Ruben Report: Notes from USC’s Friday practice

The USC Trojans men’s basketball team had a full practice on Friday. As soon as the team entered the gym it was apparent that this edition of the Trojans is both long and athletic.

Strength Coach Curtis Schultz told me that they expect Vince Iwuchukwu to begin practicing with the team very soon. That was confirmed by others. Vince’s nonparticipation is a result of his back surgery and not his heart issues. Vince was at practice in sweatpants and he looked slimmer than last season; he was doing light workouts on his own during part of the practice.

Andy Enfield said his team is “fast, athletic and long,” adding, “I like our guys a lot.” The athleticism was on display throughout the practice, which lasted a little under two hours. Enfield told me that they will play two bigs at times and sometimes use transfer DJ Rodman at forward. DJ is listed at 6-foot-6, which appears about right.

Enfield also said that when they play two bigs it will be similar to when USC played Isaiah Mobley with Chevez Goodwin, though none of the primary bigs can make shots from the perimeter like Isaiah (putting aside Harrison Hornery). He thinks they have enough depth at guard with Isaiah Collier, Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson, DJ and Oziyah Sellers. It appears that Enfield envisions DJ playing multiple roles.

Curtis Schultz also told me that when freshman Arrinten Page arrived at USC, Curtis said to Arrinten, “you aren’t 6-foot-9“ and found that Arrinten had grown and is now 6-foot-11. Page is very friendly and was smiling throughout the early portions of the session. Several staff members told me that they believe Arrinten has the potential to be very good and he is physically and athletically ready to play now. He played very hard during practice, diving on the floor for a ball going out of bounds.

Isaiah Collier is very friendly; he’s built big and gives off an air of confidence. He is much faster in the open court or driving to the basket than he would appear and uses his body and strength to keep the defender on his hip when he drives. When he gets inside he can finish and he also made several very good pocket passes to teammates. Isaiah often passes with his right hand as the ball comes up on the dribble. The coaches seem content to let him play his game and accept that there will be a few turnovers. Isaiah is very dangerous with the ball on the break.

Kijani Wright looks very different from last year and is playing much better. He was by far the best player on the offensive boards Friday and is quicker off his feet. He played good post defense, going around Josh Morgan on one play and stealing a bounce pass which led to a fast break.

Harry Hornery made a lot of threes and looked very confident when he shot. He made a few threes on fast breaks. One staff member I talked to agreed with me that he can be an offensive plus in the right situations for the Trojans, depending on if there is an acceptable defensive matchup.

Brandon Gardner is very high-energy. He let out a big scream when he made a dunk during the full-court portion of practice. He also screamed a few times when his practice teammates scored. Boogie made a steal and scored on a breakaway dunk and Brandon let out a big scream even though he was still in the backcourt.

Boogie looks even quicker than last season. He has the ability to make a quick jab step and gain five feet of space. He shot very well from three and everywhere else.

Oziyah made a lot of shots from three and in. His shooting was similar to early practices last year. If he can transfer that shot to actual games it will be a big help for the Trojans. He also played good man defense which I don’t recall him doing last season, and he looked much more confident and comfortable.

At the end of practice, Enfield gathered the team and said the coaches were looking for the players to play hard on defense and not be selfish. He added that the weakness last season was rebounding and he told the players that the Trojans only lost once in games in which they won the rebounding battle.

Before practice, newly minted USC assistant coach Desmon Farmer was shooting while the players were in a film session. At one point Des made all five shots from beyond the three-point line while going “around the world”.

Des’ USC teammate Sam Clancy was at practice. Sam had a very long pro career and told me that he is now an assistant coach for the Cavaliers’ G League team. Eric Mobley arrived late and he and Sam grabbed each other in a big bear hug. I told Sam that he is on my Head Coach Henry Bibby starting five team.

Curtis Schultz told me that he played at famous DeMatha High School for Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten and then at Maryland for Gary Williams. He was on the Terps’ national championship team though he was a rarely used bench player.

I spoke to DJ after practice. He is very poised and articulate and easy to talk to. He looks bigger in person than I expected. I asked him about his black fingernails and he said that about four months ago he just wanted to do something different. I asked about his decision to transfer and he said he wanted to stay in the conference and play for a contender. DJ said it’s been an easy transition; he knew some of the coaches and players before he committed. He said the hard part was letting his WSU coaches and teammates know he was leaving but he knew that sometimes you have to do what you believe is best for you even if it isn’t the best for other people.

And One

This USC team has the potential to be very good though they play a more difficult nonconference schedule than in recent years. Vince’s return will make a big difference if he can participate in most of fall practice rather than having to get into game shape and fit in midway through the season like last year. If Bronny can play this season it will be an added bonus.

After watching practice I feel somewhat better about how well this team will rebound. Whether the front court will score enough and if there is sufficient backcourt depth remain concerns. However, if Ozyiah plays like he practiced it will help the backcourt issues.

Finally, it was busy around Galen on Friday. When I arrived the beach volleyball team was practicing across Figueroa. When I left women’s volleyball head coach Brad Keller was passing through getting ready for Friday night’s home game.

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