Tag: Andy Enfield

Isaiah Collier’s NBA draft tumble recalls Andy Enfield’s rough USC finale

Andy Enfield’s last USC season comes back to the forefront after Isaiah Collier’s draft stock plummets.

Isaiah Collier was picked No. 29 in the 2024 NBA draft. That is not where he expected to end up. Collier began the 2023-2024 college basketball season at USC as a projected top-10 NBA draft pick. For some analysts, Collier was top-five material with a chance to rise to the top three. When Collier dominated Kansas State in the season opener on November 6, everything seemed possible for him and USC. It’s true that Collier’s January injury limited his development and hurt the Trojans last season, but even before that injury, USC had already torched its chances of being an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. The season had already gone horribly wrong before Collier got hurt. Andy Enfield, who did a good job as USC head coach over the full length of his decade-long tenure, simply could not put the pieces together for more than a few games (Kansas State, the Arizona home game, and a few select others) in his last USC season. Collier did not hide from that truth when talking to Marc Spears of Andscape:

“The most challenging part of this was definitely losing,” Collier said. “Nobody wants to lose. But we learned a lot from it, especially when I got hurt. I sat down and improved as a player later on in the season. It definitely helped me a lot, too.

“College was definitely hard. I learned a lot. I had to learn a different kind of game. I’m just trying to move up on to the next level. I know it’s going to be even harder.

“There have been a couple challenges that I’ve faced. It’s always a learning process for me. Maybe it was a good thing that I went through with it. I can improve on it later on. I’m just taking it day by day in my career.”

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We’ll learn more about Andy Enfield in 2025, though he won’t be at USC

As former Andy Enfield players continue to land elsewhere, the intrigue builds for next season.

Former USC power forward/center Kijani Wright has committed to Vanderbilt, he announced via Instagram over the weekend. It’s another relocation for a Trojan who played under Andy Enfield and wanted a fresh start somewhere else after Enfield left for SMU. We’re really going to learn a lot about Enfield next season, even though he won’t be coaching at USC. We’re going to find out if players such as Wright can thrive under other coaches. That would, in turn, show that Enfield couldn’t really make things work at USC despite having the material to do so. On the other hand, if players who transferred out of the program do not succeed at their other stops in 2025, we might realize that Enfield was dealing with more limitations than previously considered.

The former USC Trojan averaged 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game, Wright was a four star recruit coming out of high-school but will now take his talents to Nashville.

Wright was ranked as the No. 7 power forward and the No. 59 overall recruit in the class of 2022, per 247Sports.

A former McDonald’s All-American, Wright played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth (Calif) one of the most prestigious high school basketball programs in the nation.

On3’s Jamie Shaw named Wright one of the top 10 best available centers available in the portal.

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Trent Perry invites Mick Cronin-Andy Enfield comparisons at UCLA

People will compare Andy Enfield to Mick Cronin based on how Trent Perry is used at UCLA.

Former USC basketball commit and Harvard-Westlake point guard Trent Perry committed to UCLA. He signed his national letter of intent this past week. After Andy Enfield left for SMU, Perry decommitted and went to Mick Cronin at UCLA.

The four-star recruit and No. 30 overall prospect in the class of 2024 – according to 247Sports – is Cronin’s third acquisition of the recruiting cycle. Cronin also acquired former USC player Kobe Johnson in the transfer portal.

As a senior in 2023-24 at Harvard-Westlake, Perry averaged 18.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He shot 47.2 percent from the field and 86 percent at the free throw line.

Perry, the 2024 Gatorade California Boys Basketball Player of the Year, helped lead Harvard-Westlake to the 2023 and 2024 CIF State Open Division championships and the 2024 CIF Southern Section Open Division crown. A two-time Mission League MVP, he secured McDonald’s All-America honors in 2024 and was crowned the California MaxPreps High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

The Bruins will have a high-profile backcourt with Dylan Andrews, Sebastian Mack, and Louisville transfer Skyy Clark along with Trent Perry.

USC versus UCLA should be a fun time in the Big Ten next season. Andy Enfield might be gone from USC, and he won’t coach against Mick Cronin any longer, but people will be evaluating how Cronin uses Perry, particularly at the offensive end of the floor. Enfield struggled to use Isaiah Collier effectively this past season. The standard Cronin sets will be measured against Enfield, even though Enfield is now at SMU.

