A New Sailing: New League, USC Men’s Basketball Team Refreshes and Starts Again – Annenberg Media

On the evening of October 15th, the USC Trojans men’s basketball team (USC Trojans) faced the University of Texas St. Anthony (UTSA Roadrunners) at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, kicking off the new 2024-25 season. In this game, several starters of the USC men’s basketball team performed well, including Saint Thomas and Desmond Calude who supported the offense, and the team’s overall defense did not fall behind.

Of the 18 players on the USC men’s basketball team’s roster for the 2024-25 season, 16 are new faces and only two are returning players. Eleven of the 16 new players are from other schools, including the University of Michigan, Yale University, University of Northern Colorado, and the University of California, San Diego. This year’s USC men’s basketball team is one of the most experienced teams in the five major conferences of college basketball: based on last season’s playing time, they averaged 327.6 total minutes per game.

Senior Harrison Hornery (far left) is one of the only returning players. He will strive to become the head coach’s right-hand man and the team’s spiritual leader in the new season. (Photo by Fido Fan/Photo)

Desmond Claude

A transfer from Xaiver University and voted the Most Improved Player in the Big Ten League, Crowder’s potential is limitless. From a statistical point of view, it only took him one season to increase his average from 4.7 points per game to 16.6 points per game, and he continued to provide a certain amount of frame attack and shooting. He is a stable and sharp scorer.

Claude made his first three-pointer as a USC player (Photo by Fido Fan/Photo)

Saint Thomas

If there needs to be a leading player in USC men’s basketball this year, Thomas is the man to do it. He is the player with the highest basketball prowess among all the players we acquired through the transfer system this year—averaging 19.7 points per game and maintaining a 47% shooting percentage. Not only that, as a small forward, he also made great achievements in rebounding. The data of nearly 10 rebounds per game proves to us that he is not only a scorer, but can also complete the task of rebounding excellently. In this game, he scored a game-high 21 points with a very high efficiency of 7 of 8 shots, plus 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Thomas warms up for shooting (Photo by Fido Fan/Photo)

At the helm of the team – head coach Eric Musselman

Eric Musselman will serve as the head coach of the USC men’s basketball team for the first time this season. He had a brilliant record during his coaching career at the University of Arkansas. Not only did he lead the team to multiple NCAA tournaments, he also won widespread recognition for his outstanding leadership skills. Musselman has always been known for his rigorous tactical arrangements and precise defensive arrangements. I hope this tough coach can lead the USC men’s basketball team to achieve better results. What’s even more exciting is that Musselman also brought in most of his previous coaching staff, including assistant coaches Will Conroy, Chris Kapko and Anthony Ruta. They will work together to provide a solid backing for the team.

Silhouette of the head coach (Photo by Fido Fan/Photo)

USC basketball fans are excited about the team’s new lineup and have their own opinions on this season’s coaching staff and individual players.

Yifan, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Southern California, mentioned: “I think our coach this year is very experienced, especially in terms of defensive details and offensive sorting. Although this is a warm-up match, the coach will not let the players make any mistakes. He still gets angry when he makes low-level mistakes and requires players to complete every detail meticulously.”

When talking about his expectations for this year’s results, Yifan said: “I think under the leadership of our head coach, our bottom line this year will not be low. If the players can display the scoring strength they should have, we can be determined this year.” A small goal to advance into the NCAA’s March Madness (March Madness) league.

Kai, a senior who also loves basketball and is studying psychology and media at the University of Southern California, is optimistic about the team’s prospects: “I am very optimistic about Saint Thomas! He is very courageous. Although today is just a warm-up match, he gave his best Go ahead and take every offensive opportunity seriously, even if you are fouled twice and have a bloody nose, you still ask the coach to play when USC is about to catch up.”

Saint Thomas’ nostrils bleed after a physical collision (Photo by Fido Fan/Photo)

Kai mentioned: “I think morale is very important, and morale is the guarantee that determines how far the team can go. Although we can’t tell how the new team will adjust in one game, I hope Thomas can lead the new team.” The team has made a name for itself in the new Big Ten league.”

Since the team has undergone an overall change, a lot of running-in is needed between the players. However, the individual scoring efficiency and production of each player on the team were good before transferring to another school, so the team’s lower limit can be guaranteed. Last year, except for the two outstanding players Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson, the other players lacked the ability to score at critical moments. This year’s transfer players are all experienced veterans, and they will be better than last year in terms of on-the-spot adjustments and scoring control. overall.

In the end, USC defeated UTSA 84-63, ushering in the new season with a good start.

As the new season begins, the prospects of this new USC men’s basketball team are full of unknowns, but they also have potential due to their excellent lineup and strong coaching team. Although they will face many challenges, if each player’s personal ability can produce a chemical reaction with other players in the team, they can form an effective overall combat force under the leadership of Musselman, making the Trojans an unstoppable team this season. An underestimated powerhouse.

Through united will and unremitting efforts, the USC men’s basketball team is moving towards higher goals with a new lineup and firm belief. Let’s look forward to how far this new team can go this season.

Editor: Leo Li

Reviewer: Yiyi Zeng