Tag: Isaiah Collier

Isaiah Collier dazzles in McDonald’s All-American Game

The only thing Isaiah Collier didn’t do well: hit free throws. Otherwise, he was very strong, scoring 25 points at the #McDAAG.

The past 48 hours have been very exciting for USC basketball fans. Isaiah Collier did well in the workouts preceding the McDonald’s All-American Game. He made an effort to recruit Bronny James to USC.

Bronny James finished second in the dunk contest attached to the McDonald’s showcase. James played well in Tuesday night’s McDonald’s game, working with Collier — a teammate — on a number of plays.

Collier, though, was at the center of the action. The USC commit showed why he is the No. 1 recruit in the country, scoring 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Collier did stumble at the free throw line, going just 5 of 12 and missing a pair of late-game foul shots, but that was his only real weakness on Tuesday. Otherwise, he was superb. It’s precisely this kind of electric, high-end talent USC has needed from a point guard for the past several years, ever since Jordan McLaughlin left the program.

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Bronny James is being heavily recruited by USC commit Isaiah Collier

During Final Four week, #USC’s top recruit is making a sales pitch to LeBron James’ son. We’ll see if it leads to anything.

LeBron James Jr., also known as Bronny James of Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, could be a Trojan in the most potentially hyped class in the history of USC basketball.

USC is one of the finalists to land LeBron James’ son. Five-star point guard Isaiah Collier, who signed with USC in November and will also play in the McDonald’s All-American Game, is actively trying to recruit James to join the Trojans.

Collier committed to USC in November, but he believes James could be a key addition.

“I’m looking forward to (playing with him) and I’m definitely trying to recruit him. I’m just telling him he can stay home, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

The 6’3″ guard was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Game and is considered a potential lottery pick for the 2024 NBA draft by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. James was listed as the No. 10 player in Givony’s mock draft, while Collier was listed at No. 5.

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Isaiah Collier impresses at McDonalds’ All-American Game workouts

For many CBB insiders, the McDonald’s All-American workouts are more important than the game. Collier is making the grade.

If you talk to college basketball industry insiders, the people who spend all 12 months a year studying players and following the pipeline from high school to the college game, many of them will tell you that the McDonald’s All-American Game workouts and practices are more revealing and interesting than the actual game. The workouts are closely observed by evaluators and experts. The game is hardly irrelevant, but it can easily devolve into an exhibition-style display one might associate with the NBA All-Star Game. The workouts are more serious than the game, which is a time to have fun in front of the cameras on television.

The consensus view from onlookers at McDonald’s All-American Game workouts is that incoming USC Trojan guard Isaiah Collier, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the country, is living up to the advance billing. He might not be exceeding the hype, but he definitely isn’t disappointing. The more people see him, the more he comes across as the real deal. That’s what USC is looking for.

If Collier really is as good as advertised — if he can meet the expectations placed upon him — USC has wing and frontcourt depth with a bunch of young players poised to make notable improvements. Having the elite point guard the program has lacked since Jordan McLaughlin several years ago gives the Trojans one of their most complete rosters in recent memory. They won’t have Evan Mobley, but they will have a floor general who can give the Men of Troy one of their best offenses in school history.

It’s a great time to be a fan of USC basketball.

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Gatorade announces top 3 finalists for Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Gatorade just announced the three finalists for the National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.

JuJu Watkins has been crowned queen of the girls high school basketball world, winning the Girls Gatorade Player of the Year award. Now it’s time to decide who will win the honor in boys hoops.

Gatorade has just announced the three finalists for the National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.

Christopher Columbus (Fla.) PF Cameron Boozer

Cameron Boozer of Christopher Columbus passes to an open teammate in the City of Palms Classic. (USA TODAY Network)

The son of two-time NBA All Star Carlos Boozer, Cameron (6-foot-9, 215 pounds) also plays power forward. He is ranked No. 1 overall in the class of 2025 with a perfect 1.0000 composite score. As a Sophomore, Boozer averaged 21.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and two blocks per game. So far he has offers from five college programs, including Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Michigan and his father’s alma mater, Duke.

