Freshman guard Isaiah Collier plans to enter the NBA draft, ESPN reported Wednesday, leaving USC's roster almost completely empty with the arrival of new head coach Eric Musselman.
Even before Musselman was hired, Collier was projected to be a first-round draft pick, making a return seem unlikely. The 6-foot-5 point guard was the No. 1 overall recruit and averaged 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while being selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. The speedy guard was considered a potential No. 1 pick at the beginning of the season, but suffered a broken hand that sidelined him for four weeks, which coincided with the Trojans' six-game losing streak.
Without Collier, USC will lose its top nine scorers and 10 of its 11 scholarship players who have logged meaningful playing time. Harrison Hornery, who played in 26 games and averaged 3.3 points per game, will be USC's returning leading scorer. The Trojans may also be without a freshman, as all three of the program's high school signees began recruiting at the request of their national letters of intent after the coaching change.
read more: What will USC's roster look like under new coach Eric Musselman?
Musselman is combing through the transfer portal to replenish his roster. Last week, he rescheduled former Massachusetts guard Josh Cohen's commitment from Arkansas to the Trojans, and on Wednesday added former Penn State guard Clark Slicert's commitment. The former Oak Park star led Penn in scoring with 18 points per game last season, shooting 42.2 percent from 3-point range. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard was named second-team All-Ivy by his coaches. He has one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is unlikely to play again at Penn because Ivy League schools do not allow players to play as graduate students. Can not.
Ivy League transfer rules are already a boon for USC basketball. Three former Ivy Leaguers headlined the USC women's team, which advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1994.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
