Last Year
A bit like a rickety car that you hope stays together for the road trip but every warning light comes on before it eventually dies next to a deserted gas station. USC started the season 12-1, but slowly fell apart over the course of the season and ended with 8 straight losses, including one to Washington in the BTT to end the season.
Happy Trails
- Chad Baker-Mazara was kicked off the team and then later sued the school and the coach, but is also playing for Mexico City in the G League
- The eligibility goblin also claimed Ezra Ausar, Kam Woods, Jaden Brownell, Ryan Cornish, and Terrance Williams
- The portal claimed its prizes in Jordan Marsh (Temple), Amarion Dickerson (Grand Canyon), Jerry Easter (Oregon), and Gabe Dynes (Louisville)
Starters
- PG Rodney Rice, 6'5'' Senior: Rice was looking all-world before a shoulder injury cut his season to just six games. But he did a lot in those six games, scoring in double figures in all of them while also dishing a bunch of assists. I don't know about him being a point guard, but the numbers through six games don't lie and Mussel Man isn't attached to traditional roles anyway.
- SG K.J. Lewis, 6'4'' Senior: Lewis comes over from Georgetown after two seasons at Arizona. He's a big physical guy who loves to drive the ball and shoot, though shooting successfully has been elusive. I don't know that they need another ball dominant guard, but he is long and makes for a good defender next to Rice.
- SF Alijah Arenas, 6'6'' Sophomore: Arenas, son of Gilbert, was a big five star recruit, but a combo of a car accident and a torn meniscus delayed his debut until late January. He had some highs and lows, but a three game stretch where he went for 29, 24, and 25 shows he has some scoring chops. But that is a third ball dominant guard for Mussel Man to sort out.
- PF Jacob Cofie, 6'10'' Junior: Cofie played a ton last season and was a solid rebounder and shot blocker, and fairly efficient shooting the ball. He will step out and shoot from three, and may end up in a bit of a point forward situation given the guards all love to score.
- C Eric Reibe, 7'1'' Sophomore: Reibe comes over from UConn, where he saw his minutes dwindle as the season wore on. He was billed as a super-skilled stretch five, though as a freshman we didn't see a ton of passing or outside shooting. Still, you can't teach being 7 feet. Also, between Danny Hurley and Eric Musselman, Reibe must really like the insufferable douchebag coaching style.
Bench
- SG Isaac Bruns, 6'5'' Senior: Bruns comes over from South Dakota, where he was, you guessed it, a ball dominant guard who loved to shoot.
- PG Jalen Cox, 6'3'' Senior: Cox comes over from Colgate, where he also loved to shoot and score. He did, however, pass the ball a lot, too, which might come in handy for a team where everyone feels they are the alpha dog.
- SF Jadis Jones, 6'5'' Junior: Jones comes over from Lindenwood, and is mostly notable for having a usage under 25. Rare for this team. Hasn't been a big three point threat, as he's 2-15 over the course of two seasons.
- PG Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, 6'2'' Junior: Hunkin-Claytor comes over from Hawaii, where he was comfortable not scoring. I think Muscle Man took him just to show the other guards such a thing is possible.
- PF Josh Hughes, 6'10'' Senior: Hughes comes over from Evansville, where he was mostly Just a Tall Guy, though he did step out and shoot threes at a good clip.
- Four freshmen, though the three high schoolers might make an impact. Five star forward Christian Collins may compete to start, as he's Five Stars! and can run and has lots of length. Also in the mix are high four star twin towers Adonis and Darius Ratliff. They also added one Euroballer in Belgium center Onyeka Joe Agu.
Outlook
MaximumSam: Tough to say. The roster is loaded with talent, but Musselman's past two seasons at USC have been marked by being less than the sum of their parts. You can see the danger signs of having a bunch of guys who all want to score or impress the NBA and not really turning into a good team. On the other hand, Musselman has had good teams before, and he has size and talent coming out his combustible ears.
glass: What was the Mussel Man's sales pitch to donors before the season? "I know the last 2 years were expensive unmitigated disasters, but you guys, I promise that doing the exact same thing will actually work the 3rd time around?" Do not trust. Torvik has clearly been fooled and is saying 20-12 (10-10), but the smart money says they underwhelm again and end up closer to .500.
BoilerUp89: Really like the collection of talent. Much more than Ohio State's, Purdue's, or UCLA's. Can Musselman get them to work together? He's notoriously difficult to play or coach under but occasionally it does all come together and in fairness to Musselman, USC has had more than their fair share of injuries the past few years.
I understand the skepticism. However, this roster is more than talented enough to be a mainstay in the top 25 all year. If they fail to make the NCAA tournament again, I don't see Musselman returning next year. It's put up or shut up time.
