USC Basketball

After making the NCAA tournament each of the last two seasons, USC has rewarded head basketball coach Andy Enfield with a contract extension.

USC announced Enfield's new deal will run through 2023.

USC hired Enfield in April 2013 after he led Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed. 

After making just one NCAA tournament appearance in four years with Kevin O'Neill as head coach, the Trojans have turned things around under Enfield.

USC's 26 wins in 2016-17 were its most in a single season. The Trojans won two tournament games for the first time since 2007 before losing to Baylor in the round of 32. 

For more news, rumors and related stories about Andy Enfield, USC and college basketball, check out the college basketball and USC streams on Bleacher Report's app.

For a complete player profile on Charles O'Bannon Jr., visit Scout.com.

Derryck Thornton announced his intention to transfer from Duke University on April 10, following a single season with the Blue Devils, and the 5-star guard will make his home on the West Coast with USC.

Per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Thornton's father, Derryck Thornton Sr., said Friday his son would be joining the Trojans.

Per Josh Gershon of Scout.com, Thornton went into detail about his son's decision to play for USC: "He really got along with (associate head coach) Tony Bland, (head coach) Andy Enfield and the whole staff."

Thornton Sr. continued to praise the development skills of USC's coaching staff as the biggest reasons for his son's decision: "Andy being a skill development guy in the NBA, (assistant) Jason Hart being a former NBA player, the style of play being uptempo and the Pac-12 producing so many pros, Derryck thought it was the best fit for who he was as a player."

A combination of factors facilitated Thornton's decision to transfer from the ACC power following his freshman season, but he cited his desire to play closer to his hometown of Chatsworth, California. 

"I have loved my time at Duke, but I want to pursue the opportunity to play college basketball closer to home," Thornton said in a statement, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello. "I want to thank my teammates and coaches for their support this year. The relationships I have with them will always be special to me."

However, Thornton's transfer was also evidently the product of sparse playing time. 

Although he arrived at Duke as the third-ranked point guard and 14th-ranked player overall in his class, he averaged just 7.1 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 39 percent from the field in 26 minutes a night as questions cropped up regarding head coach Mike Krzyzewski's tactical usage of the talented point guard. 

% of Shots at Rim	FG% at Rim	% of Shots 2P Jumpers	FG% on 2P Jumpers	3P%
32.8	51.9	32.8%	32.9%	32.5

"Coach K likely did overpromise, as is typical in recruiting," 247Sports' Jerry Meyer told the site's Kevin Ryan. "However, it became evident quickly that a high ball-screen offense centered around Thornton was not the best approach for Duke."

Thornton also faced the prospect of jockeying for playing time with incoming 5-star point guard Frank Jackson, who has been heralded as a key piece of the Blue Devils' championship blueprint. 

This is a huge get for the Trojans, who continue to add quality players after making the NCAA tournament last year for the first time since 2011. They are currently ranked fifth among Pac-12 teams in recruiting this year. 

Thornton won't be able to play next season, but he does have three years of college eligibility remaining for a USC program trending in the right direction after winning at least 20 games last season for the first time since 2008-09.

Now that he's decided to latch on with the Trojans, Thornton will have a chance to redeem himself after posting some shaky numbers during his time in Durham. 

Beyond the basic box score figures, Thornton shot just 32.9 percent on two-point jumpers and converted a so-so 51.9 percent of his attempts at the rim last season, per Hoop-Math.com. 

Thornton's time as a standout at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, suggests he'll be far more effective if USC embraces his desire to play in a more pick-and-roll heavy scheme that values his playmaking, so the floor general should be able to make his freshman woes a thing of the past. 

Recruit star ratings and rankings courtesy of 247Sports.com. Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise. 

The USC Trojans made it to the NCAA men's basketball tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season this year, but their immediate future took a hit with the loss of Katin Reinhardt on Monday.

According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN, Reinhardt will transfer after averaging 11.4 points per game in 2015-16. Goodman noted Reinhardt will be eligible to play his final collegiate season as a graduate transfer in the fall.

