Pac-12 Basketball Recruiting: Chevez Goodwin picks USC, 2 ASU players transfer

The first edition of the Pac-12 Basketball Recruiting Notebook will look at Wofford transfer Chevez Goodwin selecting USC, Arizona State’s recent departures, and Washington’s additions, among other things.

Wofford transfer Chevez Goodwin verbally committed to USC late on Monday night, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports. Goodwin heard from a lot of high major programs after announcing his intention to leave Wofford, including Xavier, Georgia, Houston, and Arkansas.

“I talked to God, then my family and I made the best decision for myself at the end of the day,” Goodwin said. “Academically, it has what I want to major in. That was big. Then coach [Andy] Enfield has a plan for me. He wants me to play for him and knows exactly how I play and how he wants to get me better. It was all genuine.”

Goodwin made significant strides this past season, his second with the Terriers, averaging 11.9 points along with 6.2 (2.4 offensive) rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 61% from the field. He produced five double-doubles and scored in double-figures on 19 occasions, which included topping the 20-point mark twice. Goodwin averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 2018-19.

USC is the 6-9 forward’s third school as he began his career at the College of Charleston. Goodwin will be eligible immediately and is the third grad transfer and the fifth player to commit to the program overall in a week. The South Carolina native will give the Trojans a third post player and could start or back up both Mobley brothers, Evan and Isaiah.

Goodwin’s arrival follows that of fellow grad transfer Tahj Eaddy and Isaiah White, along with the 2020-21  commitments of Malik Thomas as well as Reese Dixon-Waters. USC’s 2020 recruiting class now stands at five players, and the Trojans still have two more scholarships to work with for the upcoming campaign.

Andre Allen becomes the fourth player to transfer from Arizona State

Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley has a lot more work to do on the recruiting trail than initially thought. Hurley knew that he would not have third-leading scorer Rob Edwards and reserve forward Mikey Mitchell for next year as both players graduated. Now, he has to replace five more players with the recent departures of Andre Allen, Remy Martin, and Khalid Thomas.

Allen and Thomas announced that they were transferring from the program on consecutive days. Allen made his decision to vacate Tempe after just one season with the Sun Devils on March 31. The 6-9 junior forward, who spent two seasons at Arizona Western College, was limited to four games this year as a result of injuries. Before joining the Sun Devils, Allen signed with Buffalo in the spring of 2019, but he was released from the agreement following coach Nate Oats leaving for Alabama.

Thomas, also a former junior college recruit, saw action in 23 games though he never found a consistent role with the team. Thomas averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds over 8.5 minutes. However, he did hit a game-winning 3-point shot on the road at Princeton and scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting off the bench against Washington on Feb. 1.

Allen and Thomas become the third and fourth player transferring from ASU this offseason joining sophomores Elias Valtonen and Kyle Felt. Valtonen, a 6-7 forward from Finland, saw an increase in action this past campaign, but still, he only averaged less than 15 minutes in 19 contests while producing two points along with 1.8 boards a game. Felt saw 1.8 minutes of court time in six appearances.

The most significant loss for Arizona State is leading scorer Remy Martin deciding to enter the NBA draft. These departures now give Hurley — who had alreay signed 2020 Marcus Bagley — five more scholarships to use this offseason. Arizona State is still in the mix for 5-star Joshua Christopher and is reportedly interested in 2020 prospects  Daniel Batcho (France) and Fallou Diagne (Chandler, AZ) as well as junior college recruits Elbert Ellis and Tyron McMillan.

Mike Hopkins busy at Washington

A lot of news has come out of the University of Washington lately. It all started on March 26, when prized transfer Erik Stevenson picked the Huskies over Gonzaga, Maryland, San Diego State, and Oregon. Stevenson averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season. The very next day, seldom used point guard Quin Barnard decided to transfer after spending three years in Seattle.

The workload continued for coach Mike Hopkins and his staff as the Huskies offered consensus four-star 2020 6-11 power forward Alex Tchikou on March 29. And junior college point guard Nate Pryor re-committed to UW for the third time on March 31. The 6-1 point guard averaged 18.9 points and 5.3 assists for North Idaho. Pryor’s commitment is essential for the Huskies as it is unknown whether Quade Green and Elijah Hardy are going to be on the roster next year. Green was declared academically in January, and Hardy struggled after taking over Green’s starting spot.

Other recruiting news

• Oregon State offered junior college transfer Maurice Calloo on March 31. Calloo, the 65th best prospect by JUCO Recruiting,  averaged 9.1 points on 45.6% shooting from the field along with 3.9 rebounds over 20 minutes of action in 33 appearances. The Windsor (Canada) product also went 39 of 111 (35.1%) from the 3-point line. The Beavers don’t currently have a scholarship available for 2020 as three-star forward Isaiah Johnson has already signed a letter of intent and junior college transfer Rodrigue Andela (Kilgore College) has verbally committed to the team.

• Stanford offered 2022 forward Alex Karaban (Northborough, MA) a scholarship on March 27. Karaban, who stands at 6-7, also has standing offers from Providence and Indiana.