Tag: Isaiah Collier

Enfield failure: While Isaiah Collier struggles, other freshmen are making great progress

Andy Enfield is clearly failing to develop No. 1-ranked recruit Isaiah Collier. Look at Oregon’s freshmen, for instance.

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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2024 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Projecting the first round with Ja’Kobe Walter leading the way

The 2023 NBA Draft is challenging to predict but that won’t stop us from trying.

The 2024 NBA Draft is a genuinely challenging class to predict but that isn’t going to stop us from trying.

At this point in the season, there aren’t many players who have separated themselves as “can’t miss” prospects. Similarly, many players have clumped together in a similar tier and it is hard to differentiate much between many of those names.

If you’re into uncertainty and like the thrill of the unexpected, this is a fun group of players to evaluate because anything can happen and lots can (and will) change. But for those who want something more clear-cut, this process may become more frustrating.

Our mock draft looks different than some others around the industry and we expect that to remain true until the draft happens. Lots of factors will weigh into how teams evaluate these prospects and so that makes predictions even more hard to pinpoint than usual. While there is a lot we have learned, there is lots more to learn as well.

Unless noted otherwise, all data outside of the NCAA was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

Our order was determined based on expected wins averaged out from ESPN, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. The teams outside the top eight in each conference were considered lottery squads. Trades were pulled from this database at RealGM.

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

College hoops stars Isaiah Collier and Kiki Rice join ‘Beats Academy’ in new NIL deals with Beats by Dre

Isaiah Collier and Kiki Rice are “always on it” and in “super mode” in new Beats by Dre NIL deals.

Turn the Beats up! Isaiah Collier and Kiki Rice are joining Beats by Dre.

Beats by Dre isn’t afraid to connect with the best athletes. They already partner with 15 college football players, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Florida State’s Jordan Travis, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.

Per Jeremy Crabtree of On3, the electronics company is back with two more athletes to add to its impressive roster: former 2023 No.1 recruit and USC freshman Isaiah Collier and former Gatorade Highschool Player of the Year and UCLA Bruins sophomore Kiki Rice.

In the latest videos promoting their NIL deals, Collier shows how his Beats allow him to be “always on it,” and Rice shows how hers help her go “super mode” to reach the top.

Social media reacts to Auburn crushing USC

Auburn took care of USC Sunday and the fans took to social media to celebrate.

The Auburn Tigers picked up their third straight double-digit win on Sunday, beating USC 91-75 inside of an electric Neville Arena.

The Tigers led for the final 36 minutes of the game and once again showcased their depth and ability to win in multiple ways. Five different Tigers scored in double figures and 11 scored overall.

[autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] won the battle against USC point guard [autotag]Isaiah Collier[/autotag], scoring a team-high 15 points and dishing out six assists, tying his career-high. He was once again money from behind the arc, going 4-of-7.

The dominant win fired up the Auburn fanbase, which took to social media to celebrate the 8th win of the season. Here is a look at the top reactions.

Lindsay Gottlieb is doing everything Andy Enfield is failing to do at USC

The two USC basketball programs have No. 1 recruits, but are going in completely different directions. Coaching matters.

There’s a reason why Lindsay Gottlieb was an NBA assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There’s a reason why Gottlieb had a chance to potentially become a female NBA head coach, something Becky Hammon might also become in the future.

Lindsay Gottlieb is an elite basketball coach — not an elite women’s basketball coach, just an elite basketball coach, period. She knows ball. When Mike Bohn pulled her away from the Cavs and the NBA to sell her on a vision for USC women’s basketball, the Trojans’ future immediately made a 180-degree turn. USC didn’t just hire a good coach; it hired a rock star coach, one of the best in the game.

Now we are seeing why. USC is 8-0 after a blowout of UC Riverside on Sunday. The Trojans are ranked in the top six in the nation. They will likely be unbeaten heading into the start of the Pac-12 season on December 30. The season is still young, but USC’s odds of getting a top-four seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament are better than 50-50 at this point. The Trojans are going to lose several games in a loaded Pac-12, but as long as they get their share of wins, they will be a high seed in March Madness.

