (11th)

6.5 – 3FG Made Per Game (283rd)

74.5% – Team FT Percentage (67th)

39.3% – Opponent FG Percentage (8th)

With Rodman’s strength and experience allowing him to play as the wing/power forward in a four-out attack which best utilizes the Trojans’ embarrassment of riches at guard, Enfield will have real flexibility to mix and match his lineups. Even with Reese Waters having departed for San Diego State, USC has depth. Like Johnson one class earlier, Oziyah Sellers didn’t play very much as a rookie. This year, though, he has the chance to ne Enfield’s first guard off the bench. Sellers has good size, good scoring instincts, and good overall potential to develop behind USC’s stars. He arrived in Los Angeles with a reputation as a strong shooter, but was not particularly efficient in his sporadic role last winter. If Sellers gets his outside shots to start dropping with regularity, he knows how to compliment the deep ball with drives through the lane, and should start popping in with some nice contributions as a secondary scorer. 

The final piece of the backcourt puzzle, as is tradition, cannot currently be found. Bronny James, the most famous son of the 2023 class, arrived with tremendous fanfare when he pledged to Southern Cal. Unfortunately, the excellent young guard suffered cardiac arrest while at practice this July, and has been forced to put his debut for the Trojans on hold. “We hope to have Bronny back on the court with the team at the appropriate time,” Enfield said this fall. Few prospects in recent memory have seen their progress more openly discussed and debated, and James has had no choice but to endure intense scrutiny of his every move in and off the hardwood. Despite it all, James has been described as possessing a calm and mature disposition, and he has dealt with the health setback as best as may be hoped. As a player, James has shown truly excellent potential. He is a strong outside shooter, clever and physical defender, and a smooth and largely unflappable ballhandler. James has been around the game all his life, and it shows. He is a supremely savvy player who knows how to be in the right place at the right time, and seems to see things happening a step ahead of his peers. James is a terrific passer, and projects as a very good fit with Ellis, Johnson and Collier. If Bronny can ever share the floor with them, the playmaking options and highlights will be virtually endless. 

James has been around the game all his life, and it shows

There are just oodles of options for Enfield at the big spots. Outside of being able to pair Rodman with a true big, the Trojans can also trot out two post players whenever they want. The team’s top returning interior force is veteran rejectionist Joshua Morgan. One of the most fearsome and mobile rim protectors in the country, Morgan has sent back 175 shot attempts in his 99 career games; or 1.8 blocks per contest. The mobility and bounce which has allowed Morgan to threaten and change just as many shot attempts as he swats also makes him a prime lob threat on offense. He’s made more than 70% of his attempts near the rim each of the past two seasons, and of the 77 buckets Morgan tossed in last winter, 25 were flushes. Last season, he also began to grow his scoring repertoire. After being virtually no threat to score away from the rim earlier in his career, Morgan tried 59 shots from mid-range last year, per Bart Torvik, and swished a completely respectable 42.4% of those looks. If Morgan can take the next step and consistently become a true scoring threat in the lane, Morgan could transform the USC attack by pulling valuable defensive attention inside. 

While Morgan is a nearly finished product, Enfield also has a pair of highly promising young pivots to develop off the bench. Vincent Iwuchukwu got some meaningful experience last year as a freshman, but it came after, like Bronny, he suffered a cardiac incident in practice during the summer of 2022. This year, his start has been delayed by a back injury. “He feels much better now than he has maybe in his basketball career, from being healthy and strong and athletic and quick,” Enfield had said previously of the young big man. “He’s very fast and a rim protector. Once he gets back with us on a full time basis you’ll see a very quick development on the offensive end.” Iwuchukwu is still a fairly raw player offensively, but showed in his 14 games last season that he knows how to stuff a good feed and swat lots of shots. As he begins to earn consistent run and gets healthy enough to practice hard on improving his post moves and footwork, Iwuchukwu has the size and potential to become a real force inside. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

N – Gonzaga – December 2

@ Auburn – December 17

N – Kansas State – November 6

N – Iowa / Oklahoma – November 24

N – Seton Hall – November 23

The second of USC’s young centers is also a consensus Top 50 recruit, and a product of Wheeler high school in Marietta, GA. There, freshman big man Arrinten Page was on the receiving end of a great many sublime setups from one Isaiah Collier, and the teammates will play together again in LA. Page has added both height and begun to seriously fill out his frame in the past year-plus, and is the broadest of USC’s bigs even as a rookie. There have been questions asked about his motor and physicality, but when Page is locked in, he looks just as much like an NBA prospect as his play-making pal. With good quickness and hands inside, Page is also more coordinated than many young bigs and can make some quite agile and impressive plays. He has a jump shot, but can continue adding range and consistency to it. If he does so – and learns to play with abandon all the time – Page will become a versatile scoring threat both in the paint and outside of it, and may prove a dominant force in the years to come. Rounding out Enfield’s outstanding haul of freshmen is Brandon Gardner, a big-play forward with big-time hops. Though not a Top 50 prospect like the others, Gardner is what people are talking about when they say ‘he can jump out the gym’. As evidence: Gardner threw down a dunk at USC’s HoopLA preseason event after leaping clear over Heisman Trophy-winning USC quarterback Caleb Williams. A high-effort defender and rebounder, Gardner will make plays at both ends of the floor. He offers the Trojans another hybrid forward with a different set of skills than Rodman, but each player should be able to bring the noise when called upon. 

Two more veteran forwards with complimentary skills return after serving as deep reserves a year ago. Harrison Hornery is a sharpshooting forward from Australia who adds something different to the Trojan frontcourt. He’s played just 227 minutes through two seasons, but Hornery is looking to grow his role this time around. If he can hit shots at a high rate and play enough defense, Hornery will be able to do so. Last year, Kijani Wright was a Top 100 prospect, and offers the Trojans more of a classic power forward. A solid rim protector who does his scoring in the paint, Wright has the size, quickness, and athleticism to make a leap up in production. 

After a couple of years of promising teams couldn’t get it done in the Big Dance, USC has loaded up for a run. The freshman class is expected to be so outstanding that it will revitalize the Trojans even if James cannot suit up this season. 

“This is probably our most athletic team. We’re fast, very athletic and long arms,” Enfield said this fall. “We’ll push the pace more on offense. This year our most dynamic scorers and ballhandlers and creators are at the guard position.” The Trojans ranked around the middle of the pack in possessions per game last season, but with three NBA-caliber guards to lead the way, USC will run this year – for easy buckets, to harry the opposition, and to chase down wins. 

Outside of Ellis, last year’s Trojans struggled to hit from the outside. Enfield is expecting some improvement from within, as guys like Sellers, Johnson, and Hornery can shoot the rock. Collier is looking to prove himself from deep, also, and Rodman should fill a valuable role. The post is still developing in part, but the big guys know how to defend and should sprinkle in a bit more offense, too. It’s only been three years since Southern California went to the Elite Eight, but the Trojans are ready to return. This team has the talent and versatility to go that far again; and if the kids are as good as expected, maybe farther.