Tag: Josh Cohen

Eric Musselman names emerging leaders on new USC basketball roster

Trojans Wire writer Tim Prangley talked to coach Eric Musselman about the emerging culture of leadership on the USC roster.

Year 1 of Eric Musselman’s USC basketball tenure is off and running. On a team that returns only one player from last season, Harrison Hornery, Musselman pointed to sources of vocal leadership after a practice held in the Galen Center.

You won’t typically find a roster which is created almost entirely from the transfer portal the way this USC basketball roster was assembled, but Eric Musselman had no choice in the matter. Andy Enfield’s sudden departure to SMU, which was not expected by anyone inside the USC athletic department, initiated the coaching search which led to Musselman’s arrival. Musselman has a reputation for being able to work the transfer portal better than most in college basketball. He went to the portal quite liberally and frequently to replenish his rosters at Arkansas and make three straight Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including two straight Elite Eights in 2021 and 2022. It is important that leaders do emerge on this USC roster, so that the Trojans form the cohesion and chemistry they will need if they are going to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament in the Big Ten Conference.

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UMass forward Josh Cohen goes with Eric Musselman to USC

Josh Cohen had committed to Arkansas but flipped to USC when Eric Musselman left Fayetteville for L.A.

Former UMass forward Josh Cohen announced on March 30 that he was transferring to the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, you might have noticed that Arkansas’ coach left for USC. Cohen flipped his commitment when the USC Trojans announced Eric Musselman as their next head men’s basketball coach.

Cohen spent just one year with the UMass Minutemen after spending his first four years at St. Francis (PA).

The 6-10, 220-pound power forward averaged a team-leading 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. He started all 30 games this past season to earn All-Atantic 10 First Team honors.

Eric Musselman knows he has a gutted USC roster to fill out. Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis haven’t made official final decisions, but both men are fully expected to declare for the NBA draft. Kobe Johnson just transferred to UCLA. Kijani Wright and Oziyah Sellers have transferred out of the program. Dramatic, extensive roster changes are occurring, giving Musselman — viewed as college basketball’s portal king — a chance to radically remake the USC roster for the 2024-2025 season as he tries to build upon what Andy Enfield established in Los Angeles.

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USMNT confirms final 23-man Nations League roster

Interim USMNT coach B.J. Callaghan has selected his 23-man squad for the Nations League finals

The U.S. men’s national team has confirmed its official 23-man roster for the CONCACAF Nations League.

Interim head coach B.J. Callaghan announced a 24-player training camp roster last week ahead of a semifinal against Mexico on June 15 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Josh Cohen, who was one of three uncapped players on the training camp roster announcement, is not on the 23-man roster, though he would be added if any of the three goalkeepers ahead of him get injured.

Matt Turner, Drake Callender and Sean Johnson are the three USMNT goalkeepers, with Zack Steffen and Ethan Horvath out injured.

Cohen, 30, is set to become a free agent after a successful stint in Israel with Maccabi Haifa, which included six appearances in the Champions League group stage this season.

USMNT Nations League roster

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Florida basketball coaches meet with Yale transfer target

Florida basketball coaches met with Yale forward EJ Jarvis recently as the staff continues to look at options in the transfer portal.

Florida basketball coaches met with Yale forward [autotag]EJ Jarvis[/autotag] during an in-home visit, according to a Wednesday report from 247Sports.

Jarvis entered the transfer portal a week ago and is shaping up to be one of the targets Todd Golden’s staff is most interested in. Golden and Co. have a big task ahead of them as they attempt to replace most of the frontcourt from a season ago. [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] will still be around, but [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], [autotag]Jason Jitoboh[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Felder[/autotag] are all leaving the team.

There are plenty of minutes up for grabs at UF right now, and Jarvis has shown that he has the stuff to excel at the Ivy League level. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. At 6-foot-8 inches tall, Jarvis isn’t afraid to let fly from deep. He shot 40.6% on 32 three-point attempts a season ago.

Despite his impressive numbers, Jarvis didn’t play a ton for Yale last season. He played in just over 55% of the team’s minutes, so this isn’t a 36-minute-a-night kind of guy. That might work well with Todd Golden’s system and allow some flexibility with other potential incoming transfers.

The Gators have also been linked to St. Francis forward [autotag]Josh Cohen[/autotag] and Bradley forward [autotag]Rienk Mast[/autotag].

Jarvis was just a three-star recruit coming out of high school and ranked No. 497 overall in the class of 2019. He now has offers to play in the SEC and other Power Five programs.

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NEC Player of the Year visiting Penn State

It sure seems as though Micah Shrewsberry is planning to be at Penn State next year judging by this key transfer visit.

