USC Basketball

The National Labor Relations Board's Los Angeles region has ruled in favor of USC football and basketball players seeking legal employment recognition, per Daniel Libit of Sportico.

The National College Players Association filed an unfair labor practice charge against USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA on behalf of the athletes, and the NLRB found "merit" in it in Thursday's ruling.

NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said in a statement that all three bodies have "maintained unlawful rules and unlawfully misclassified scholarship basketball and football players as mere 'student-athletes' rather than employees entitled to protections under our law."

NCPA Executive Director Ramogi Huma said, "Gaining employee status and the right to organize is an important part in ending NCAA sports business practices that illegally exploit college athletes' labor."

Huma previously helped lead a unionization effort by Northwestern athletes.

While the NLRB's Chicago region ruled in 2014 that Northwestern football players should be considered employees, the national NLRB board declined to assert jurisdiction. Per Libit, though, it would have to assert jurisdiction with this case since it came through an unfair labor practices charge.

Barring a settlement, this case will go before an administrative law judge. Any findings from the judge can be appealed to the national NLRB board.

Thursday's ruling comes after the NCAA announced that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will take over for the departing Mark Emmert as the organization's president March 1.

It is a new era for college sports thanks to name, image and likeness rules that allow athletes to make money, and Baker will be juggling how to proceed under such a system.

Thursday's ruling in regards to USC could be another challenge for the NCAA.

Baker has a background in politics, and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported those involved in the search saw him as "uniquely suited to the NCAA's present needs" because of a track record of "successfully forging bipartisan solutions to complex problems."

There will likely need to be a number of solutions reached as the NIL era continues, and Thursday's ruling could create another situation that has to be navigated by all sides.

Class of 2023 5-star point guard Isaiah Collier committed to USC on Wednesday via Instagram Live.

Collier chose the Trojans over Cincinnati, UCLA and Michigan, which were also considered finalists to land him.

A 6'3", 190-pound point guard from Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Collier is ranked as the No. 1 player at his position and No. 4 overall, according to the 247Sports' composite rankings.

Collier is a solid two-way talent who enjoys playing at a high pace.

247Sports recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins describes him as "an athletic throwback-style point guard who has made strong impressions with his toughness and exceptional vision as a passer. A playmaker with a wealth of tools to work with, Collier is one of the best in his class in his ability to make the assist."

While he is an impressive prospect, he's not yet a polished player. He still needs to develop consistency as a shooter and work on the mechanics of his jump shot. However, his playmaking and defensive effort set him apart from the rest of the point guard prospects.

Collier is USC's first 5-star recruit in the 2023 class but joins 4-stars Arrinten Page and Silas Demary Jr. to form an exciting group under head coach Andy Enfield. He will likely have a spot in the starting lineup waiting for him as soon as he steps on campus next year.

Juju Watkins, the top-ranked women's high school player in the class of 2023, announced her intention to play at USC on Tuesday.

The Sierra Canyon guard is California's Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year and the top player in her class, per ESPN. She chose the Trojans over fellow finalists Stanford and South Carolina.

"I didn't want to rush this process," Watkins said, per Charlotte Gibson of ESPN. "A lot of people in my class had already committed before me, and I definitely was taking my time. But I want to make sure it was 1,000 percent where I wanted to go."

Watkins grew up just 10 minutes from the USC campus, so familiarity likely played a role in the Los Angeles native's decision to play for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Landing the top player in the 2023 class is a boon for Gottlieb, whose Trojans finished 12-16 in her first year with the program.

Watkins is just the third top-10 player in ESPN's rankings to sign with USC since 2007, as the program has largely taken a back seat on campus behind football and men's basketball. The arrival of the most dominant prep player in the nation should change the narrative, as Watkins has all the tools to make USC a Final Four team.

USC's women's basketball program was among the nation's best during the 1980s before struggling over the last three-plus decades. The Trojans have made the NCAA tournament just once in the last 15 years and have not reached the second week of the tournament since 1993-94.

