USC Basketball: Incoming Lottery Prospect Impresses Colleagues, Coaching Staff

Incoming freshman USC point guard Isaiah Collier, expected to be a possible top-five NBA lottery pick in 2024, is already making quite an impression during early team practices, at least if this new Trojans team hype video is to be believed.

This supercut also offers an early glimpse at the 6'4" prospect, the No. 1-ranked high school senior in his class last year, in USC colors:

It's time to take the next step. pic.twitter.com/zHTi2fSksv
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) June 29, 2023

Several assistant coaches registered their excitement about the club's new star.

“A lot of people like playing with Isaiah, a lot of people" Chris Capko observed. "Isaiah is an old-school point guard in terms of [being] pass-first, [a player who can] get others involved.”

“Very tough, he has the measurables,” assistant Jay Morris raved. “I think he’s a player that you put on the court day one and let him do what he does.”

"His passing ability is off the chart," assistant coach Eric Mobley noted. "His ability to see the floor and paint the picture."

As the father of Trojans-turned-Cleveland Cavaliers big men Evan and Isaiah Mobley, Mobley certainly is pretty familiar with seeing NBA talent in the cardinal and gold.

His coaches weren't the only USC incumbents impressed by Collier's fit on the roster.

"Just learning from someone like that, it helps me be a better offensive player," junior guard Kobe Johnson said. "I can learn to move without the ball, I can pick and choose when I need to score, when I need to attack."