They have the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2024. JuJu Watkins, only a freshman, is going to get better. She will have better players around her in future seasons, but this team — right now — is already very good. Gottlieb and lead assistant coach Beth Burns have taken a No. 1-ranked recruit and used that centerpiece — JuJu — to build a high-quality team and a program with a very strong foundation.

On the other side of basketball at Heritage Hall, USC men’s hoops also has a No. 1-ranked recruit, Isaiah Collier. He is surrounded by talented players who have played in the NCAA Touranment. Boogie Ellis has played in multiple NCAA Tournaments. Kobe Johnson has played in multiple NCAA Tournaments. Andy Enfield helped Boogie and Kobe achieve something of note in previous seasons. To Enfield’s credit, USC has become a school which expects to make the NCAA Tournament every year. That expectation didn’t exist when Enfield came aboard a decade ago. Enfield has improved the USC program.

However, Enfield’s ceiling as a coach and program developer might be far lower than we all hoped.

Whereas Gottlieb is so clearly maximizing the talents and capabilities of JuJu Watkins and is transforming a No. 1 recruit into the central presence on a loaded, thriving team at USC, Enfield has utterly failed in his attempt to build a similarly strong team around Isaiah Collier.

Not only is Enfield failing to do what Gottlieb is doing; it’s not even close. It’s not even a situation where one can see progress even while results aren’t emerging. No. There isn’t any sign of progress, which is the ultimate reason for concern in the world of USC men’s basketball.

The problems which existed before Collier came aboard are the problems which still affect USC men’s basketball: too many turnovers, too many 3-point shots (and misses), too many missed free throws, not enough easy baskets, not enough ball movement.

We said for years that if Enfield could simply land an elite point guard — his new version of Jordan McLaughlin — it would all come together for USC. Against Kansas State on November 6, Collier was a beast and USC looked like a team ready to do something special this season.

While injuries certainly slowed this team’s development in November, this past week was marked by the arrival of Bronny James, who played his first game for USC. Vince Iwuchukwu looks better and healthier. The roster was getting healthy. The team had more practice time together. After a tough November plus a December 2 loss to Gonzaga, we were supposed to see this team round into form, become more cohesive, and begin to show what it was capable of heading into Pac-12 play on December 28. No, the results weren’t great for this team in the first month of the season, but now with guys getting healthy, we were supposed to see “the real USC.”

Nope. Instead of improvement, USC remained stuck in familiar territory, with the turnovers, the missed foul shots, and the inability to play consistently good basketball for more than 15-20 minutes in a game. USC blew a 15-point lead at home to Long Beach State, with Collier, Boogie, and Kobe — a hyped backcourt before the season began — struggling throughout the contest. Bronny played well in limited minutes. Iwuchukwu played his best game of the season.

USC still lost. At home. To Long Beach. In front of a packed Galen Center.

There is simply no reason for the men’s basketball product to be this bad with this much talent. USC men’s basketball, like USC women’s basketball, has the No. 1 2023 recruit in the country on its roster. Yet, the process and results for these two teams could not be more different.

Lindsay Gottlieb’s successes magnify Andy Enfield’s failures, and vice-versa. USC has its rock-star coach in the women’s game, and it might soon need to look for a rock-star coach in the men’s game.

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No more trial runs: Isaiah Collier needs to be the big dog versus Gonzaga

It has been a bumpy ride for Isaiah Collier in his young #USC career. Now comes a prove-it moment vs Gonzaga.

The preliminaries are over. Now comes a battle with Gonzaga. Now comes a main-event moment for USC basketball, the kind of game made for a big-time point guard and the No. 1 recruit in the United States for the Class of 2023.

