Evan Mobley named MVP of Roman Legends Classic
USC hoops’ star freshman Evan Mobley has already added an accolade to his college basketball career only four games into the 2020 season. Mobley was named the MVP of the Roman Legends Classic after he averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks over the two games the Trojans played in Connecticut.
In his first two road games of his career against two quality teams, Mobley showed the country and USC fans why he was the number three overall recruit in the 2020 class. His length, defense and touch around the rim make him one of the most-skilled big men in the nation, and he put that into effect on the national stage on ESPN.
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Even with an off-season shortened and workouts changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mobley is still giving all of his opponents major issues so far in his short NCAA career. Through his first four games as a college athlete, Mobley leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game, adding 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks to his stat sheet as well. He also leads the team in field goal percentage as he has been extremely efficient, shooting at 62% from the floor.
Mobley’s ability to be a defensive anchor is what really makes him elite and an all-around center in today’s basketball world. USC’s defense has been sensational early on this year, and the addition of the 19-year-old has made a huge difference. The Trojans defense is only allowing 65.8 points per contest. Their opponents field goal percentage is also extremely low, holding opposing teams to only 35% shooting this year. Big reason for that; Mobley’s 6-11 frame and long arms that help him affect shots in the paint.
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While the former Rancho Christian High School star has been great early on, there always is room for improvement. In Mobley’s case, it’s his free-throw shooting. There’s still plenty of time for him to improve, but he’s currently shooting only 64% from the line, which is a little low, considering his ability to shoot from the outside. The whole team has struggled, so it may possibly be the lack of practice and some rust, so expect him to get better as the season goes along.
Mobley is a consensus top-10 pick barring any injuries in the 2021 NBA draft, so this won’t be his last accolade he will accrue while in college. But you have to admit, it’s impressive for a freshman to be playing as well as Mobley has this early on in the season, and I bet coach Andy Enfield would agree.
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