USC basketball coach Andy Enfield signed a significant contract extension in March that locks him into the Trojans until 2026-2027. Here, we have a projected USC basketball starting lineup.
Honestly, college coaching contracts aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. Ever hear of buyouts? But in his tenure at USC, Enfield has done a tremendous job. The Trojans have won 20 or more games in six of the last seven years and reached the Elite 8 in 2021.
Enfield has a team with a mix of veterans and newcomers – like many others. The Trojans may not be a pre-season Top 25 team, but they’ll get some consideration. USC opens its season Monday, Nov. 7 against Florida Gulf Coast at the Galen Center.
Who will be in the starting line-up that night for the Trojans? Let’s look at where USC basketball stands entering pre-season practice.
When We Last Saw The Trojans
It was heartbreaking. The Trojans were a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing third in the PAC 12. USC led Miami 65-58 with 44 seconds left, and then, uh. Cough Cough.
Charlie Moore made two free throws with three seconds left to lift the Hurricanes to an amazing comeback win, 68-66. USC standout Drew Peterson missed a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The Trojans finished 26-8 and were ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP poll at one point. They split with UCLA.
Who’s Gone?
After leading the team in scoring (14.2 points a game) and starting in 32 games, Trojans forward Isaiah Mobley declared for the NBA Draft. He was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He did well in the summer league.
Chevez Goodwin started 34 games last year and averaged 11 points. He’s now playing in Greece.
Isaiah White graduated and was last seen playing overseas.
The Trojans also lost three players in the transfer portal. Max Agbonkpolo, who played well making 17 starts, and Ethan Anderson, who also started 15 games, both transferred to Wyoming. (Weird flex, but Ok).
Boubacar Coulibaly, a big man prospect with a great name, skipped out of USC for Pepperdine.
Who’s Back?
Enfield has a bunch of players with real PAC 12 experience, led by Peterson. The 6-foot-9 senior guard started every game for the Trojans and scored 12.4 a game. He’s a walking double-double, who was first-team All PAC 12 last year.
‘Boogie’ Ellis, real name Rejean, has made an impact since coming over from Memphis. He is the team’s leading returning scorer (but not by much, at 12.5 a game). He is a bonafide starter who led USC with 56 three-pointers last year.
As far as starters, that’s about it. The Trojans return a bevy of rotation players. Sophomore Reese Dixon-Waters appeared in 33 games last year and made an impact coming off the bench. He had 16 points in the Miami game.
Joshua Morgan was the back-up big man. At 6-foot-11, he finished second on the team with 28 blocks. He’s limited offensively.
After that, Harrison Hornery was a fan favorite. The 6-foot-10 sophomore was instant offense off the bench.
Who’s The New Guy?
USC brought in a freshman class that was ranked as high as No. 7 in the country by a recruiting service/evaluator. That’s the best class in the PAC-12.
But.
The gem of the class, five-star center Vince Iwuchukwu suffered a heart ‘event’ (those are never good) and collapsed at a practice in July. He’s still on the Trojans official roster, but there’s been no public information given about his status moving forward.
The Trojans other big signee was 6-foot-9 forward Kijani Wright, who was an McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school. He already has an NBA body.
Guard Tre White should get a chance to play at some point. He’s another touted prospect who scored 18.2 points a game as a senior in high school.
Oziyah Sellers is another guard, another newcomer, he played with Iwuchukwu in high school. The Trojans got 7-footer Iaroslav Niagu out of the NBA Global Academy in Australia. He’s Russian-born and 19.
Projecting The Trojans Starting Five
It all depends on what Enfield sees in pre-season of course, but he has some flexibility and versatility. He could go real big with this team, or try to go small and run.
Peterson is a lock to be back on the floor at tip for the Trojans. With his size and shooting ability, he’s a match-up issue for any opponent.
Boogie Ellis will be out there. He fills the role as a scorer and a guy who can stretch the defense with a three.
That gives you two more guard spots (basketball is positionless now anyway). Look for Dixon-Waters to get a crack at one of them. My guess is Tre White, one of the freshmen, will get a good shot at the other spot.
Wright, the freshman forward, will be out there too. He’s too big and talented to leave on the bench. If I’m Enfield, I try to play big, and score big.
Of course, if Iwuchukwu is able to play, that throws off everything, because then the Trojans could use him as a 5, put Wright at the 4 and put out multiple guard combinations around them.
- PG: Boogie Ellis
- SG: Reese Dixon-Waters
- SF: Tre White
- PF: Drew Peterson
- C: Kijani Wright
