Seven months since Eric Musselman’s hire in April, the Muss Bus has officially started its engines at USC, surprisingly knocking off national-power Gonzaga in a 96-93 win in an exhibition last weekend.
Musselman’s first men’s basketball roster at USC is unproven, with a surplus of mid-major transfers, but offers plenty of intrigue and upside. Here’s a breakdown of a completely new-look USC program as the Trojans prepare for their home opener Monday night against Chattanooga.
Xavier transfer Desmond Claude was the highest-profile get of Musselman-and-company’s mad scramble down at the Portal House this spring, a combo guard and aggressive contact-hunter who averaged 16.6 points a game last season. USC, in many ways, will go as he does, entrusting Claude with primary point-guard responsibilities.
Beyond him, USC doesn’t have many traditional ball-handlers on its roster. Penn transfer Clark Slajchert offers shooting (42% from three last year) and another hand at point. Keep an eye on freshman Jalen Shelley, a 6-foot-8 string bean with springboards for sneakers who has worked some at PG and looked like the best player on the floor for long stretches of a team scrimmage in October.
Musselman’s inaugural roster, at USC, is intentionally designed around length and versatility, leading to a true wealth of 6-foot-7-types with a range of complementary and overlapping skillsets.
Northern Colorado transfer Saint Thomas has as good a chance as any to be USC’s standout this season, averaging 19.7 points a game and 9.8 rebounds last year, and looking every bit the part of USC’s alpha dog in an exhibition win over UTSA.
“I knew that role, I was going to have to take on that role,” Thomas said postgame after scoring 21, “and I think I was ready for it.”
Senior Terrance Williams II, from Michigan, is a natural three-and-D-type who started against UTSA. Chibuzo Agbo, from Boise State, offers a bit more offensive upside when his shot is falling. Yale transfer Matt Knowling could be Musselman’s glue-guy in a lot of lineups, a 6-foot-6 forward who plays bigger than his size and is a sneaky-good passer and cutter.
When asked how he viewed the center spot on his team’s roster, in early October, Musselman offered a little more than a shrug.
“I don’t even know,” he said then, perfectly honest.
Josh Cohen, a 6-foot-10 transfer from UMass, is the team’s tallest player, and USC is severely lacking in shot-blocking. In an ideal world, this group would make up for that with defensive switch-ability, gang-rebounding and a center who can capably facilitate as a hub from the elbow. Cohen is the most natural candidate there, a solid passer and strong on-floor communicator.
Bowling Green transfer Rashaun Agee was USC’s center for weeks, as Musselman affirmed, before Cohen outplayed him in an October scrimmage open to media. Agee offers a little more glass-crashing energy. USC also returns Harrison Hornery, a 6-10, 230-pound senior and the lone holdover from last season’s roster.
