Advertisement
Breaking News:

Dornoch upsets crowded field to win 156th Belmont Stakes

USC basketball wins major recruitment battle, sets the stage for program-changing moment

matt zemek
·5 min read
3

This is not hyperbole. This is not exaggeration. This is not embellishment. USC basketball has set itself up for a true program-changing moment. The Trojans need to win high-end recruiting battles and give themselves the pieces needed to compete for Final Fours, not just Sweet 16s.

USC has landed one very good recruit, which is a great thing in and of itself, but the real story behind the successful pull of four-star big man Arrinten Page is that it puts the Trojans in position to land the really big fish on the recruiting trail, the guy Andy Enfield has coveted as the centerpiece of his 2023 recruiting class and his push to make USC a national contender next season.

We will break down that story below:

THE NEWS

WHY ARRINTEN PAGE CHOSE USC

ALL-IN

This was a full staff effort by USC and Andy Enfield. He and his assistants went to Wheeler High School in Georgia to recruit both Page and one of his high school teammates on the Wheeler roster. We all know who that other recruit is … and that forms the central part of the story.

ISAIAH COLLIER

Isaiah Collier is the high-profile teammate of Arrinten Page at Wheeler High School. Collier is the No. 2 national prospect on the board in the Class of 2023. USC and Enfield put all their chips into the middle of the table to land Page and Collier. They have one. There is a very strong chance Collier will want to play where Page is playing. Therefore, USC’s chances of Collier have significantly improved. It’s not a done deal, but USC has to be seen as the favorite over Cincinnati, which was also pursuing Page but lost to the Trojans.

MORE THAN A 2-FOR-1

If Collier does come to USC, this will be a 2-for-1 recruitment … and yet this is more than that.

In football, a 2-for-1 might mean that an offensive lineman and a receiver both come to a program. While they are offensive teammates, their effect on a game is not immediately connected to each other in the same way that a quarterback and a receiver have a natural relationship on the field.

In basketball, having two teammates on the floor at the same time is a much bigger source of cohesion, especially when one is a point guard (Collier) and one is a big man (Page). Those two positions on the court are very closely connected. USC would not just get two roster spots; it would get a cohesive relationship between two of the most important players on the floor.

WHAT ISAIAH COLLIER WOULD MEAN TO USC

USC basketball improved under Andy Enfield when Jordan McLaughlin became the strong, brilliant point guard who knitted everything together. Enfield has had great success recruiting big men, but USC basketball will take the big leap when it can blend bigs with elite point guards. Collier is that top-tier point guard which has eluded USC on the recruiting trail since McLaughlin left for the NBA (and has produced a quality career with the Minnesota Timberwolves). Getting Collier would be a true game-changer for USC. His announcement date is Nov. 16.

ONE SCOUT EVALUATES ARRINTEN PAGE

Via 247Sports, basketball scout Adam Finkelstein evaluated Page:

When everything is clicking, and he’s fully engaged in the game, his tools and impact can jump right out at you. There are, however, other moments when he is less active and involved with the game. In terms of his raw tools though, there is a lot to like.

He has a big and strong frame that is going to continue to fill-out and get stronger. He runs the floor well, is often able to get ahead of the ball in transition, and is very coordinated in terms of his ability to finish on the move without breaking his stride. He has soft hands, a good left, and equally soft natural touch. He can be a lob threat and big roller to the rim, but also shows glimpses of long-term floor-spacing and passing potential to develop.

MORE ANALYSIS OF PAGE

Part two of Adam Finkelstein’s quick scout of Arrinten Page:

He becomes turnover prone and inefficient when trying too hard to prove his face-up game, and doesn’t always go through contact as easily as he should given his body type, but still projects as a versatile big who should be both a pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop threat. Defensively, he has tools to protect the rim, but didn’t assert himself in that area as consistently as expected this season, and similarly rebounds in spurts right now.

CHANGING THE REPUTATION

Andy Enfield has a reputation for being the “big man whisperer,” the coach who reliably recruits big men. He did it with Onyeka Okongwu, the Mobley brothers, and Vince Iwuchukwu, now Arrinten Page. Enfield breaking through and getting Isaiah Collier — if he can close the sale — would enable Enfield and USC to build and expand their identity as a program where elite point guards come to play. One really can’t overstate the importance of getting Collier. USC is now the favorite to do so. Fingers crossed heading into Nov. 16.

RECCRUITING RANKINGS, PART ONE

After landing Arrinten Page, USC is now just one spot behind UCLA in national recruiting rankings for the Class of 2023.

RECRUITING RANKINGS, PART TWO

If USC does land Isaiah Collier in November, it will move into the top 10 in the 2023 recruiting rankings.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire