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USC Basketball: Breaking down the 2018 recruiting class

By Lukas Harkins

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans signals to his players during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans signals to his players during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 09: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans signals. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 09: Head coach Andy Enfield of the USC Trojans signals. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

USC basketball has three highly-touted recruits joining the team this season. How might each player impact the program over the next few years?

USC basketball missing the NCAA Tournament this past season was a byproduct of a poor overall year for the Pac-12. It is incredibly rare that a team finishes second in a power conference with a 12-6 record in league play only to not hear their name called on Selection Sunday. And yet, that is exactly what happened to the Trojans this past year, who sadly did not reach the NCAA Tournament despite starting the season ranked at No. 10 in the country.

Regardless of whether they “deserved” to make the Big Dance or not, though, most people would agree that it was a disappointing season for USC. For the second consecutive year, the team had to deal with an injury to forward Bennie Boatwright, who missed 13 games. In addition, the Trojans were without star guard De’Anthony Melton for the entire season due to suspension. In the end, it was too difficult to overcome these prolonged absences and four non-conference losses due to a weak Pac-12 schedule that offered very few opportunities for high-quality wins.

As the program looks ahead to this season, there are a lot of question marks. At the forefront of this is wondering how the team will react to losing three incredibly valuable players. Chimezie Metu, Jordan McLaughlin, and Elijah Stewart led the team in total points scored last season and were integral parts of the rotation, all playing more than 29 minutes per game over the course of at least 34 games played (out of 36). In addition, the previously mentioned Melton elected to leave the school in pursuit of an NBA career.

However, this does not mean that all hope is gone for 2018-19. In fact, the roster still projects as one that should compete for an NCAA Tournament bid. Leading the way for this group will be Bennie Boatwright, who will hopefully be at full health and ready to roll in his final collegiate season. The program also brings back two solid rising juniors in Jonah Matthews and Nick Rakocevic to go with some other nice pieces.

Still, arguably the most important players for USC basketball this season are those who are yet to start their college careers. In hopes of recovering from losing so much talent this offseason, head coach Andy Enfield landed the No. 18 ranked recruiting class in the nation. This class features three top-100 players and each should play a major role. Let’s dive in and see what they can bring to the table.

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