Reinhardt also took to Twitter to thank the Trojans family and explain his plans:

I just want to thank the Trojan family for an amazing last few years! I will graduate and transfer to continue my graduate degree.

— Katin Reinhardt (@5SWISH) March 29, 2016

This is not the first time the guard has switched schools. Reinhardt initially chose UNLV as a highly regarded 4-star recruit, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but he transferred to USC after his freshman season. 

At his best, he is a consistent scorer who can stretch the floor from three-point range and attack the basket off the dribble as a 6’6” matchup problem in the backcourt. He hasn't been much of a rebounder, but he has found a number of different ways to score, pouring in 29 points Dec. 17 against Cal Poly and 26 points Dec. 23 against Lafayette.

In all, he posted similar numbers in his two seasons with USC:

Season	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Three-Point Percentage
2014-15	28.6	12.5	2.4	1.7	1	38.6
2015-16	26.9	11.4	2.8	1.4	1	37.3

Zach Helfand of the Los Angeles Times reported Reinhardt was the third USC player to transfer since the team's 70-69 season-ending loss to Providence in the first round of the Big Dance. Forwards Malik Martin and Darion Clark also elected to leave the Trojans, but neither of them was the impact player Reinhardt was in 2015-16.

Martin averaged 1.8 points in 6.6 minutes per night, while Clark scored 2.6 points in 11.1 minutes per game for USC.

Helfand suggested Reinhardt's decision could be a response to what figures to be a crowded USC guard rotation in 2016-17. Elijah Stewart, Jordan McLaughlin and Julian Jacobs will all be back after helping the Trojans reach the NCAA tournament. Louisville transfer Shaqquan Aaron could also see plenty of minutes, and recruits Jonah Mathews and De'Anthony Melton will join the mix as well.

Mathews is a 4-star prospect, and Melton is a 3-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

While the loss of Reinhardt is a blow to USC’s depth, there are enough pieces in place in the backcourt to survive his transfer and still compete in the Pac-12 in 2016-17. Plus, his absence could create additional playing time for the youngsters, which may benefit the Trojans by March as players grow accustomed to their roles.

As for Reinhardt, he is a proven talent who scored in double figures in each of the past two seasons in one of the best leagues in the nation. He will likely slide into his new team's rotation and continue to shoot threes and slash to the rim in his last collegiate season.

USC Trojans men's head basketball coach Andy Enfield agreed to a contract extension through the 2021 season, the team announced on Monday.   

The former Florida Gulf Coast University coach just finished his third season with the Trojans, winning 21 games and qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 2015-16. It was a huge improvement from the previous two seasons in which USC won a combined 23 games. 

It didn't look good early for Enfield, who came to Southern California on a six-year, $6 million-plus contract and with high expectations after taking Florida Gulf Coast, aka "Dunk City," to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed.

It appears success with players he recruited and a trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011 were enough for USC athletic director Pat Haden to sign him long term, per a release on the school's website:

We are very excited about the direction of our men's basketball program under Coach Enfield and the progress that has been made. We look forward to continued progress and we believe that with this contract extension, Coach Enfield will bring stability and success to USC men's basketball for the long term.

Enfield said he and his coaches are glad to have Haden and other administrators in their corner, per the release:

The men's basketball staff is very appreciative of the great leadership and support from our administration and we are very thankful to have talented players in our program who are terrific representatives of USC. We look forward to an offseason of continued development for our players that will set the foundation for an exciting 2016-17 season.

While Enfield has had success, the move most likely is in response to the fact the coach was linked to the opening job for the Pitt Panthers eventually filled by Kevin Stallings, per Pittsburgh Post Game contributor Harry G. Psaros.

Penn Quakers sports announcer Corey Cohen thought Enfield to Pitt was a foregone conclusion:

I have no sources but I just have a feeling that #Pitt will hire Andy Enfield. Which, given the shortlist, would be incredible.

— Corey Cohen (@CoreyECohen) March 26, 2016

This is a good sign for a school that usually gives way to its popular football team, as Enfield appears to have the team heading into the right direction with a recruiting class hovering around 35th in the nation (currently 36th), per 247Sports' composite team rankings.