Watkins' arrival might spark a much-desired turnaround. She will be joined in the 2023 class by promising point guard Malia Samuels, giving Gottlieb the building blocks of a stellar backcourt for years to come.

The USC Trojans added a major piece to their future frontcourt Friday when center Vince Iwuchukwu joined their 2022 recruiting class.

The Montverde Academy product announced his decision on Instagram Live with Shams Charania of The Athletic. 

Iwuchukwu, who checks in at 7' and 220 pounds, is a 5-star prospect and the No. 12 overall player, No. 4 center and No. 3 player from the state of Florida in the class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The list of teams that recruited the big man included finalists USC, Baylor, Kansas, Texas and UCLA.

The first thing that jumps out about Iwuchukwu's game is his ability to protect the rim on the defensive side. His height and athleticism allow him to cover plenty of space along the baseline and also control the glass as a rebounder.

Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports also pointed to how the prospect "has a good looking release on his jump shot and developing touch that extends all the way to the three-point line."

If he continues to make strides at the offensive level, it wouldn't be a surprise if Iwuchukwu is one of the best frontcourt players in college basketball during his career. His overall ability to score on the blocks, create matchup problems with his shooting and impact the game defensively has been on full display even before joining the Trojans.

Sports Illustrated noted in June 2021 that he averaged 15.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per night in 2020-21 and then impressed at the highly regarded Pangos All-American Camp by averaging 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 58 percent from the field.

While expecting him to put up numbers like that as a freshman may be setting the bar too high, it wouldn't be a surprise if he was a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor.

That would work well for USC, which will look to continue rising among the national ranks after reaching the Elite Eight last season.

Consistently landing playmakers like Iwuchukwu on the recruiting trail is the surest path to competing for more deep NCAA tournament runs, and the Trojans continued their overall program momentum with this commitment.

The USC Trojans landed a commitment from elite 2022 prospect Kijani Wright.

The power forward announced his decision Wednesday, via The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears:

Wright is considered a 5-star recruit and the No. 12 overall player in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

At 6'9", 235 pounds, he has good size for the position to go with his developed offensive game. Jerry Meyer of 247Sports compared him to a young Al Horford, noting they "have similar size and a lethal jump hook."

Being compared to a five-time NBA All-Star is high praise, although Wright has the tools to live up to it as someone who can make an early impact at the next level. He can score at multiple levels, finishing with his back to the basket or shooting consistently out to three-point range.

Add in his solid rebounding and he could be a coach's dream in the post.

The California native doesn't have the athleticism of some other top prospects in the class, but his other physical tools should let him succeed without jumping out of the building.

With the Trojans, Wright should become an immediate contributor and likely a go-to option from the start of his freshman year. The double-double threat could be a key player as the squad tries to compete with the best teams in the Pac-12.

Head coach Andy Enfield led USC to the Elite Eight last season, and top prospects like this will keep the team rolling.

The forward could also be headed to the NBA before too long if he continues to produce at a high level. 

The Houston Rockets have numerous options at No. 2 overall in the NBA draft, assuming that Oklahoma State point guard and presumptive No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham goes first to the Detroit Pistons.

One of those potential choices is USC big man Evan Mobley, but Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated reported that the ex-Trojan's camp may be disinterested in seeing the Pac-12 Player of the Year go to Houston.

League sources have indicated there is a level of disinterest within Evan Mobley’s camp regarding Houston as a destination, raising questions as to whether that potential marriage would be ideal for either side. Rival teams do not expect Mobley, Jalen Suggs or Cade Cunningham to work out for Houston before draft night.

Mobley averaged 16.4 points on 57.8 percent shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game for the Trojans in his lone year at USC. He was also named a consensus second-team All-American en route to leading the Trojans to the Elite Eight.

Woo's report delivers a similar message as one from ESPN's Jonathan Givony (h/t Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire), who wrote the Rockets have been "stonewalled" in their attempts to bring in Mobley for a private workout. Givony also wrote that Houston hasn't been able to bring in Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs either.

