Trojan brand on the up and up

As a whole, the USC athletics department is flourishing. Great teams, good coaching hires and a constant flow of national titles all do well to strengthen the overall athletic brand. Couple that with an incredible state-of-the-art facility in the McKay Center and the natural attraction of Los Angeles, it is easy to see why USC attracts top flight talent in virtually every sport.

While there is incredible breadth and depth in the Trojan athletic roster of teams, the so-called two “television teams,” have experienced well-documented struggles over the past few years. The basketball team is certainly on an upswing, ignoring the recent slump, but by and large over the last half decade neither the basketball nor football program have been a consistent contender in their respective sports.

Finally, after sanctions and a dearth of talent for the basketball team, it looks like both programs are in a prime position to ascend back the rankings and vie for top billing. USC has never been a basketball school and probably never will be, but the team can attract a crowd and national prominence as it did during the mini renaissance of the program under Tim Floyd. If the basketball team could maintain their status as a consistent contender for trips to March Madness, that would really enhance the team’s profile.

Under Enfield, that looks like a plausible scenario. The Trojans certainly have their weaknesses, especially inside, and recruiting some stronger, more physical post players could help remedy that situation. They are arriving way ahead of schedule. With another talented recruiting class on the way, it looks as if Enfield is a solid enough coach to ensure that the Trojans will be viable contenders.

Additionally, high school players love the Slam City mentality. Running and gunning is fun and exciting for prospects, and even if USC doesn’t recruit top-10 talent, they are able to still land elite level commitments who need to take more than a year to develop. This adds consistency and stability to a team’s progress over a longer period of time. Outside of Duke and Kentucky, which unfortunately USC will probably never rival on the hardwood, the best formula for success seems to be an offshoot of what Enfield is doing in terms of his recruiting style.

Now, an argument can be made that a defensive-driven approach, like Tony Bennett at Virginia, is more effective, but I’m not sure if there is a definitive answer in that debate. As long as USC can continue to bring in solid talent and develop them like they have with junior guard Julian Jacobs, sophomore guard Jordan McLaughlin and junior forward Nikola Jovanovic, they will be able to utilize their brand and the city of Los Angeles to their advantage.

In contrast, USC football is a different story. Expectations are inherently low for the basketball team. That couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to football. Questionable hires, sanctions and a failure to properly develop talent have all left the Trojans sputtering the last few years on the football field. There have been a few highlights here and there, but for the most part, the Trojan football squads have failed to live up the expectations thrust upon a historically elite program.

Hopefully with sanctions in the rearview mirror, and a stable coaching situation USC can reclaim their status as a dominant player in the college football landscape. Another full, talented recruiting class should help matters as will a renovated Coliseum in the coming years.

Fans for the most part care a lot more about football than basketball, but as someone who is deeply passionate about both, it would be great to see two elite teams coming out of USC. Both coaches are young and intelligent and have demonstrated flashes of immense potential. There is nothing stopping them both from building powerhouse programs and reinvigorating the fan bases of both programs.

There is nothing quite like “We Are SC” chants at the end of big victories in football and basketball. The more of those, the merrier. As USC enters the second half of this decade it would be great if their trajectory projects closer toward an abundance of chants and less toward complaints about the failed potential of two teams with incredible resources.

Jake Davidson is a junior majoring in accounting. His column, “Davidson’s Direction,” runs Mondays.