Of course, coaches regularly break contracts—usually only having to pay a fine covered by the new school and possibly agreeing to a home-and-home series—but the extension is a good sign that the Pac-12 school could keep him from going to the powerhouse ACC for now.

The next step toward making the extension worth it for both sides is earning the team's first NCAA tournament victory since 2009. If the improvement of past years means anything, that should be happening for Enfield and the Trojans soon.

Elijah Stewart is ice-cold.

The USC Trojans guard stole the ball from Washington State Cougars forward Josh Hawkinson, then promptly put the poor guy on a poster, throwing down a vicious two-handed slam Friday.

The best part is that Stewart knew it was cold—hence why he spent a few seconds hanging on the rim.

[Twitter]

It may take some time for Andy Enfield to replicate the success he had during his final season with Florida Gulf Coast at USC. Losing arguably the top player in the program certainly won’t help his progress. 

Byron Wesley posted nightly averages of 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 2013-14 for the Trojans, but he decided to transfer away from the program for his final season of eligibility. He let fans know of his decision via his Twitter account:

Wesley certainly deserves credit for his graduation, but this stings for a USC basketball team that went a disappointing 11-21 last year and only won two games in conference.

Wesley will graduate in the summer, so he will be eligible to play immediately for whichever school lands his services. He is a tremendous scorer who finished in double figures in all but four of USC’s contests last year. He shot better than 33 percent from behind the three-point line and nearly 72 percent from the free-throw line, and he can finish through contact when attacking the rim.

His absence will make life easier for Pac-12 opponents. Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins called him one of the best players in the league last season in a conference call, via Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times: "He's very good at getting to the basket and he's a good defender. He's become one of the best players in the conference."

Naturally, there are questions about how this impacts the Trojans going forward, especially next season. Wesley was supposed to be an upperclassman leader for a young squad, so Enfield will need someone else to step up and fill that role instead. 

Fortunately, USC has an impressive recruiting class coming to campus next season (ranked No. 28 by 247Sports). Jordan McLaughlin is the crown jewel of that group, and he will certainly see some of the minutes that Wesley leaves behind.

Young weapons like Julian Jacobs and Nikola Jovanovic will also have to step up for USC if it hopes to win more than two games in the Pac-12 without its best player from a year ago.

Newly minted USC basketball coach Andy Enfield reeled in his first commitment for the class of 2014. Power forward Malik Price-Martin tweeted a verbal pledge to the Trojans this past Sunday after being offered in mid-June.

According to a report from South Florida High School Sports’ Curtis Stevenson, 4-star Price-Martin cited Enfield’s style of play and the chance to start a winning tradition among reasons for picking USC.

“I loved the style of play that you saw in the tournament and that fits my game,” commented the Florida product. “This is just the next step for me. I want to be a part of bringing winning back to the USC program.”

The 6’9”, 195-pound forward had received interest from prestigious programs such as Louisville, Florida, Miami and Syracuse, among others. He is currently ranked as the 70th best prospect on 247sports.com and 87th on the Rivals 150.

USC assistant coach Tony Bland was very excited upon the commitment, taking to Twitter to welcome Price-Martin to the Trojan family.

Based on a scouting report from ESPN (subscription required), Price-Martin has a lot of offensive versatility for his size, using above-average athleticism to score. He can shoot the mid-range jumper, post up, and lead a fast break. He has an impressive 7-foot wingspan that allows him to be an excellent shot-blocker.

The main knock on him is his lack of size for the power forward position, as his skinny frame can be pushed around. As a power forward, this puts him at a big disadvantage defensively.

Price-Martin is the prototypical forward for Enfield’s wide-open style of play. He could thrive playing in a similar role as Chase Fieler from Florida Gulf Coast’s magical NCAA tournament run.

However, he may have to wait a year before seriously contributing. USC is bringing in a four-man recruiting class this year and gaining three transfers the year after, making playing time hard to come by when Price-Martin steps on campus.

