Busting Brackets
Fansided

USC Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Trojans

By Drew Dinnhaupt

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Jonah Mathews #2 of the USC Trojans brings the ball up the court against the Oregon Ducks during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament 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: Jonah Mathews #2 of the USC Trojans brings the ball up the court against the Oregon Ducks during a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
TULSA, OK – MARCH 17: Charles Buggs #1 of the USC Trojans reacts with Shaqquan Aaron #0 in the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 17, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
TULSA, OK – MARCH 17: Charles Buggs #1 of the USC Trojans reacts with Shaqquan Aaron #0 in the first half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 17, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Key Role Players

G – Jordan Usher

For a prospect who wasn’t even ranked in the top-100 coming out of high school, Trojan fans were pleasantly surprised by Usher’s 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. With a larger role on the team this year, Usher could really emerge as a dangerous scoring threat, as he shot 44 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from beyond the arc last season in limited playing time.

G – Shaqquan Aaron

After transferring from Louisville, Aaron looked like he could hold a substantial role for USC as an upperclassman. In 21 minutes per game, Aaron posted 7.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in his first season as a Trojan. However, last year he played in five minutes less per contest, lowering his averages and therefore his ceiling. Nonetheless, USC should be excited to have a veteran piece like Aaron come off the bench this season.

G – Charles O’Bannon Jr.

The former McDonald’s All-American may have been the biggest disappointment in the country last year. As a fringe five-star prospect, Trojan fans assumed the Compton native would be a large piece in USC’s success in his freshman season. Instead, O’Bannon played 72 minutes of basketball his whole freshman season, shooting 22 percent from the field and 13 percent from three-point range. O’Bannon certainly has potential, though he didn’t show any signs of it last season.

Home/USC Trojans