Boogie Ellis, Drew Peterson make All-Pac-12 First Team
The USC Trojans wouldn’t be where they are without Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson. Accordingly, they were recognized as deserving members of the All-Pac-12 First Team for 2023.
Ellis scored 28 points to lead USC to a huge win over Arizona State on Saturday night, putting the Trojans on the doorstep of another NCAA Tournament berth. It will be hard for USC to miss the field at this point, and that’s primarily because Boogie Ellis would not let this team lose on a night when Peterson was dealing with back spasms.
Ellis scored 31 points against UCLA in the victory which is most centrally responsible for boosting the Trojans’ NCAA Tournament resume. They wouldn’t be in a good position without that UCLA win. Ellis made that moment happen in late January.
Peterson wasn’t at his best, but he still played through pain and delivered 31 minutes of typically tough defense to put the clamps on Arizona State’s shooters, who did not perform well on Saturday. Peterson is a true Trojan warrior. He reminded everyone that contributions to a team go far beyond the box score. Leadership, hustle, and hard work all enabled USC to beat Arizona State in a game the Trojans had to win.
Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson have carried USC this season, both numerically and intangibly. In their statistical production but also with their maturity and work ethic, Boogie and Peterson have stitched together a roster which has not had a deep bench or an elite, healthy big man. Vince Iwuchukwu did not play the first two months of the season. He wasn’t able to play against Arizona State.
No worries: Boogie and Peterson had his back, and they lifted USC through its most difficult games of the season.
Congratulations to two great USC Trojans. The individual successes of Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson can be directly and substantially connected to their team’s overall success, just as it should be.
All-Pac-12 First Team, per release:
Oumar Ballo, Arizona
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Branden Carlson, Utah
N'Faly Dante, Oregon
Tristan da Silva, Colorado
Boogie Ellis, USC
Mouhamed Gueye, Washington State
Jaime Jaquez, UCLA
Drew Peterson, USC
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 7, 2023