Expect him to be a three-year contributor to the Trojans as he puts on weight and adjusts to the college game during his freshman year. Once he bulks, his potential is very high.

Perhaps more importantly, this is as good of a start Enfield can get for his recruiting career in Los Angeles. He swayed one of the more sought-after recruits in the nation from top programs that were closer to home.

The basketball programs in Los Angeles were about as appealing as watching hoops on an old black-and-white TV back in November when local prep star Isaac Hamilton decided to attend UTEP.

That was before Dunk City got a new postal code. That was before Andy Enfield brought his up-and-down style to USC. 

Hamilton noticed, and now he wants out—or rather, he wants in.

The Los Angeles Times' Diane Pucin reported on Saturday that Hamilton has decided he wants to attend USC. UTEP coach Tim Floyd, the former coach of the Trojans, has refused to let Hamilton out of his letter of intent and Hamilton is appealing to the National Letter of Intent Steering Committee.

Speaking with Bill Knight of the El Paso Times, Floyd aired his feelings on the subject:

He had two choices—one, not to sign the letter of intent or two, to file an appeal. I'm not releasing him. We have made our schedule based on having Isaac. People have bought season tickets based on our having Isaac. It's too late. He can appeal and we'll wait to see what happens. If he is allowed out, we might as well not even have letters of intent.

Speaking of twos, Coach Floyd, you are right that this is about two things: change and a silly contract. 

That silly contract is the national letter of intent. Unless Hamilton wins his plea, he'll sit out next year if he decides to not play at UTEP—it would be a real shocker to see him go back now. 

Hamilton is one of the best incoming freshman guards in the country—Rivals.com ranks him as the 14th-best player in the 2013 class—and that made his commitment to UTEP an odd one, but as often happens in college basketball, things changed from November to July. 

Back in November, Ben Howland was headed for his unavoidable termination and USC basketball was... USC basketball. 

What this is about is a teenager changing his mind when something new and shiny was put in front of him. It's no different than a coach finding a better player and moving on. 

This also is an extremely public story that tells us something that everyone is going to start to notice really soon: Enfield is going to land some players, particularly in Southern California, who never would have considered USC in the past. 

That Los Angeles Times story also has a very telling quote from Dave Benezra—an AAU coach in LA—describing the difference between the recruiting styles of USC and UCLA: "USC is new media. UCLA is old media. USC is pop. UCLA is rock 'n' roll." 

New media usually sells itself. And that's what Enfield has right now. The Florida Gulf Coast run—and the highlights it provided—has recruits interested. 

It looked fun. Teenagers like fun. 

That may seem like a simplistic view of what makes USC viable in recruiting, but until Enfield loses a bunch of games or changes his style, USC will be hip. 

Hamilton wanted to be part of it and Floyd is ticked, which he should be. He's losing a player who probably would have made a big impact. As he said, he made moves based on the assumption that Hamilton would be on campus. 

Hamilton claims that he wants to stay back home to be close to his ill grandmother. Obviously, Floyd thinks that's a load of you-know-what.

It's against NCAA rules to keep recruiting a player after he has signed his letter of intent. There's no way for anyone to know whether that happened, Hamilton really changed his mind because of his grandmother or simply saw something else he liked better.

What we do know is that the circumstances surrounding his decision in November are not the same as they are now. A coach landed in his hometown with a brand that had more appeal than what was there before. A better option presented itself.

And when a better option comes along for the coaches, they can get out of the NLI contract. That's fair, huh? 

Eventually, this will all blow over. The rule is the rule and it's not a good rule. That's nothing new. 

But USC as a destination for talented basketball players, that is (mostly) new. Floyd had a decent run, but he couldn't keep his nose clean—see: Mayo, O.J. It's probably not wise to act high and mighty behind the letter of a bad law. 

There's no stopping Hamilton from eventually playing at USC, where Enfield has already landed three transfers since taking over.

If Enfield can truly bring the fun to USC, more Hamiltons will follow and they're no going to have to backtrack on their word.