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Former Andy Enfield USC assistant coach hired by new Washington coach

Tony Bland gets a fresh start in Seattle with Danny Sprinkle.

Andy Enfield is starting his tenure at SMU, but some of his former assistant coaches at USC are being hired elsewhere. One is Tony Bland, who has just been hired by new Washington Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle, who had coached Utah State to the NCAA Tournament this past season. Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 had the story.

Goodman wrote about Bland:

“Bland hasn’t coached since being fired by USC in January 2018 after being one of 10 individuals arrested in September 2017 in connection with the FBI’s investigation into corruption. Bland served a 3-year show-cause, but has been out for nearly 7 years because the investigation moved so slow. Bland was previously the head basketball coach at St. Bernard High School, and also coached AAU basketball and worked with troubled youth in the Los Angeles area in his time out of college basketball.”

Washington is a USC competitor in the Big Ten, so Bland will be competing against USC next season.

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Eric Musselman is watching Andy Enfield’s four-stars leave USC

There’s not much Eric Musselman can do about Andy Enfield USC recruits who are decommitting.

Brody Kozlowski of Corner Canyon (Utah) signed to play college hoops for the USC Trojans, but after the departure of Trojans head coach Andy Enfield to SMU, the four-star prospect is looking to go elsewhere instead of playing for Eric Musselman. On3’s Joe Tipton reported Kozlowski’s decision.

Kozlowski, ranked No. 3 in the state of Utah and the No. 88 player overall in the 2024 class, has requested a release from his letter of intent and will reopen his recruitment after that release occurs.

The 6-foot-8 small forward originally chose USC out of a final five that also included BYU, Cal, San Diego State and UCLA.

Kozlowski averaged 20.5 points and 5 rebounds per contest. He helped Corner Canyon reach the 6A championship game in the state of Utah before the Chargers fell to the Lehi Pioneers.

The USC basketball roster is undergoing all sorts of changes as Enfield leaves and Eric Musselman takes over. Isaiah Collier declared for the NBA draft. Bronny James hasn’t yet made his decision. Boogie Ellis is expected to turn pro. A lot of open roster spots exist for the Trojans. This is just one more out of several.

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USC basketball assistant Eric Mobley leaves the program

Eric Mobley is expected to join Andy Enfield at SMU.

USC basketball’s coaching staff continues to turn over. With Eric Musselman coming in and Andy Enfield leaving for SMU, spots on both coaching staffs are changing. We have already seen longtime Enfield assistant Chris Capko move to SMU to join the Mustangs. Another similar change might be about to happen. Eric Mobley has not yet signed with SMU, but he has announced that he is indeed leaving USC. It does set the stage for a move to SMU with Enfield.

Eric Mobley is responsible for bringing Evan Mobley and Isaiah Mobley to USC. We often see head coaches hire the fathers of recruits onto their coaching staffs in order to secure recruitments and also guard against transfer portal departures. Enfield hired Eric Mobley to ensure that Evan and Isaiah would become Trojans. The move was a shrewd one, and it paid off in a big way for USC basketball. Evan Mobley led USC to the Elite Eight in 2021, making the most of his one year of college basketball. Isaiah Mobley helped USC return to the NCAA Tournament in 2022, producing a very strong season for the Trojans.

The partnership between Enfield and Eric Mobley was productive. It might now continue in suburban Dallas with the Mustangs in the ACC.

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Andy Enfield brings lead assistant coach Chris Capko to SMU

Chris Capko will continue to assist Andy Enfield at SMU as the Mustangs enter the ACC.

The movement of Andy Enfield from USC to SMU raised the question of staff retention. How many of Enfield’s assistant coaches would go to suburban Dallas to be on his staff as the Mustangs move to the Atlantic Coast Conference? We got at least one answer on Thursday. It was announced that longtime Enfield assistant Chris Capko will indeed join him at SMU.