Mobley and Suggs are two of the three prime candidates for the Rockets at No. 2 if Cunningham goes first. The other is shooting guard Jalen Green of the NBA G League Ignite, and Kelly Iko of the Athletic reported that may be where Houston is leaning.

The name I keep hearing attached to Houston is Green. USC’s Evan Mobley has been discussed in some circles, as well as Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs, but smart money would be on the Rockets taking the 19-year old out of the G League’s Ignite on draft night. It’s well known that head coach Stephen Silas has an affinity for versatile guards, and Green has been said to have the highest upside in his class, from a scoring, explosive and star standpoint.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer also pegged Green to the Rockets in his latest mock draft, writing that the selection "appears to be the preference here." However, he also noted that Mobley is still in the mix.

We'll soon find out what the Rockets do with the NBA draft set to go down on Thursday evening from Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center.

When the U.S. men's basketball roster was finalized for the Tokyo Olympics last week, the name that immediately stood out was Kevin Love. 

Speaking to reporters on Monday, USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo said the battle for that spot was close between Love and Julius Randle. 

In fact, Colangelo noted that Randle was "right there" with Love, but the Cleveland Cavaliers star's previous international experience pushed him over the top. 

Based on their individual performances during the 2020-21 season, Randle was by far a superior player to Love. The 26-year-old was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. 

The USC women's basketball program announced Monday that it has hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Lindsay Gottlieb to be the team's next head coach.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Gottlieb is signing a six-year contract with the school.

Gottlieb took to social media to show her appreciation for the city of Cleveland:

Gottlieb, 43, will return to the college game after two seasons on J.B. Bickerstaff's staff in Cleveland (she was originally hired by John Beilein, though he lasted less than a season as head coach), where she "played a role in everything," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

That included "game preparation and player development with the Cavs' strong young core of Jarrett Allen, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro."

Previously, she served as the head coach at UC Santa Barbara (2008-11) and Cal (2011-19). She won two Big West championships, a Pac-12 regular-season championship, led Cal to the Final Four in 2013 and led her teams to seven NCAA tournament appearances.

Per Woj, Gottlieb made the decision to return to the college ranks "after an aggressive USC pursuit to bring her back to the Pac-12 Conference, including a massive upgrade in program salary and resources with hopes of restoring USC to the elite of women's college basketball."

She'll have her work cut out for her at USC—the team went just 11-12 last season and hasn't made an NCAA tournament since the 2013-14 campaign. In the past 24 seasons, the USC women's basketball team has made the tourney just three times.

The USC men's basketball team has avoided a postseason ban for NCAA infractions committed by former associate head coach Tony Bland.

The NCAA announced Thursday it placed the Trojans on probation for two years and levied a fine of $5,000 plus 1 percent of the men's basketball program budget. Bland received a three-year show-cause order.

USC was among the schools involved in the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.

In January 2019, Bland pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. He had admitted to receiving $4,100 to help direct players to sign with specified financial advisers and managers.

The NCAA referenced the FBI's investigation in its announcement detailing the penalties for USC:

As part of his plea deal for federal proceedings, the former associate head coach acknowledged that he had accepted a bribe during a July 2017 meeting with financial advisors and business managers in exchange for directing basketball players to retain their services.

Government recordings from that meeting and a second meeting in August 2017 — which were evidence in federal court — revealed the associate head coach had touted his ability to connect the company with current or prospective student-athletes, noting that he had heavy influence over players’ decisions.

However, the organization also noted Bland "met his obligation" when he cooperated with NCAA investigators and provided the necessary information in the case.

Officials also looked favorably upon USC after the school issued self-imposed sanctions in advance of any final ruling. The Trojans reduced their available scholarships by two for the 2018-19 academic year and slightly limited the amount of contact they could have with prospective recruits.

USC head coach Andy Enfield guided the team to the Elite Eight this March for the first time since 2001. Leading scorer Evan Mobley is likely to move on to the NBA, but the Trojans sit 14th in 247Sports' composite team rankings for the 2021 recruiting cycle.

While the NCAA investigation cast a shadow over the program, the outcome shouldn't hinder USC much after the school avoided the worst-case scenario.