Sunrise Christian (Kan.) SF Matas Buzelis

Matas Buzelis (Photo: Getty)

Buzelis (6-foot-9, 190 pounds) is ranked fifth overall in the class of 2023 and second among small forwards in his class. During his Senior year he led his team to a 21-7 record while averaging 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Buzelis had offers from 13 college teams but he’s committed to joining the G-League Ignite. Don’t expect him to stay long, though. He is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Wheeler (Ga.) PG Isaiah Collier

Isaiah Collier of Wheeler goes up for a shot in the City of Palms Classic. (USA TODAY Network)

Collier (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) is the top-ranked Senior in the nation. He had offers from 15 schools but has committed to USC. Collier led his team to their third state championship and has already been named the 2023 Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year.

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USC fan brings up a fascinating point about Trojan revenue sports in a simple tweet

A Trojan fan made a bold claim about USC football and basketball for the 2023-2024 college sports cycle. Is he getting carried away, or is he 100% right?

Football season might be over at USC, and Trojan fans who invested a lot into the 2022 season might still be stung by the way that season ended in the Cotton Bowl versus Tulane. However, one tweet from a USC fan should pick everyone up in the land of Troy.

It was impossible to avoid noticing how much better USC men’s basketball looked on Saturday against Arizona State. A team that frankly looked like an NIT team for much of the season suddenly looked not only like an NCAA Tournament team, but also a really good NCAA Tournament team — a No. 4 or No. 3 seed — in a blowout of ASU.

The final score was 77-69, but USC led 77-53 with under five minutes left before basically turning in early and allowing the Sun Devils to score the final 16 points. The contest was a rout. USC overwhelmed an ASU team that had been very strong to that point.

The difference was Vince Iwuchukwu, who played just 14 minutes but scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in that short period of time. The 14 minutes were still modest as a total sum, but a lot more than the six minutes he played the previous week against Utah and the five minutes he played against Colorado.

The main point: We got to see what Iwuchukwu is capable of.

That leads us to this USC fan tweet which is worth a larger conversation:

Let’s dive into this discussion, shall we?

Though 2023 is uncertain, USC basketball could be setting up something special for 2024

If Vince Iwuchukwu — unable to play extended minutes this season — comes back next season, he would join Isaiah Collier and Arrinten Page. The Trojans could really cook.

The USC Trojans are on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble on January 15. They are not one of the first four teams out of the field. They might be part of the “next four out” at best. Most likely, they’re in the 9-15 range. If they are on the bubble, it’s at the very low end. They have two months to do something about that, beginning with this next crucial series of games against the Arizona schools and UCLA.

Maybe it won’t work out for USC this season, but the Trojans haven’t been playing with a full allotment of resources. Not having big man Vince Iwuchukwu — who finally joined the lineup this week after his cardiac arrest episode in July, but played very sparingly and will be brought along slowly — has limited what this team can do. That is frustrating … but it also opens the door to what’s possible next season if Iwuchukwu returns.

Imagine a full-speed Iwuchukwu, playing anything more than 25 minutes per game, performing alongside elite point guard Isaiah Collier and Collier’s Wheeler High School teammate, forward Arrinten Page. Collier is the playmaking guard USC has lacked since Jordan McLaughlin. He would bring instant chemistry with Page. Iwuchukwu could be the roving defender-rebounder Evan Mobley was, and he can clean the glass while Collier draws defenders and demands attention. One can see how the USC roster could come together beautifully.

USC might not make the NCAA Tournament this season, but the Trojans are still a top-five Pac-12 team. If they can bring all their big guns into next season and land a high-impact transfer in the portal, they could be set up to do something really special.

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Top USC basketball recruits play in ESPNU tournament, show their skills to national TV audience

Isaiah Collier and Arrinten Page will be Trojans next season. They took the big stage in a nationally-televised tournament on Tuesday. Collier stuffed the stat sheet. #USC

The high school basketball showcase known as the City of Palms Classic was televised on ESPN for first time in 12 years. The GEICO Nationals returned to Fort Myers, Fla., for the third consecutive year.

