Katin Reinhardt to transfer from USC


Just one week after the reported departure of forwards Darion Clark and Malik Martin and a day after the two-year contract extension of head coach Andy Enfield, redshirt junior guard Katin Reinhardt became the next Trojan to depart USC, making an announcement on Twitter on Monday.

On Tuesday, head coach Andy Enfield officially granted releases to all three players.

Originally a transfer from UNLV, Reinhardt, a former four-star prospect, was ranked as the 47th best prospect in the nation in 2012, earning a 94 scout ranking thanks to his shooting capabilities.

During his freshman year with the Runnin’ Rebels, Reinhardt averaged a healthy 29.2 minutes, 10.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and 89.2 percent from the line. In an interview with CBS Sports’ Doug Gottlieb, Reinhardt said he left UNLV due to his reduced role on the offense and lack of ball handling.

“Everybody thinks I want to be a point guard — that isn’t true. [Former UNLV head coach Dave Rice] just said I would play mainly off the ball, and I am just not comfortable that way,” Reinhardt said three years ago. “I averaged three assists a game because I like to pass and can pass and I need to have the ball in order to create, not just stand in the corner or run off screens. I’m not that type of player.”

Unfortunately for the Men of Troy, Reinhardt’s primarily shooting role was not good enough, with the former Mater Dei guard transferring.

Considering that sophomore guard Jordan McLaughlin and junior guard Julian Jacobs accounted for 65 percent of USC’s 504 assists, Reinhardt was understandably displeased with his 48 assists last season.

Not to mention, the 6-foot-6 guard averaged the least amount of minutes in his college career so far, dropping from 29.2 to 26.9 due to sophomore guard Elijah Stewart’s increased role in the offense.

Simply put, though, Stewart’s superior 3-point accuracy and per-minute rebounding totals earned him the starting job down the stretch after losing it to Reinhardt midseason. With 26.4 minutes per game, Stewart shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range and 45 percent overall in his final nine games as compared to Reinhardt’s 37.3 and 33.3 percent, respectively.

Reinhardt, a potent scorer with 11.4 points per game and a 44.4 percent shooting percentage in his final season with USC, is fitted to a role which Jacobs and McLaughlin already fill.

Expected to receive numerous offers with other Division I schools, Reinhardt has a lot to offer: a sweet shooting stroke, postseason experience and very much improved clamp-down defense which the Trojans will certainly miss in 2016.