USC’s roster looks built for a big season on paper. The Trojans have three returning standouts, three freshmen ranked among the top 30 prospects and a transfer group that gives Eric Musselman plenty of lineup options.
The catch this summer has been simple: too many bodies are missing.
“Because we only have nine guys, there's only so much we can do live,” Musselman said during the team’s media availability last week. “Our plan is to have everybody fully back when we come back August 25 - everybody but KJ [Lewis].
That would be kind of the plan. … Rodney [Rice] should be cleared for contact, Aaron [Hunkin-Claytor] should be ready, and we hope that Eric [Reibe] 's good to go then, too.”
That shortage has shaped everything USC is doing in practice. Rice has been out there this summer, but he comes off the floor during live work.
Hunkin-Claytor, the Hawai’i transfer guard, is still working back from the turf toe injury that ended his season early last year, and the staff is being careful with him so it heals completely. Reibe, the Connecticut center transfer, and Lewis, the Georgetown guard transfer, have also been sidelined from the remaining summer sessions, with Musselman saying Reibe’s issue is “semi-pre-existing” and Lewis is expected back sometime in “mid-to-late September.”
Even with the absences, the Trojans are still sorting out roles. Colgate point guard transfer Jalen Cox is handling the ball where he’s most comfortable.
Alijah Arenas is expected to slide back into his role as a scorer who can do a little of everything. South Dakota transfer Isaac Bruns was added to bring steady three-point shooting, while Lindenwood transfer Jadis Jones is adjusting to what this roster needs from him.
“I’m kind of on the wing right now, so kind of the 3 [and] mixing in a little 4 every now and then,” Jones said this week. “I don't have a perimeter shot right now.
I'm kind of working on it. I'm more of a get-to-the-rim type of guy - just doing all the dirty work.
But I'm working on it every day to get a better shot though.”
Perimeter shooting is one of the areas Musselman wants sharpened up. He said the analytics point to that as a concern, even if his own eyes tell him something a little different.
“Now, whether those factor in Adonis and Darius, I mean, the eye test would say that we're a good three-point shooting team,” he said. “The analytics right now say that's an area that we need to continue to work on in practice, that the guys need to work on in their individual off time. We've talked about that.”
The frontcourt has been less affected by the summer absences, aside from the missing center. The bigger question there is whether the freshmen stay healthy.
Jacob Cofie is back for what appears to be his final college season after spending his offseason at the NBA G League Combine and then moving up to the NBA Draft Combine, where he had a strong showing. He chose to return to USC and said he plans to come back with a point to prove.
“I feel like going back to college, it's like a downgrade, so I can improve myself and show that I'm one of the best players to play in college,” Cofie said last week. “Going to the combine, being able to experience that process of playing against some of the top players in the world was just a great experience for me. … You'll see me shoot a lot more threes, my leadership leading my team and just trying to be a tournament team this year.”
Cofie is expected to spend plenty of time at power forward and can also slide to center in small-ball looks. He’s sharing the front line this summer with 6-foot-10 Evansville transfer Joshua Hughes and three freshmen: 6-foot-9 small forward Christian Collins, 6-foot-11 forward Adonis Ratliff and 7-foot center Darius Ratliff. Hughes brings a mix of shooting, shot-blocking and versatility, while Musselman sees Adonis as a flexible shooter and Darius as a true interior big.
The talent is there for USC to make a serious NCAA tournament run. The question, as always, is whether it can stay on the floor.
Last season Rice and Arenas never played together. Amarion Dickerson, like Rice, suffered a season-ending injury, and Chad Baker-Mazara and Jordan Marsh also missed time.
For a team with this much promise, the injury bug is still the biggest thing standing in the way.
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