This is the kind of game Isaiah Collier came to USC to play in. This is the kind of stage Isaiah Collier was meant to embrace. This clash against Gonzaga is the kind of situation Collier needs to own and conquer in order to become a top NBA draft prospect. This is a matchup Collier must figure out in order to give USC a real belief it can make a deep run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

This is a showcase in which USC needs to put its best foot forward. USC being at its best means that Collier is at his best. Collier is the most talented player on this roster. He needs to lead by example and enable his teammates to follow him.

We saw Collier’s best against Kansas State. USC won by 13 in a performance which got everyone excited. We haven’t seen that version of Collier since then.

It needs to return against Gonzaga. If it does, USC could begin to realize the promise and potential this season offered when it began a few weeks ago.

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Isaiah Collier needs to start performing up to Pac-12 Player of the Year standards

Isaiah Collier needs to answer the challenge.

At the start of the college basketball season, Trojans Wire and Ducks Wire shared our picks for Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Here they are:

Matt Zemek: Isaiah Collier, USC

Zachary Neel: Isaiah Collier, USC

Matt Wadleigh: Isaiah Collier, USC

Don Smalley: N’Faly Dante, Oregon

A lot of analysts and pundits felt Isaiah Collier would be the best basketball player in the Pac-12 this season. Against Kansas State, he was that kind of player. He dominated a good team. Since then, we haven’t seen that same kind of player, particularly not against Oklahoma this past Friday in a tough two-point loss for the Trojans.

USC’s revival this season depends on a lot of things, including the team getting healthier and accumulating more practice time together. Vince Iwuchukwu needs to get his sea legs under him and round into form as a high-impact big man at both ends of the floor. Bronny James needs to get healthy and give USC wing shooting and backcourt depth.

However, while other players get healthy, Isaiah Collier needs to be able to dominate games. If he can’t USC’s season will fall well short of where the team hoped it would be.

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Isaiah Collier struggles as USC loses to Oklahoma on last-second basket

Andy Enfield has to bring out the best in Isaiah Collier. It’s that simple.

The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the USC Trojans on a buzzer-beating putback basket by Otega Oweh. When a team breaks a tie and scores with no time left, everyone identifies that as the game-deciding play. Narrowly, that is true.

Yet, the Trojans’ 72-70 loss to the Sooners in San Diego was created by a larger trend, not just one play at the very end. Sure, Oklahoma needed that putback bucket to finish off its victory over the Trojans, but USC put itself in position to lose primarily because its top recruit and its future NBA lottery pick did not play well.

USC’s Isaiah Collier doesn’t have to score a lot to be a great and centrally important player for the Trojans this season. Collier is the kind of player who can dominate without scoring. If he penetrates and gets into the paint and feeds the ball to his big men or his wing shooters, he can make a huge impact. Even if he misses a six-foot floater, the fact that he is getting into the lane and drawing defenders opens up putback opportunities for his forwards.

Against Oklahoma, that did not happen very often. Collier’s 10 points aren’t disappointing at all. What matters is that he committed six turnovers against just four assists. What matters is that he earned only two free throws. Collier not creating shots for teammates, not getting to the foul line, and not protecting the ball goes against USC’s blueprint for a great season: more easy baskets, fewer scoring droughts, consistent offense, everyone getting involved.

Those things are not happening. USC head coach Andy Enfield has to work with his star point guard and get him on track. USC has one week before a huge December 2 game against Gonzaga in Las Vegas. All eyes will be on Isaiah Collier, waiting to see if this talented player can become his best self.

If not, USC will continue to struggle, and a season full of promise will fall short.

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Isaiah Collier has a lot of work to do to elevate his NBA draft stock

Isaiah Collier has to find new ways of being effective while realizing he can help his team by being patient.

Isaiah Collier knows he is good. Andy Enfield and the USC coaching staff know he can be better.

Let’s start with the good stuff. The 6-foot-3 guard was the No. 2 overall prospect in his class as rated by 247Sports. He has used his unique blend of size, speed and strength to already become one of the best guards in the 2023 class.

