While Trojans are still feeling the sadness of the sudden loss, but also the exhilaration of arguably USC's best season in five decades, the coaches have already leapt right into personnel issues for next season. Let's take a look at the prospects for next season.
First Up, what happens to the regular rotational players:
Evan Mobley: Evan is going to the NBA and will sign a HUGE contract. Thanks for everything Evan, congratulations, and best of luck for hopefully a very long pro career. Fight On!
Tahj Eaddy: Tahj had just a magnificent season. Probably the best one-season career for a Trojan guard since OJ Mayo. I saw "one season career," because Tahj will turn 25 this summer and by all accounts will not use his extra year of eligibility at the college level. So, while every Trojan should welcome Tahj back with the biggest of open arms, I don't see that happening. UPDATE: Tahj has announced he will move on. Fight On!
Isaiah Mobley: Isaiah turned what had been a bit of an up and down sophomore campaign -- his analytics had always been strong, but for 14 games in the middle of the Pac-12 season from January 16 to regular season finale against UCLA, Isaiah only reached double figures in scoring twice -- into a breakout run through the NCAA Tournament, where Isaiah averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block per game, while shooting 61% from the field, 55% from behind the arc and 89% from the free throw line. The performance was strong enough to warrant some NBA Draft scuttlebutt. I fully expect Isaiah to test NBA Draft waters. That being said, Isaiah's prospects for being drafted are low right now; he is a marginal Top 100 prospects on the leading media draft boards; and there are reasons to think Isaiah may have a breakout season next year if he returns. That all being said, I have no idea whether Isaiah will be back or not. But, and take it for what it's worth, it does not appear Enfield is targeting any bigs on the transfer market.
Isaiah White: What a tremendous season by the gritty Isaiah. Just a great, mature, hard-nosed hoopster. Trojan fans should be clamoring for his return. Will that happen? Isaiah graduated Damien high school in 2016; so next year will be his 6th season post high school. He's an adult and it's unclear if he wants to run another year at the college level. UPDATE: Isaiah is expected to return next season.
Chevez Goodwin: Of this season's trio of grad transfers, Chevez is the most likely to return for next season. Chevez is a bit undersized as a Pac-12 level 5-man, but teaming him with Isaiah as the stretch-5 would likely produce good results on the offense end. Until the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Chevez was absolutely killing it from an offensive efficiency perspective, hitting 25 of his last 33 FGAs. UPDATE: Chevez announced on Instagram that he is coming back for one last season.
Drew Peterson: Everyone expects Drew to be back and to be a leader of the team next season. After going through a mid-season slump, Drew averaged over 11 points, 2 assists and 5 1/2 rebounds per game over the final eleven games of the season. Drew shot 42.4% from three during that stretch. If he can extend that shooting to next season, he could have a really big year.
Ethan Anderson: Ethan struggled with his weigh and recovering from a back injury all season. Clearly, the lockdown was not good for his game. After returning to play in mid January, Ethan played 21 games; unfortunately, he only played well in about five of those 21 games. He really needs to rededicate himself to basketball in the offseason if he wants to be a serious contributor going forward.
Noah Baumann: Noah had his moments and hit some big shots. Unfortunately, his efficiency from behind the arc (35% for the season) didn't compensate for the defensive mismatches he faced and very low rebounding rate when he was on the court. Noah may be better off at the mid major level, rather than in the Pac-12. UPDATE: Noah has entered the transfer portal.
Max Agbonkpolo: Progress for Max was slow and uneven. For the reason, his reliance on 3-point attempts and low shooting percentage from behind the arc resulted in a FG% of only 36%. For a player of Max's size, that's inexcusable. On the other end of the court, however, Max was able to disrupt things and get his hands on lots of balls. The bottom line for Max is that it appears he needs to take basketball A LOT more seriously. He has a lot of God-given gifts that are not being exploited for his benefit. Enfield has invested a lot in Max. Next season that investment has to start yielding returns.
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