Ruben Report: Isaiah Collier, Oziyah Sellers lead USC romp
The USC Trojans easily handled Cal State Bakersfield Thursday night 85-59 before a good crowd of 6,200. USC was without Kobe Johnson, who was injured in Monday’s win over Kansas State and held out of this game. Andy Enfield said that Kobe hurt his leg in the first half Monday. Harry Hornery started in Kobe’s place but the star of the night was Oziyah Sellers.
Oziyah played over 25 minutes and scored 16 points, far exceeding his total from his entire freshman season. He made 6-9 shots including 2-4 from three and both of his free throw attempts and also contributed 4 rebounds (one on the offensive end), 3 assists and a block.
Sellers’ production was very welcomed by Andy Enfield. After the game, Enfield said: “Oziyah gained fifteen pounds and is a much better defender than last year.”
The staff has to hope that this game gives Oziyah the confidence that he has been lacking. Oziyah looked much different than last year or on Monday, playing good man defense and working hard on both ends.
“People called me just a shooter and I didn’t like it,” Sellers said, adding that he’s been working on his entire game.
Actually, many people had labeled Oziyah a great practice shooter who couldn’t translate his production into a real game. This very strong performance may be the breakout performance Oziyah needs to become a key part of the rotation. Without Bronny James, the Trojans need Oziyah to help a strong but thin backcourt.
Isaiah Collier led the Trojans with 19 points, making 6-11 shots and 6-7 from the line. He had 5 assists but also 4 turnovers, most late in the game. Isaiah’s free throw shooting is very welcome. He has said he has worked with Boogie Ellis on his free throws. If he can continue knocking down his shots from the line the Trojans will be much stronger late in close games when he has the ball. Isaiah said that he learned a lot over the summer and now understands that Trojan basketball is hard-nosed.
In referring to Collier, Enfield said after the game: “We give our guards a lot of freedom and they have to make decisions. Good players get to where they want to go and great players know what to do when they get there.”
That line sounded rehearsed but it does apply to Isaiah. Once again he controlled the tempo of the game and when he decided to drive to the rim, the Roadrunners were unable to stop him. He made two incredible reverse layups in the first half where he was able to get by multiple defenders and score. Isaiah had assists on two of USC’s first three possessions.
With Boogie Scoring Only 11 And Without Kobe The Trojans Were Still Able To Dominate
Boogie had a rare off night, making only 4-of-11 shots. Besides Oziyah, several other Trojans picked up the slack. DJ Rodman had his first big game for USC, making 4-of-6 shots including 3-of-4 from three and all four of his free throws, for 15 points. He made two threes on consecutive possessions from the same spot in the first half as USC ran out to a 47-23 half time lead. Josh Morgan scored 12 points on 6 shots and Harry Hornery, who started in Kobe’s place, played a strong nineteen minutes. Though he only scored 5 points, he tied for team-high with 5 boards and played very hard.
Kijani Wright added 5 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench and Arrinten Page added 3 boards. Brandon Gardner got his first action of the season and made a monster dunk.
The Trojans played a very strong first half and had the game in hand by halftime. Enfield wasn’t happy about the defensive effort in the second half when the Roadrunners shot 45% as opposed to 38% in the first. The defensive intensity wasn’t as high and Enfield implied that this team needs to learn to play a full 40 minutes regardless of the score. In this game he wanted to get everyone minutes who was available. At times two bigs played together; Kijani Wright with Josh or AP, or AP with Josh. USC may use a two-big lineup more when Vince Iwuchukwu begins to play.
Injury Updates
Kobe is likely to play Tuesday in USC’s next game. Vince may make his season debut Tuesday; the doctors are close to clearing him. His issue is related to his back injury late last season and has nothing to do with his heart condition. Vince has been practicing for a few weeks and should be ready to contribute as soon as he is cleared.
BG had a broken hand over the summer, two injuries this fall and then was sick and missed more time. He is fully healthy but is not as ready with all of the offensive plays and defensive sets as his teammates.
A Great Student Crowd And Some Celebrities
Students were lined up down the alley from Fig to Flower and down Flower to the parking structure before the doors opened at 4:30. The entire student section was full and they provided a good home court environment.
Chris Rock sat courtside as well as DJ Rodman’s sister Trinity, who is a member of the US soccer team. She was seated with their mother. Natalie Bryant, Kobe’s daughter, was also at the game. Trent Perry, one of the three new Trojan signees, was in the crowd as well.
The crowd was much larger than the usual nonconference game against a mid-major and Enfield noticed and was appreciative.
USC Signs Three Recruits
Enfield and his staff got off to a good start on the recruiting trail on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday with three new recruits. At this point, the group is rated the tenth best class in the country but a lot will change with many very good players waiting to sign in the spring.
Trent Perry, a 6’4” combo guard from Harvard Westlake, is ranked 36th nationally by On3. He does everything – scores, accumulates assists and gets a lot of rebounds for a guard.
Liam Campbell is a 6’5” guard from Idaho and is ranked as high as no. 76. He is known as a good shooter and is the top rated prospect in Idaho.
Brody Kozlowski is a 6’7” forward ranked as high as 68th and is the top rated player in Utah. He is 220 pounds and can score outside or use his size to get inside and had 22 rebounds in one game.
And One
Enfield has labeled this team as his most athletic team and that athleticism is readily apparent. I don’t think the staff could have hoped for a better two-game start, especially with the multiple injuries they are dealing with.
The Trojans did exactly what a good team should do against a weaker opponent – jump on them early and not let them up. By the end of the game, the remaining question was whether USC would exceed the 24 1/2 point spread, which they managed to do.
Enfield said that “(W)e challenged every shot in the first half and had a great effort on defense.” He wasn’t happy with the second-half letdown.
Late in the game one of the visitors was at the free throw line at the student end. He was short of the rim by a good two feet on his first attempt and Josh turned toward the students so his laugh wouldn’t be seen by the visitors.
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