Transcript of our USC basketball season preview interview with Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated
We spent 55 minutes talking with college basketball expert Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated about USC’s basketball season and the Pac-12 hoops season. Our conversation went in a lot of different directions, touching on several different topics.
We talked about the season opener against Kansas State, the December 2 game against Gonzaga, the main competition in the Pac-12 (Arizona and UCLA in particular), and the various components of this USC roster and how Andy Enfield will manage them.
We discussed the fact that Bronny James and Vince Iwuchukwu aren’t yet healthy, and that the roster will be different — and not as good — with those two players missing.
If you’re a USC hoops fan or just an interested observer, it doesn’t matter: This is a great primer on USC as the new season begins.
Our thanks to Kevin Sweeney for joining us.
Enjoy the transcribed segments of this interview, which appear in the various tweet-links below:
USC-GONZAGA CHATTER
College basketball analyst offers early read on USC-Gonzaga showdown https://t.co/QzBstfZdMr pic.twitter.com/m1I3fqQRbN
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 2, 2023
PAC-12 SWAN SONG
College basketball expert sizes up the Pac-12 before its last hoops season https://t.co/f0M4sfEb3H pic.twitter.com/6MX8vqB7Kv
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 2, 2023
KANSAS STATE PREVIEW
College basketball expert looks at Kansas State before USC's season opener https://t.co/aE6FYaotvp pic.twitter.com/co7zWrMlUs
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 2, 2023
ISAIAH COLLIER'S WORTH
College basketball expert explains the true value of Isaiah Collier to USC https://t.co/WDonLvhB92 pic.twitter.com/6OuGcrcp06
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 2, 2023
KOBE JOHNSON ANALYSIS
College basketball expert evaluates Kobe Johnson before USC season begins https://t.co/edu1D9IbTq pic.twitter.com/kh1Gvowg6g
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 1, 2023
A MEASURED VIEW OF THIS SEASON'S SIGNIFICANCE
College basketball expert isn't convinced this season is make or break for Andy Enfield and USC https://t.co/dApN33HJn0 pic.twitter.com/J3Y6n5cuEL
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 20, 2023
HEALTH
College basketball expert sees the potential in this USC hoops team if everyone can get healthy https://t.co/mtXSjG5HQm
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 19, 2023
ROSTER ANALYSIS
College basketball expert: USC had a formidable roster before Bronny James arrived https://t.co/Gn64wY0ixS pic.twitter.com/c1fhccfoTx
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 21, 2023
KIJANI WRIGHT
College basketball expert raises questions about USC backup big man Kijani Wright https://t.co/3OEZEIFvYL pic.twitter.com/QgXtBuH6Jc
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 25, 2023
BOOGIE ELLIS ON OFFENSE
Boogie Ellis needs to make unselfish decisions, and winning will help him do that https://t.co/yDgElwzaX4 pic.twitter.com/yG955nR1zs
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 25, 2023
DJ RODMAN
D.J. Rodman could be the glue guy for this USC basketball team https://t.co/3P6rvbr6K6 pic.twitter.com/pmpkoBWEMc
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 26, 2023
KOBE JOHNSON
Kobe Johnson could become an NBA prospect and a sparkplug for USC's offense https://t.co/Kb9sIcOfKk pic.twitter.com/5yB9eG36gz
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 26, 2023
DYNAMICS OF THE TEAM
Does it matter whether Isaiah Collier or Boogie Ellis is USC's best player? https://t.co/uXNKE54Hqv pic.twitter.com/Fm9GfEezxG
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 26, 2023
ROLE PLAYER
D.J. Rodman's role this season with USC basketball should be very clear https://t.co/roVTKDOtuC pic.twitter.com/Z1FQSvPfBK
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 27, 2023
BOOGIE GETTING BETTER
College basketball expert notes how Boogie Ellis has overcome his early reputation as a player https://t.co/f2hiiV83VD pic.twitter.com/KydlUAHRhL
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 27, 2023
BENCH MINUTES
Andy Enfield has to find ways to experiment with minutes and solidify his rotation https://t.co/9dJnYbcLqu pic.twitter.com/bWkWLgF6BO
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 28, 2023
FRONTCOURT QUESTIONS
USC lacks a traditional power forward and might have to play two centers at times https://t.co/Gju0xu2TIh pic.twitter.com/QkyTXArsEf
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 28, 2023
USC KOBE
College basketball expert evaluates Kobe Johnson before USC season begins https://t.co/edu1D9IbTq pic.twitter.com/kh1Gvowg6g
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 1, 2023
COMPARING UCLA AND USC
Pundits have sharply different opinions on UCLA basketball as a competitor to USC https://t.co/3WBWCVdJRr pic.twitter.com/8I89Wss8tr
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 2, 2023
UCLA WILL PLAY BIG LINEUPS, USC WILL PLAY THREE GUARDS
College basketball expert notes the contrast between UCLA and USC https://t.co/34tVJvwLm7 pic.twitter.com/njRya7cMxp
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 3, 2023
USC-ARIZONA COMPARISON
College basketball expert evaluates Arizona, compares the Wildcats to USC https://t.co/RgNhEMS6F9 pic.twitter.com/anvgYJrU4P
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 3, 2023
THE FULL SHOW (AUDIO)
Before one of the most anticipated seasons in #USC basketball history, we wanted to bring on a credentialed, highly knowledgeable college basketball analyst to discuss the Trojans and the Pac-12.
Here's our 1-hour episode with @CBB_Central of @SINow: https://t.co/CP1I7O370s
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 3, 2023
