warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

USC Tops West Alabama, Continue To Lean On Jacobs

Mike Piellucci |
November 21, 2013 | 10:05 p.m. PST

Staff Writer

Julian Jacobs has done more than expected early in his career. (Charles Magovern/Neon Tommy)
Julian Jacobs has done more than expected early in his career. (Charles Magovern/Neon Tommy)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: USC defeated West Alabama 73-57 on Thursday night in what will likely be the least suspenseful game they play all season.

That’s a bold statement in and of itself, what with the Trojans just five games into a long campaign and forced to exhibit some sliver of concern midway into the second half after the Tigers trimmed a 20-point halftime lead down to eight. But this one was never truly close, and considering that the Tigers are a Division II team that hails from the Gulf South Conference and formally declared this game an exhibition, it’s still a safe bet in context.

The more interesting line of thought is considering what we know about this USC team five games into Andy Enfield’s tenure as head coach. In the big picture, very little’s been decided. They again were paced in scoring by Byron Wesley, who also chipped in eight points and four assists along with those team-leading 15 points. They again started Nikola Jovanovic alongside Wesley and Omar Oraby in what finally could mean continuity in the frontcourt.

But there’s only so much to be truly determined by a slate that featured one quality opponent (Utah State) succeeded by four doormats in CSU Northridge, CSU Fullerton, Northern Arizona (whom they nevertheless struggled against), and now the Tigers. That holds especially true when USC again rolled out all 11 eligible players of its main roster on Thursday, a tacit admission that the rotation is still very much a work in progress.

Perhaps the biggest thing Enfield and Co. have ascertained, then, is that they’ve found a useful piece in freshman guard Julian Jacobs. The Las Vegas native was not the most heralded of USC’s four-man freshman class; that honor belongs to forward and Long Beach Poly product Roschon Prince. But almost from the initial tip of fall camp, it was the 6-foot-3 guard who first earned Enfield’s trust and, eventually, coveted playing time through a combination of athleticism and ball-handling.

“It's very good how quickly he's adapted, because as a freshman coming in it's usually hard to get used to the different style of play in college basketball,” says Oraby, who scored 13 points and admits to being surprised by Jacobs’ early ascension. “He's done an excellent job of that. He's going to be huge for us and he's going to help us out a lot.”

Jacobs’ skill set has produced robust numbers across the board, including 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists to go with 6.8 points per game so far. The numbers against the Tigers were a little less gaudy than usual – eight points but just two rebounds and assists apiece – yet included several highlights, most notably a huge first-half block and a pair of flushes in the second half, including one off a backdoor alley-oop later in the second half. There were also growing pains, such as an underwhelming 2:4 assist to turnover ratio, bumping his total giveaways to 12 in five games.

SEE MORE: USC Hoops Takes Care of Fullerton 

“I thought tonight, he was just OK,” Enfield says. “But he is a freshman, and sometimes we rely on him most of the game and I have to tell myself as a coach that he has to play through his mistakes.”

He’ll only be counted on more in the coming weeks after USC announced before the game that leading returning scorer JT Terrell would be academically ineligible for at least the remainder of the first semester. His head coach knows it, too; to wit, when asked about the expectations being placed on Jacobs’ shoulders, Enfield simply replied, “He’s got no choice.”

Irrespective of Terrell’s availability, though, Jacobs has proven he’ll play a crucial role for Enfield, one that will only grow in importance next season when the Trojans experience a talent infusion with the arrival of a banner recruiting class plus the eligibility of transfers Katin Reinhardt and Darion Clark.

For now, though, steady progress is more enough to satisfy Enfield and make up for the inevitable bumps ahead as the Trojans continue to find out more about who they are.

“He's done an amazing job so far,” he says. “He's been big in every game for us. He's going to continue to play big minutes. Nikola [Jovanovic] is starting as a freshman as well and those guys have their deficiencies, but they're both extremely hard workers, great attitudes and they give you effort. As a coach, that's all you can ask for.”

Reach Mike Piellucci here. Follow him on Twitter here.




 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.