Through his first four games with USC, Collier averaged 21 points, 3.8 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 52% overall, 42% beyond the arc and 81% from the free throw line. On Thursday against Seton Hall, Collier scored 14 points with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. That’s a lot of production. However, Collier also committed five turnovers and did not make a lot of good decisions.

In order for Collier to take the next step in his development he will have to cut down on his turnovers. In five games, Collier has turned the ball over 26 times.

The NBA draft analysis site Draft Express noted that “Collier’s feel for the game and flair in changing speeds and passing off a live dribble have obvious appeal combined with the competitive mindset he brings defensively and all-around basketball instincts. His perimeter shooting is the biggest question NBA scouts have about his game, something we’ll learn more about this season. He should have the keys to USC’s offense and a huge platform to show he’s worthy of consideration as the No. 1 pick.”

In USC’s last three games — against UC Irvine, Brown, and on Thursday against Seton Hall — Collier has fallen well short of that top-pick standard. He is going to be a lottery pick. He is almost certain to be a top-10 pick, but if Collier wants to at least stay in the top five and realistically move into the top three, he will need to be a lot more patient than he was against Seton Hall. He will need to show he can attack defenses in different ways. He will also need to help big men Joshua Morgan, Vince Iwuchukwu, and Kijani Wright get more involved in the USC offense.

Isaiah Collier has a lot of work to do, and Andy Enfield needs to help him see the game in a new way as USC’s season moves along.

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USC wins ugly — again — in San Diego tournament semifinal victory over Seton Hall

Isaiah Collier played a below-average game, but his teammates picked him up. USC has to be a lot better.

Winning is better than losing. Let’s say that up front. USC advanced to the final of the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego by beating Seton Hall on Thursday, 71-63. USC will face the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday afternoon. That’s great. What’s not great is how USC played against Seton Hall.

It is true that the Trojans have not had a lot of continuity on the court because of early-season injuries to Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson, and D.J. Rodman, who have all missed at least one game so far this season. Having players available for practice is not something coach Andy Enfield has been able to enjoy. Limited player availability is clearly taking its toll on USC and its level of performance. The Trojans are just trying to grind it out right now and do enough to win.

To their credit, they’re doing that … but it can’t be ignored that the Trojans don’t look remotely convincing right now. If they can’t become a much better team than this, the season won’t fulfill its promise and potential.

USC beat Seton Hall on Thanksgiving Day but made a mess of what should have been a straightforward win. The Trojans led 32-18 late in the first half but allowed Seton Hall to pull within 10 at halftime due to some completely unforced errors. USC later led 49-31 with nearly 13 minutes left but then scored just two points in the next 6:40, allowing Seton Hall to make a 12-0 run and pull within six. Seton Hall got as close as 56-53 with 3:45 left before the Trojans were able to lock down on defense and close out the game down the stretch.

The alarm bells after this win go beyond the larger reality that Seton Hall went on big runs as soon as USC got a bigger lead. It wasn’t just that the Trojans relaxed; the more specific problem is that USC gave away a lot of free points.

USC allowed large quantities of points off turnovers, second-chance points, and points off free throws to power Seton Hall’s second-half comeback. USC’s initial halfcourt defense was elite. Seton Hall scored very few points in this game if it didn’t get an easy basket off a turnover or an offensive rebound, or if it didn’t get a free throw.

The Trojans’ inability to avoid basic mistakes is the main reason this game was so close. Isaiah Collier committed five turnovers in a very uneven performance for USC. Joshua Morgan, who did block 10 shots, coughed up six turnovers. USC finished with 19 turnovers, way too many for a team with a strong, talented backcourt.

The Trojans struggle at times to defend the defensive backboard. They allowed 14 offensive rebounds to Seton Hall in the second half of this game.

The Trojans can’t expect to beat good teams with this many giveaways of various kinds.

USC now prepares for Oklahoma on Friday in the championship game. The Trojans will need to perform at a much higher level if they want to win.

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