When Galen Central reported Maryland point guard Pe’Shon Howard announced he was transferring to USC to be closer to family last week, the Trojans wrapped up a year of recruiting with seven incoming prospects.

While there is a mix of freshmen and transfers in this recruiting class, each of them has the chance to make an impact for head coach Andy Enfield.

Some will contribute immediately. Others may have to wait, whether it’s through player development or transfer rules. In any case, the Enfield era is in its first offseason, and these newcomers need to be evaluated.

After analyzing film and statistics on each recruit, here are the new faces of Trojan basketball.

Howard posted an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.12 in the uber-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. Leading the team at 3.6 assists a contest, he helped guide the Terrapins to the NIT semifinals.

Due to Howard’s family circumstances, he’s applying for a hardship waiver, which would relieve him from having to sit out a year. If approved, he should take over for the departed Jio Fontan as USC’s starting floor general.

If his waiver is denied, incoming freshman Julian “JuJu” Jacobs will be the front-runner to man the point. The 6’2” Jacobs has hops, court vision and keen defensive awareness. His speed fits well into the up-tempo style of play Enfield will implement next season.

However, the most anticipated and talented of the bunch is transfer Katin Reinhardt of UNLV. Wanting to have a more involved role in a college offense, the shooting guard will be a pivotal playmaker once he is eligible after the 2013-14 season.

The Mater Dei product has above-average passing skills for playing the 2, averaging 2.5 assists per game in a non-passing role at UNLV. That will come in handy in Enfield’s offense, which calls for both guards to be able to find the open man.

Reinhardt can also stroke it. He averaged 1.9 three-pointers per contest with the Rebels as a freshman.

The final transfer is former Charlotte forward Darion Clark (below), who played with Howard in high school at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy. As a freshman at Charlotte, the power forward was productive in a reserve role, posting 6.2 points and 4.6 boards in fewer than 18 minutes a game.

Though undersized for his position at 6’6”, he’s incredibly strong and should give USC an immediate boost in rebounding. Offensively, Clark is effective in the low block with his back to the basket and can expect to be the recipient of several alley-oop passes should Dunk City take over the Galen Center.

Complementing Clark’s bruising style is freshman signee Nikola Jovanovic. Originally from Serbia, the 6’10” Jovanovic played his high school ball in Florida. 

While he lacks strength (only 215 pounds), he has an incredibly diverse offensive skill set. He shoots it consistently, handles the ball and has an arsenal of post moves. A fluid athlete, Jovanovic runs the floor well for someone his size.

In short, he's another player who fits with Enfield’s style of play. If he puts on enough weight and isn’t a liability on defense, Jovanovic’s game could resemble another Eastern European Trojan—Nikola Vucevic. For now, however, he will have a minor role.

A second freshman who may not see much time early is 5’11” shooting guard Kahlil Dukes. A prolific scoring guard, he is very undersized for the 2 and must learn how to run an offense if he expects to get big minutes.

If he struggles in that role, however, there’s still a case for optimism. Here’s a snippet from his ESPN scouting report (subscription required):

He has good quickness, handles the ball well, can get to the rim north to south or east to west, knows how to create space for his pull-up, and can also knock down open threes. He plays the game with the flair and confidence of a big game player, and relishes having the ball in his hands down the stretch.

He has the possibility to thrive in a Nate Robinson-type role coming off the bench. Only time will tell if he reaches that potential.

The last signee is small forward Roschon Prince (above). The Gatorade California Player of the Year his senior season, Prince has a chance to become the Pac-12’s best perimeter defender. He also uses his athleticism well in finishing around the rim, especially on the fast break.

In order to become a complete player, however, much of his offensive game needs polishing. His jumper is streaky and he needs to work on his handles. Nonetheless, his relentlessness on defense should earn him immediate playing time.

Due to such a high turnover of players this offseason, many of these newcomers will be called upon to contribute in their first year. The combination of the transfers’ experience and the freshmen’s talent should lead to a significantly better record than last season. In all, this recruiting class is a step in the right direction for USC.