It’s been a packed March for Penn State basketball.

First, it was their run to the conference tournament title game, then it was upsetting Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament and giving two-seeded Texas a scare in the second round.

Now, Penn State fans sit by their phones hoping to hear news about an extension for head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]. John Rothstein of CBS Sports previously reportedย Penn State is expected to make a long-term commitment to Shrewsberry.

While waiting for any update regarding a possible extension, there has been some great news for the Penn State basketball program.

The Northeast Conference Player of the Year is in the transfer portal and was scheduled to meet with Shrewsberry and Penn State on Monday.

[autotag]Josh Cohen[/autotag] is a 6’10” upcoming senior who played at Saint Francis (PA) last season. He averaged 21.8 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.5% from the field.

Cohen would provide some much-needed size and rebounding that the Nittany Lions were clearly lacking this season. The track record of transfer players impacting the program positively could play a huge role in landing the NEC Player of the Year.

The success of [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] last season should comfort any player in the transfer portal who is looking for their next home.

Cohen has two years of eligibility remaining, making him a desired transfer target for multiple programs around the country.

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Seven players in the transfer portal who can help Rutgers basketball get back to the NCAA Tournament

Rutgers basketball needs to be active in the transfer portal.

Following Tuesday night’s loss to Hofstra in the NIT, Rutgers basketball clearly needs to be active in the transfer portal. Tuesday night showed that head coach Steve Pikiell needs to make the transfer portal a priority and add at least one starting veteran piece this offseason.

Things don’t need to be blown up when it comes to the roster construct as there are some strong returning pieces to the program. A healthy Mawot Mag and a growing Derek Simpson are an encouraging core, to say the least. Add incoming four-star forward Gavin Griffiths and a season of Big Ten experience for Cam Spencer and that is a nice core for Rutgers basketball to build in around.

If Cliff Omoruyi should return, then it would obviously be great news for Rutgers. And don’t forget about Paul Mulcahy, who could potentially return to Rutgers as well for a final season.

While Rutgers should and will continue to build via their high school recruiting, the transfer portal has changed the college game.

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If Rutgers wants to return to the NCAA Tournament next year, then here are some names in the transfer portal that could help the Scarlet Knights go dancing again. Scroll down to check out seven transfer portal candidates who could help Rutgers basketball.

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Who is Josh Cohen? Unheralded American goalkeeper set for Champions League spotlight

The California native is one of the least likely Americans to ever reach the Champions League group stage

The list of American players featuring in the Champions League group stage usually reads like a who’s who of the country’s best-known stars.

This year is no different: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Giovanni Reyna are just a few of the USMNT players set to feature.

But then, there’s Josh Cohen.

Wait, who?

If you haven’t heard of the 30-year-old goalkeeper, you aren’t alone. Cohen’s path to the game’s biggest stage was as circuitous as they come, taking him on a tour of the American lower leagues before a move to Israeli side Maccabi Haifa gave him his big break.

Cohen’s journey in the U.S.

After playing at Division II UC San Diego, Cohen’s pro journey began with the Burlingame Dragons of the semi-pro PDL.

From there he moved on to the Orange County Blues and then to Phoenix Rising, where he became a starter in the USL. He then returned to his home state of California with Sacramento Republic FC.

Cohen really broke through with Sacramento, establishing himself as one of the USL’s best goalkeepers. Still, a move to MLS never seemed like it would happen.

โ€œAs I got further along in my USL career, I learned more about how professional soccer works in the U.S.,โ€ Cohen told The Athletic in 2020.

โ€œI was very naive when I first got into it. MLS has their way of thinking and the coaches, the GMs and decision makers, they view American players in a certain way. Once you have been profiled as an American USL player, itโ€™s very hard to break out of that stigma.”

Cohen moves to Israel

With his path to MLS seemingly blocked, Cohen looked abroad for his next move. By virtue of being Jewish, he was able to join Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa without occupying an international slot.

In Haifa, Cohen has taken his game to the next level and experienced success beyond any reasonable expectations.

Case in point: the 2020-21 season. Not only did Maccabi Haifi win the Israeli Premier League title, but Cohen was named the league’s player of the season โ€” a rare honor for a goalkeeper.

Haifi won the title again last season, reaching this year’s Champions League qualifying rounds. But unlike last season, the Israeli club successfully navigated the gauntlet of the qualifying rounds by getting past Olympiacos, Apollon Limassol, and finally Red Star Belgrade to reach the coveted group stage.

That means six high-profile matches against some of Europe’s biggest sides โ€” not bad for a player who never played Division 1 college soccer or in MLS. The road to success has been winding for Cohen, but he’s reached a level that most American players will only ever dream about.

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