USC Men's Basketball: Expert Believes Freshman Guard Will Have Biggest Impact In NCAA

With the start of the 2023-2024 NCAA men's basketball season just days away, finalizing predictions for what the highly competitive Pac-12 looks like in its final season is challenging.

Amidst the uncertainty of the Pac-12, however, one pundit finds a new USC guard to be his pick for the top "Impact Freshman" in the conference.

Projecting the top 10 Impact Freshmen in [the last year of] PAC 12 🏀 for this year⬇️ pic.twitter.com/on3pMv7llw
— Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) September 21, 2023

Isaiah Collier is undoubtedly expected to be a difference-maker out of the gate, as the 6-foot-5, 205-pound point guard's elite athleticism, crafty playmaking, and generational navigation of the pick-and-roll will immediately boost USC's half-court and transition offenses.

This comes at a huge time, as USC has had a below average offense for the past couple of seasons, often settling for contested jump shots.

With big men Vincent Iwuchukwu and Kijani Wright down low, expect frequent and effective usage of Collier as the primary ball-handler in PnR actions, with successfully executed actions leading to lobs, Collier layups, or open 3-point shots for sharpshooter Boogie Ellis.

The loss of Reese Dixon-Waters is also significant, as the SoCal native transferred to the reigning national champion runner-up San Diego State Aztecs.

Collier's defense and offensive upside should certainly replace and likely exceed that of Dixon-Waters, leaving the USC offense in a good spot.

Among the other players on the list of "Impact Freshmen," Aday Mara of UCLA and Cody Williams of Colorado are big names to watch.

UCLA has excellent player development, and Mara is a 7-foot-3 big man who has already played in the top levels of Spanish professional basketball, while Williams was a 5-star recruit and the highest-ranked player to ever commit to the University of Colorado.

It's likely that Collier has a better supporting cast than either of those two, along with his role as a point guard entailing him having higher usage and likely making a bigger impact out of the gate, so keep an eye out for the potential top-5 draft pick in less than a week when the Trojans visit Kansas State.

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