The USC Trojans had Andy Enfield on their bench for more than a decade. Finally, USC basketball will get a different voice and a fresh perspective this season with Eric Musselman coming from Arkansas to see what he can create in Southern California. Let’s remember this about Musselman: He has reached the Sweet 16 at two different schools (Nevada and Arkansas). He made consecutive Elite Eights at Arkansas and three straight Sweet 16s. He can coach. USC pretty clearly gained an upgrade at its head coaching position. All that is left for Musselman is to prove to recruits and fans that he hasn’t lost his fastball. Beating Gonzaga is a great way to do that.
USC defeated Gonzaga, a team ranked No. 6 in preseason polls, on Saturday night in Palm Desert, Calif. Skeptics will say it was only an exhibition game, and that Gonzaga was playing guys from the back end of its bench, which is not representative of what we will actually see from the Zags once the regular season begins. All of that might be true, but here’s the thing: Eric Musselman built this roster from scratch. Only one player from last season’s roster, Harrison Hornery, returned for a ride on the Muss Bus.
For this completely new USC roster to come together and beat Gonzaga — even in an exhibition, even with the Zags playing their backups — is an eye-opener. Musselman obviously has created some degree of continuity and cohesion on his roster. There is obviously some talent and potential here. If it all comes together and the transfer portal pieces fit smoothly, Musselman and USC could have something good on their hands in Year 1.
Beating Gonzaga is important because it offers proof of concept to the USC players who left other schools to play for Musselman in Los Angeles. Guys in the locker room can see that the system and its principles can work if applied properly. That’s what a coach and his transfer-laden roster need to see.
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