There are many ways to underscore the point that Andy Enfield is badly failing to develop this USC basketball roster. The most damning indictment of Enfield’s performance, however, is clear: He is getting nowhere near the maximum amount of production or impact from the top-ranked recruit in the United States for the Class of 2023.
Stop and absorb that fact: USC has the No. 1 recruit in the whole country for this year’s class. That was supposed to be a game-changer for the program. In the season opener on November 6 versus Kansas State, Isaiah Collier looked like a game-changing player. He was so dominant in that game that he scored three and-one baskets in the first 16 minutes. He was getting to the rim at will and dominating the action on the floor, exactly what he came to USC to do.
We haven’t really seen that guy — that version of Collier — since then.
It is as though Collier’s first game was a demonstration of his talent, and that every subsequent game has been a moment in which defenses and opposing coaches — finally having college game film to look at — are adjusting to Collier and taking away what he wants.
Where is Enfield’s adjustment? It still hasn’t happened.
Collier scored just 11 points against Oregon on Thursday night. He had only three assists. He collected three rebounds with no steals and no blocked shots. He made only four shots from the field and attempted only four free throws. It was, all told, an ordinary performance — not bad, but nothing close to what a top-ranked recruit should offer. We’re two months into USC’s season, and Collier has become an unremarkable player under Enfield.
Contrast this with what Oregon’s freshmen did against USC.
Jackson Shelstad scored 21 points. He missed the first month of the season and had therefore fallen behind in his development in November. However, Oregon coach Dana Altman has managed to get him up to speed in December. That’s coaching.
Oregon freshman Kwame Evans was even better than Shelstad. He scored 22 points, hauled in 8 rebounds, and swiped 5 steals in a dynamic performance.
At Oregon and elsewhere, freshmen are busting out all over and making a huge difference for their teams. Isaiah Collier is not standing out from the crowd; if anything, he is fading into the background on a mediocre team going nowhere.
Are we going to see signs of Andy Enfield making real — and productive — adjustments this season? The clock is ticking, and no improvement is in sight. Not now.
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