Capko was universally liked and respected at USC. Andy Enfield had specific strengths as a coach, and Capko augmented them, giving structure and positive energy to what the Trojans did. The Capko-Enfield partnership led the Trojans to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2021 through 2023. If you count the 2020 season — when the pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament, which USC would have made had the event been played — USC made four straight NCAA Tournaments thanks to Enfield, Capko, and the teams they guided. Capko, at 40 years old, would love to help Enfield make a big first impression at SMU in the ACC. If he can do that, a head coaching job could be just around the corner as he tries to take the next step in his career.

We at Trojans Wire wish Chris the best and hope he and Enfield succeed at SMU.

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How Andy Enfield exit for SMU changes Bronny James’ decision

Andy Enfield leaving means Bronny has more choices than he did a week ago.

Lost in the smoke after the Bronny James transfer portal rumors were debunked is the reality that Bronny James’ head coach at USC left the program. Andy Enfield going to SMU might not wind up changing Bronny James’ plans, but this is a change in the situation. It does give Bronny James and LeBron James a chance to reconsider what they are doing and how they are doing it. In terms of predicting what actually happens, this might not change anything. In terms of giving Bronny some real options for the 2024-2025 basketball season — college or pro — it does introduce a new path.

Enfield plainly didn’t develop Bronny’s game the way Bronny and LeBron probably hoped. However, if LeBron wants Bronny to join him in the NBA next season, likely with the Los Angeles Lakers, questions of overall development and draft stock weren’t ever all that relevant anyway. The Lakers would simply draft Bronny and keep LeBron as the valuable component of a Bronny draft selection. Bronny’s draft value wouldn’t apply to himself, only to LeBron. The Lakers could then nurture Bronny and slowly bring him along under LeBron’s watch. This is the likely outcome for Bronny.

However, Enfield leaving means that Bronny could get a different coach in a second season of college basketball. He could go to Ohio State or Oregon, two other schools which considered him. He could get exposure to other coaches and styles of play, which would give him a chance to develop his game and improve his draft stock for 2025. It’s certainly not a bad option. Is it the one Bronny is likely to choose? No. However, it’s right there if he wants it.

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UPDATE: Bronny James still undecided on future despite a recent report

UPDATE: Bronny James still undecided on future despite a recent report

USC freshman Bronny James is still undecided on his future, despite a recent report that he was entering the transfer portal.

Bronny is the son of NBA legend LeBron James. He was a five-star recruit in the class of 2023, ranked as the No. 22 player in the class, No. 5 combo-guard and No. 4 recruit from the state of California.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The highly-touted recruit played only 19.3 minutes per game for the Trojans in 2023-24. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals in that time, plus clips of 36% shooting and 26% from three.

James and the rest of the USC roster is in a bit of flux after head coach Andy Enfield left for the head coach job at SMU. Enfield departed after a disappointing 15-18 (8-12 Pac 12) 2023-24 season — USC’s first time missing the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

The Trojans are still in the process of finding a new coach.

There isn’t a real Wisconsin connection here, aside from USC joining the Big Ten for the 2024-25 basketball season. This is a story worth monitoring as the Trojans and Badgers become conference mates.

For more on Wisconsin’s roster and transfer portal activity, check out Badgers Wire’s ongoing 2024 transfer portal tracker.

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Four-star guard, top-30 recruit Trent Perry decommits from USC basketball after Andy Enfield leaves

Trent Perry was unwilling to wait out USC’s coaching search. That stings.

The effects of Andy Enfield’s move from USC to SMU are beginning to emerge. USC fans will tell you the Trojans needed Enfield to leave so that the program could start fresh and find an upgrade at the head coaching position. This is true. This is necessary. However, in the short run, USC could lose recruits Enfield brought into the program. This is why the Trojans have to move quickly to replace Enfield and get a coach in place. Obviously, the Trojans can’t settle for mediocrity. They have to get the hire done right. Yet, they also are fighting the clock, and costs could mount with each passing day. Trent Perry proves the point.

Perry, a top-30 recruit and a four-star guard, just decommitted from USC on Tuesday morning, one day after Enfield’s move to SMU became official. Enfield struggled to develop Isaiah Collier, so it’s not as though USC needed Enfield to stay. However, Perry’s decommitment before the announcement of a new coach still stings. There had been a hope that Perry could wait out the coaching search for at least a few days. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Be sure to read our USC coaching search primer.

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