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USC Basketball: Trojans season review

By John Sill

March 10, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Andy Enfield instructs his team in a huddle against the Utah Utes during the second half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Utes defeated the Trojans 80-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 10, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Andy Enfield instructs his team in a huddle against the Utah Utes during the second half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Utes defeated the Trojans 80-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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After posting their first winning record since the 2010-2011 season, USC basketball believe their future is bright under head coach Andy Enfield.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting a series of articles to summarize this past season for every team in the Pac-12 conference.

Related Story: Oregon State Beavers season review

The series will start at the bottom of the conference with Washington State and we will work our way to top of the final standings with Oregon. Beyond a final summary, I will attempt to provide some insights on each team as they approach the offseason in hopes of an improved 2016-2017 season.

2015-2016 Season

Overall Record: 21-13

Conference Record: 9-9

Final Conference Standing: Six out of 12

Conference Awards: Julian Jacobs (Pac-12 All-Conference: First Team), Jordan McLaughlin (Pac-12 All-Conference: Honorable Mention), Bennie Boatwright (Pac-12 All-Freshman Team: Honorable Mention)

Summary: The USC Trojans had a successful season and went on to receive an NCAA tournament bid as an eight seed.

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Unfortunately, the tournament experience would only last for a single game as they were upset by the Providence Friars (nine seed) on a last second shot.

Early season success got the Trojans off to a hot start and went 11-2 in non-conference play, including a win over No. 20 ranked Wichita State. This win would serve as one of their two wins over ranked opponents, finishing with a 2-4 season record against ranked opponents.

A quadruple overtime win at home over No. 7 ranked Arizona highlighted the early portion of their conference play, but a 3-7 record during the final two months of conference play had the Trojans slipping in the standings.

This USC team relied mostly on balanced scoring with five players averaging double figures. However, defense seemed to be an issue for a team that allowed more point on average than they were able to score themselves.

2016-2017 Season

Leaving: Julian Jacobs (Declared for NBA Draft – eligible to return), Katin Reinhardt (transfer), Malik Martin (transfer), Darion Clark (transfer), Strahinja Gavrilovic (senior)

New Faces: Jonah Matthews (SG, 4-star recruit), De’Anthony Melton (SG, 4-star recruit), Nick Rakocevic (C, 3-star recruit), Harrison Henderson (PF, 3-star recruit), Shaqquan Aaron (transfer – not eligible until 2016-2017 season)

Outlook: Enfield will bring in the number 37th ranked (by ESPN) recruiting class to create a very crowded backcourt.

The Trojans already look to be one of the more experienced teams in the conference after only maintaining a large portion of the roster. Reinhardt transferring out could be a big loss as the experienced guard was third on the team in average minutes played.

Martin and Clark transferring out seem to be due to a lack of minutes played.

While Jacobs has declared for the draft, he is eligible to return as he has not signed with an agent at this point. If Jacobs returns, the Trojans should be able to keep momentum moving forward in the program with another successful season.

Next: Top 10 National Championship finishes

The development of freshman Boatwright during the offseason will be a necessity, but USC should have a solid, experienced core to rely on next season regardless as they look to finish in the top half of the conference standings.

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