USC Trojans
Overall Rank: #78
Conference Rank: #6 Pac-12
USC Team Page
2010-11: 19-15, 10-8
2010-11 postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kevin O’Neill (35-29 at USC, 223-223 overall)
Jio Fontan would have been the leader of USC, but an injury will sideline him for the year. Fontan tore a ligament in his left knee during the team’s preseason tour of Brazil. After averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 assists last year, Fontan was ready to try and get the Trojans back to the NCAA Tournament. Now a return trip to the big dance seems extremely unlikely. This is just the latest in a string of bad news for the Trojans. Curtis Washington, who played sparingly as a freshman, is also out for the year and earlier leading scorer Nikola Vucevic opted to leave school early for the NBA.
Who’s Out:
Vucevic is a big loss after he led the team with 17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks during his junior campaign. He was a big guy who could step out and hit the mid-range jumper with consistency. Making matters worse, the frontcourt also is without the services of Alex Stepheson. He teamed up very nicely with Vucevic and averaged 9.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. That is a lot of interior scoring and rebounding to replace. Fellow starter Marcus Simmons, who always played stellar defense, is also on the long and talented list of departed player. Sixth man Donte Smith averaged 9.7 points per game during his last season at USC and was the team’s most effective shooter. Bryce Jones was not around for much of last season, but he was productive when he was.
Who’s In:
This recruiting class started off in need of some big bodies. Now it just needs talented bodies. It got a little bit of both. Aaron Fuller, a transfer from Iowa, is a little undersized for a power forward, but he is a tough and experienced player who should fill in nicely at the four spot. Two years ago Fuller averaged 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Hawkeyes and came on really strong at the end of the year. Dewayne Dedmon is garnering plenty of praise from Coach Kevin O’Neill. The 7-0, 255 pound junior college transfer is very agile for his size, but will also be a force under the basket. Fuller and Dedmon may not be Vucevic and Stepheson right away, but they are not too far behind that duo either. James Blasczyk, who spent some time at Texas A&M, is another seven-footer who can eat up space in the paint and grab some rebounds. Greg Allen is the experienced newcomer on the perimeter. The 6-3 junior is a great outside shooter and will likely be the starting two guard right away. His defense will help keep him on the floor. Speaking of defense; that is what point guard Alexis Moore does best. Moore is not as pure of a scorer as Allen, but the freshman is a good ball handler and will battle for a starting job. Byron Wesley joins Moore as the other freshman heading to the land of Troy. He is a physical wing who can attack the basket.
Who to Watch:
Maurice Jones will be the new leader of this team with Fontan out. Jones averaged 9.9 points and 3.2 assists last season and should be in for a big sophomore season. Jones will run the point and that year of experience under his belt should help reduce his turnovers. There are other scorers on this team, so Jones will not feel like he has to take over for Fontan in that regard. He just needs to run the offense and get the ball off to the wings or into the big guys in the paint. Garrett Jackson will likely be one of those wings. As a freshman last year, the 6-6 small forward was quite productive in his limited playing time. He should be ready to emerge as a bigger scorer and join Allen as a shooting threat.
Final Projection:
The frontcourt has some experienced newcomers, but with the injury to Washington depth will be an issue. Evan Smith missed the 2010-2011 season with an injury, but will be asked to contribute more this year. He is not a prototypical big guy at 6-7 and 225 pounds, yet he is a tough player who never lacks in hustle. Smith will not be asked to do too much and USC will be just fine in the frontcourt if he can give his team ten minutes a game of tough defense. Despite the losses, this team is not too bad. The newcomers are loaded with potential. The NCAA Tournament may not call again in 2012, but USC will not be a pushover either.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Maurice Jones, Sophomore, Guard, 9.9 points per game
Greg Allen, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
Garrett Jackson, Sophomore, Forward, 3.2 points per game
Aaron Fuller, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
DeWayne Dedmon, Sophomore, Forward
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