LOS ANGELES — As the USC Song Girls and student band marched into the Galen Center last Friday, new men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman welcomed to campus by a steady drumline and the arresting swells from a handful of trumpets, just one player stood in the back of a room of donors and department employees.
And Isaiah Collier’s presence seemed notable, draped in a black “SC” hoodie, the freshman point guard long assumed to be headed for a potential lottery selection in June’s NBA draft. After Musselman’s introductory presser finished, the two met for a conversation in broad daylight in Galen, exchanging smiles and daps in an interaction that begged the question: If Collier wasn’t interested in staying at USC, why was he here?
It stoked a spark that Collier could form the hard-nosed attack of Musselman’s first USC program upon the Trojans’ entry to the Big Ten Conference. But on Wednesday, USC confirmed in a Twitter announcement that Collier had declared for the draft after all, a 6-foot-5 lead guard with ready-made size and frame for the next level.
He hadn’t accomplished all he had hoped to in college, as USC struggled to a disappointing 15-18 season and a quarterfinal exit in the Pac-12 Tournament. And Collier’s season got off to a messy start, scoring in explosive bunches at the rim but struggling with the speed of the college game at both ends of the court, racking up more turnovers than assists through his first six games.
After returning from a hand injury, he displayed much-improved poise in crucial moments, flashing a steadier jumper and a more measured approach as USC went on a surge. Over his last 11 games, Collier averaged 4.5 assists against 2.8 turnovers, adding 17.6 points on 37.5% shooting from 3-point range.
He’s still just 19, and concerns over defensive lapses, ball control and his shot will accompany him to the NBA level, drooping his draft stock after being tabbed as a potential No. 1 overall pick early in the season. But Collier’s improvement was clear and real, and his combination of size, strength and body control is rare at the lead-guard position. He’s widely pinned to fall somewhere in the middle of the first round in most mock drafts.
“In this draft, that’s a hard one – cause he could go as high as top 10, he could fall in that middle tier,” one NBA scout told the Southern California News Group at midseason. “It all depends on who drafts him and what they’re drafting for.”
His departure leaves USC with just one confirmed returning player – junior Harrison Hornery – and one unknown piece in freshman Brandon Gardner, a former commit out of New York who medically redshirted his freshman year. Musselman had already reeled in 6-10 UMass transfer Josh Cohen, and might have found a starting guard Wednesday in Penn transfer Clark Slajchert, a 6-1 sharpshooter who averaged 18 points per game and shot 42% from behind the arc.
But nine – or maybe 10 – spots still remain for Musselman to fill, with the clock ticking rapidly on the transfer portal.
