Sunday’s Takeaway: There Is No More Time Left For USC Men’s Hoops
Did Andy Enfield’s time as USC men’s basketball coach run out following another home loss? Their 92-89 loss came in double overtime to Colorado, which is the same team UCLA held to 60 points a few nights earlier.
Just like USC’s head basketball coach, Andy Enfield, I also sat, and then I stood, and then I yelled at another inexcusable rebounding effort from Trojans playing defense.
And then we both eventually watched the Trojans blow a 2nd-half 16-point lead and the chance to see USC win three games in a row at Galen Center—which is something the Trojans have not done all season.
No more time is needed to figure it out. Despite all of the talent on paper, this roster and the way it’s comprised is not a good team.
They don’t play defense consistently.
They don’t put forth any effort to rebound.
And they can’t handle tough situations.
Hidden in those small details are why the team has 10 wins, and why they do not know how to win close games.
Against the Buffaloes, the Trojans were outrebounded 47-22.
I hate to be the one to break the news to USC’s team captain, however, rebounding and playing defense are not “little details.”–I mean I suppose Coach Enfield could put Johnson back on the bench to try and send that message, but it didn’t work the last few times he tried it.
“So what, now what?”
Although he said it with good intent, Clay Helton’s infamous comment will be remembered for one of his many, “what did he just say comments.”
The message was simple.–Despite another poor effort with the small stuff like fundamentals, it’s time to turn the page and figure it out.
Eventually, time ran out on Clay Helton because he and his staff weren’t able to figure out the details and the small stuff.
But I also remember this past season when Coach Lincoln Riley kept telling the media as USC kept losing home games, that his team was close too.
So while it was Enfield who said, “Tough loss for our team, guys played hard…So disappointing, guys play very hard. Just one possession here and there was the difference”– after the most recent home loss.
I can’t help but think back to this past football season and think to myself of the changes that need to be made.
Earlier in the day before USC took on Colorado, Coach Riley introduced his new defensive coaching staff to the media.—“We have a staff right now that takes a back seat to no one.” – Lincoln Riley.
After watching the Trojans’ recent loss at home to the Buffaloes, changes need to be made with USC men’s basketball.
With 12 seconds to execute the play, I’m not sure what the designed call was coming out of the final timeout, however, I doubt it was a desperation Boogie Ellis airball from 30 feet away. “Anytime you need a three the other team can guard the three-point line. They (CU defense) switched out, they switched out on Boogie and the guy jumped over the screen and then the second option was there.–The play before that we got a wide-open three for Boogie on the out-of-bounds play, and he missed it. So that shot goes in, it’s a little different.”
Coach Enfield wasn’t pointing fingers, but on the play before when Boogie missed the wide-open three, the players did everything right, except make the “wide-open” basket.
Like the old Lincoln Riley who thought as long as you scored more than the other team, everything else would work itself out, Enfield says, “You have to put the ball in the basket.”
Winning close games takes a combination of mentally tough players, physical effort, and a coaching staff that knows how to coach during close contests. USC has gone 0 for 3 in those departments this season.
With their latest home loss, the Trojans are guaranteed one thing, and that is they won’t win three games in a row at home this year.–At this point, they might not even win another game this season.
But just like like in each of their other home losses, USC had their chances to put this game away.
And just like before, they did not.
Following their most recent 1-game winning streak, a 4-point win over Utah, Coach Enfield said, “Our goal is to keep getting better as a basketball team. I think our defense is much improved. We’re keeping our turnovers down. So we’re just focused on the things that we can control right now, and then we’ll ramp up for that later in the season.”
What later in the season is Enfield referring to–when?
Enfield’s squad now has a whole week to think about that small detail before they head to Westwood for their rivalry game against a UCLA team that is getting better as the season plays itself out.
Injuries and a young team have played a role in this season’s success or the lack thereof, however, while individual players have improved, the team has not.
Has time run out on Andy Enfield at USC?
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