The USC men’s basketball team will look a lot different this season. They’ll have four incoming freshmen, two eligible transfers and a talented young point guard.
But will that be enough to compete in the Pac-12?
The Trojans won two conference games last year and finished last, so an improvement on that is likely. Since they’re probably not ready to push for a Pac-12 title just yet, the question becomes how big that improvement will be.
At the Pac-12 Media Days in San Francisco on Thursday, USC was picked 10th in the media poll. The good news: it’s not last. But there’s still a long way to go.
“We understand how difficult it is,” said Coach Andy Enfield. “That’s what we’re here for.”
The Trojans will have an overhauled roster this year, and the key will be freshman point guard Jordan McLaughlin. McLaughlin was ranked the 49th recruit by Rivals.com, and securing his commitment was a major recruiting victory for Enfield.
McLaughlin is a talented scorer and can be explosive in transition. But he is a freshman, and size means adapting to the college game could take a bit of time.
On Thursday, Enfield raved about his understanding of the game and the offense. He praised his work ethic.
“People follow him because they like him,” Enfield said.
He’ll be thrust right into a major role. He’ll likely be a centerpiece of the offense from the first game. That’s a lot to ask when the supporting cast is so young.
“We’re expecting big things from him,” Enfield said. “I think he came to USC for that opportunity, to be relied upon as a freshman. He’ll have that opportunity. We’re excited for him.”
This season, Enfield’s second, Enfield should have a blank slate to begin cementing his philosophies. And many of the contributors will be Enfield recruits.
“We have more athleticism, better shooting,” Enfield said. “We have an elite freshman point guard we recruited. We’ll be able to do more things this year.”
Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand
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