USC Basketball: How Another Sport Informed Star Freshman's Court Sense

Your USC Trojans' incoming star point guard Isaiah Collier, a five-star recruit out of Murrietta, Georgia widely anticipated to be a top-five pick in next year's NBA draft lottery, wasn't just a one-trick pony when it came to high school athletics.

The 18-year-old 2023 Naismith Prep Player of the Year and McDonald's All-American Game MVP also considered offers from the UCLA Bruins, the Cincinnati Bearcatsi and the Michigan Wolverines before ultimately opting to join Andy Enfield's program as a Trojan.

Beyond basketball, the quick-footed, hyper-athletic 6'4" guard was also a star safety. He credits his football tutelage with helping him see the floor better as a hooper in a fresh USC behind-the-scenes offseason video:

If the point guard's job is to "paint the picture," Isaiah Collier is a true artist.

Ep. 2 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/8RzhGwLjQf
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) July 12, 2023

"My vision, I think it came from playing football," Collier opined. "I played safety, so it was just trying to see everything happening before it happens."

He'll probably be a one-and-done talent at the NCAA level, and even though another incoming true freshman guard, Sierra Canyon School alum Bronny James, may be the starrier name thanks to his basketball heritage, Collier is seen as the more sure-fire NBA talent.

Just because he was a football star prior to his college commitment, doesn't mean fans should expect to see him guarding end zones for Lincoln Riley any time soon, however. Collier is all-in on his basketball future at this juncture.