If you watched USC Trojan commits Isaiah Collier and Arrinten Page in action Wednesday night, you were in for a treat.

Despite the loss, 2023 Five star USC commit Isaiah Collier had a great game for Wheeler High School (GA). He finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals in a 61-52 loss.

Collier is ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the highest-ranked USC recruit since head coach Andy Enfield took over in 2013.

USC has now secured five commitments from five-star recruits in the 247Sports rankings in Enfield’s tenure, including current Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley.

Arrinten Page is a 6-foot-9 PF/C who doubles as a teammate and best friend of Collier at Wheeler in Marietta, Georgia. Look out for both prospects over the remainder of the season as they try to capture a state and national title.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmYADn-twoW/

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Nation’s top 2023 recruit is poised to transform USC basketball

The value of Isaiah Collier is more than a top-ranked recruit. Andy Enfield has needed an elite point guard since Jordan McLaughlin left.

This was a memorable week for USC basketball, but not directly on the court. Just one day after landing the top high school women’s basketball recruit in the nation on Nov. 15, the USC Trojans landed the top men’s basketball recruit — Isaiah Collier — on Nov. 16.

Collier, a 6-foot-3 combo guard from Wheeler High School (Georgia), committed to USC on Wednesday morning. Collier picked the Trojans over Cincinnati, Michigan and UCLA.

Collier is ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class by 247Sports, and he’s proven to be one of the biggest late risers in his class after ranking in the 20s and 30s throughout most of his high school career.

With the commitment, USC moves from No. 33 in the team rankings to No. 10 at 247Sports, so it’s a huge addition to land Isaiah Collier. 

In the past three years, Collier has led Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) to two state titles. This past summer, he dominated the Nike EYBL, averaging 19 points and 6.5 assists a game and 2.0 steals, and then capped things off with back-to-back MVP appointments at the Steph Curry Camp and the Under Armour Elite 24.

Collier’s central asset for USC, which is poised to transform the program, is that he will give Andy Enfield the elite point guard the Trojans have been missing ever since Jordan McLaughlin left for the NBA. USC has badly needed a dominant point guard with brilliant playmaking and passing instincts. Isaiah Collier is just what USC has needed ever since McLaughlin turned pro.

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The top 10 college basketball teams in 2023 recruiting cycle

The early signing period has shaken things up for the best college basketball teams in the country.

The early signing period has shaken things up for the best college basketball teams in the country.

After the top overall recruit DJ Wagner picked the Wildcats, Kentucky leapt over Duke for the top spot in the 2023 recruiting cycle’s rankings. Today, USC jumped into the top 10 by getting No. 1 point guard Isaiah Collier’s commitment. Memphis and Tennessee have also both managed to grab some high-end prospects over the last several days, boosting their recruiting scores.

Let’s reset and see what the new pecking order is. Here are the top 10 college teams in the 2023 recruiting cycle, per 247 Sports.

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USC gets commitment from No. 1 ranked PG Isaiah Collier

Isaiah Collier, ranked the top point guard in the nation in the class of 2023, has committed to USC.

With the top overall 2023 player, DJ Wagner, off the board after his commitment to Kentucky, the best undecided player in the nation was five-star Wheeler (Ga.) point guard Isaiah Collier.

Collier is ranked No. 1 among point guards and No. 4 overall in his class. Today, he announced his commitment to USC on Instagram live with ESPN.

Collier (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) had reportedly narrowed his options down to USC, Michigan and Cincinnati, who made a late push for his commitment. He says family played a big role in his decision, according to 247 Sports.

“Definitely the relationship I built with every single coach on the coaching staff… I definitely have a lot of family out there and family is a big thing for me right now after losing my brother here in Atlanta so I wanted to be with my brother out in California. Family is everything to me.”

Collier also took time to praise USC head coach Andy Enfield for keeping it real with him during the recruiting period.

The scouting report on Collier is that he’s the best playmaker in high school basketball. His court vision and ability to pass with either hand off the dribble sets him apart from the competition.

The news pushed USC’s 2023 recruiting class into the top 10.

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