Men’s basketball: 2015-2016 season preview


Riddled with lack of experience, growing pains and a rebuilding process the last two seasons, the USC men’s basketball team hopes to have all the right pieces in place for the 2015-2016 season and make a long-awaited return to relevancy in the Pac-12.

Head coach Andy Enfield is starting his third season at the helm, coming over from Florida Gulf Coast prior to the 2012-2013 season. While Enfield gained prominence for leading the Eagles to an improbable Sweet Sixteen run in the NCAA Tournament in 2013, he has not had the same success in his first two years with the Trojans.

USC is just 5-31 in conference play and 23-41 the last two seasons, and they placed last in the Pac-12 both years. Enfield chalks it up to a young, inexperienced roster.

“We allowed our players to play through their mistakes last season,” he said. “They were young and inexperienced. We were competitive last season. We just were not able to win a lot of close games.”

Indeed, the Trojans were the fourth-youngest team in the country last season, and one of just 15 teams in the country without a senior. This season, it will have just one senior — Strahinja Gavrilovic — but have its top nine scorers returning. In all, 10 players and all five starters from last season will be back.

“With a year of experience, bodies being more developed physically … and understanding how to win close games, we hope the growing pains we went through last season will show up as some more victories this season,” Enfield said.

Continuity is a theme heading into next Friday’s season opener, with players gaining more experience playing with each other.

“The last two years were a rebuilding process with a new coaching staff and new players, and we were trying to put everything in place,” said junior forward Nikola Jovanovic. “This year, with the right pieces, we’re covered in every single position. We feel comfortable going into the new season.”

Sophomore guard and co-captain Jordan McLaughlin will be counted on to build upon an outstanding freshman campaign where he averaged 12.1 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds. A former four-star recruit with tremendous court vision, McLaughlin underwent offseason surgery on both shoulders after missing the final eight games of last season.

But the local product said he is healthy and ready to embrace his leadership role by being a good role model.

“I’m a leader by example,” McLaughlin said. “In the drills, I make sure I’m going hard. Every day I bring it at practice. I make sure I take no days off.”

McLaughlin is joined in the backcourt by redshirt junior Katin Reinhardt, who led the team in three-pointers (61) and three-point percentage (38.6 percent) last season. Sophomore Elijah Stewart, junior Julian Jacobs and sophomore co-captain Malik Marquetti are also key returning guards for the Trojans.

In the frontcourt, Jovanovic serves as a low-post presence, averaging 12.3 points per game and leading the team with 7.0 rebounds a game. The junior played for the Serbian National Team over the summer and cites consistency, relentless effort, and rebounding as points of emphasis for the season ahead.

“[Experience] was one of our issues last year,” Jovanovic said. “We weren’t able to win 7-8 games just because of [lack of experience]. I think this year we’re going to turn that around. We’ll definitely be good.”

The Trojans also added two highly-prized recruits in Chimenzie Metu and Bennie Boatwright, who are both tall and skilled big men. Metu is athletic and strong on defense while Boatwright, who could start as a freshman, is a 6’9” forward with an accurate three-point shot.

“They’ll help us out a lot,” McLaughlin said. “[Boatwright] is a stretch-four, pick-and-pop four. He’ll be able to space the floor on the pick-and-roll. [Metu] is a freak athlete who can jump out of the gym.”

Picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 in a preseason media poll for the second consecutive season, USC hopes to do much better than that by becoming a competitive factor in the conference.

It begins with continuity and having more time to learn and absorb Enfield’s up-tempo system. The Trojans lost eight games last season by five points or less, a product of lack of experience and late-game execution.

“A couple games came down to the last couple of possessions,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not like we were getting blown out. This year, we’re focusing on executing better than last year. That way, we’ll be able to win those games that were close.”

That execution will have to be shared by all if USC is to have success.

“We don’t have a 20-point scorer on this team,” Enfield said. “What we have is a lot of good players that need to play together, and they all need to step up.”

The Trojans begin their season next Friday with a four-game homestand, kicking off the 2015-2016 campaign against San Diego at Galen Center.

1 reply
  1. Steve B.
    Steve B. says:

    Sorry to say inexperience is relative, and really an excuse. Kentucky wins titles with four or five Freshmen starting while Trojans
    finish dead last in their conference two years in a row. Maybe if Enfield can keep his best player for a senior year outcomes
    different in a few games at least. Make or break season for the Coach and staff.

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