USC men’s basketball out to defy expectations in Year 1 of Eric Musselman era

Desmond Claude, battling Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle for a loose ball, will be USC’s lead guard this season after a breakout season at Xavier. (Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

Eric Musselman is not one for sugarcoating. The new USC basketball coach knew what he was inheriting when he took the reins of an underperforming program last spring. He understood the limitations of rebuilding an entire roster on the fly. And now, on the doorstep of his first season with the Trojans, he’s not trying to hide his team’s perceived imperfections, either.

“We know we have some holes on our roster,” Musselman said. “We want our guys to understand what those areas of concern are, and how do we combat that by being honest about who we are.”

Musselman, well into his third decade as a basketball coach, knows no other way. There is no generalizing with him. When players make mistakes in practice, Musselman will call them out, believing that it’s his job to “put an address on it” with the source of his criticism.

Read more: Inside the 30 frenzied days it took Eric Musselman to revive USC men’s basketball

So there was no hiding when USC was picked 14th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten preseason media poll. Expectations for them, from the outside world, were low. Proving them wrong meant being clear about who the Trojans are. And as Musselman saw it, that meant playing this season like “sewer rats,” scratching and clawing their way through the Big Ten.

The truth is no one knows what USC will be in Year 1 under Musselman. But with the Trojans’ opener against Chattanooga upcoming on Monday, here’s what we do know about what to expect at the start of a new era of Trojans basketball:

USC is putting a lot on Desmond Claude’s shoulders 

The Big East’s most improved player a year ago, Claude exploded onto the scene last season as a do-everything combo guard at Xavier, averaging 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. But at USC, he’ll be asked to take on even more…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/usc-mens-basketball-defy-expectations-120059579.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-11-04 12:00:00

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