When we think about why this USC men’s basketball season has fallen so far short of its potential, one reason is that Andy Enfield failed to develop the players he had. Note the specific language: had, not has.
It’s true that Enfield isn’t developing his current players at USC. However, Enfield didn’t develop the players he previously had as well. One such player: Reese Waters, who transferred to San Diego State in the offseason.
Friday night, San Diego State went into Spokane and comfortably defeated Gonzaga, 84-74. That’s a 10-point win over a Gonzaga team which blew out USC four weeks ago in Las Vegas. Reese Waters was the star.
Waters scored 22 points. Beyond that, he did so on efficient 8-of-11 shooting. He committed zero turnovers. He played solid defense. He logged 35 minutes. That’s not the role-player basketball he offered USC. That’s a star turn. That’s an elite-level performance for the Aztecs. Coach Brian Dutcher is getting the most out of Reese Waters. Andy Enfield never got that level of quality from him at USC.
Seeing Reese Waters play at this level while USC struggles is a really bad look for Enfield. It helps paint the picture — one small piece of a larger portrait — of why the Trojans are falling short this season.
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