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

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

USC Men’s Basketball Routs Loyola Marymount 77-61

Mary Grace Montemayor |
December 4, 2014 | 11:05 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

USC vs. Loyola Marymount at the Galen Center (MG Montemayor/Neon Tommy)
USC vs. Loyola Marymount at the Galen Center (MG Montemayor/Neon Tommy)
It can be gratifying to see growth and development happen, even in varying increments. For those who are patient and don’t mind an early investment, Trojan Hoops needs your attention.

The USC basketball team returned home, riding on a high from the huge road win against New Mexico, and beat Loyola Marymount 77-61 on Wednesday night at the Galen Center. This marks their third-consecutive win, and largest margin of the season.

There was a different feel to the game, many of the guys showing flashes of brilliance throughout. More importantly, they looked like a more balanced team out there, much improved since the squad we saw a few games ago in the season opener. 

From the start, the Trojans played with aggression and hustle, maintaining their lead for over 29 minutes. They are turning over the ball less, making smarter decisions, moving the ball and using their athleticism to smoke their opponents. It’s a lot of fun to watch.  

Jordan McLaughlin exponential growth is impossible to ignore. His decision-making has improved, and he looks more and more at ease as the club’s shot-caller. As a team, the Trojans finished with 18 assists, including seven from McLaughlin, who’s had 14 in the last two games. He carried them so decisively in this win that it’s easy to forget he’s 18 years old and just out of high school.

Overall, the guys are now, more than ever, focused on the collective. The fluid ball movement helped them find the open man effortlessly. They were willing to give up the ball if it meant an uncontested shot for another teammate. Co-captain Julian Jacobs shared the importance of this concept. “Earlier on, we weren’t playing for each other. We were being a little selfish,” he said.

Getting the ball to the bucket was also a key component in the victory. Their transition game was excellent and driving deep allowed for much success in the paint. They used their speed to tally up 17 fastbreak points.

From there, forward Nikola Jovanovic took over. He attacked the basket, taking control of the boards and looking a lot more like his old self. He finished with eight rebounds and 12 points.

Their defense was also on point, especially their man-to-man, led by Katin Reinhardt and his newfound defensive strengths. “Katin’s been our best perimeter defender. He’s guarding the opposing team’s best player every game,” said USC coach Andy Enfield. “I’m proud of him. He’s embraced being an all-around player.”

When things aren’t working out for him offensively, he can now easily focus on other areas of his game that are.

“It’s weird. Katin Reinhardt plays defense. It surprises me,” said Reinhardt.  “It’s been a different road being a defensive player, and now I’m learning that side of the game.”

A little extra dunking action didn’t hurt either. Back-to-back assists courtesy of J-Mac to Jacobs then Jacobs to Malik Martin in the second period were the “energy plays” that really got the home crowd roaring.

Despite the win, there are always improvements to be made. “We still need to take care of the basketball. We still have too many turnovers in transition,” said Coach Enfield.

He also wants his guards to get more involved with rebounding in order to take the load off the big men, getting Elijah Stewart in on the action while Malik Martin works his way back to 100 percent.

Patience is a virtue, but it’s evident this team is getting better and better. “These kids are young, inexperienced and we’re willing to put up with the growing pains this year because we’re going to be very competitive,” he said. “We want these young players to form a bond…we need to raise this program level quickly and get up to the rest of the Pac-12.”

A total of 2,537 were in attendance at Wednesday night’s game despite the rain, but quarupling that number to capacity in the coming months would be ideal.

“Build it and they will come,” said Enfield. 

Slowly but surely, the basketball culture at SC is being assembled one game at a time. 

Reach Sports Reporter MG Montemayor here. Twitter: @mgmontem



 

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.

 
ntrandomness