USC Basketball: Assistant Coach Praises Incoming Transfer Sharpshooter

Slajchert should provide the Trojans with shooting and on-court experience...

USC guard Clark Slajchert / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

As has been chronicled all offseason, the USC Men's Basketball roster will look a whole lot different this upcoming year.

New head coach Eric Musselman hit the transfer portal hard -- bringing in 11(!) transfers -- Wesley Yates, Kevin Patton Jr., Desmond Claude, Terrance Williams, Chibuzo Agbo Jr., Rashaun Agee, Matt Knowling, Saint Thomas, Josh Cohen, and Clark Slajchert. He also nabbed two high school prospects in Isaiah Elohim and Jalen Shelley.

The roster is a mix of young talent in addition to experienced collegiate players. The vast majority of the roster interestingly enough sits between 6'5"and -6'8".

One player not fitting this mold is Slajchert -- the UPenn transfer. Slajchert was a prolific player at Oak Park High, a highly respected school roughly an hour north of USC's campus. Playing the last three years in the Ivy League, Slajchert averaged more than 10 PPG in each of the last three years. This included putting up 18.0 PPG this past season for the Quakers.

One thing from each of our incoming transfers that stuck out to us during the evaluation process.

Starting with @clarkslajchert elite ability to knock down threes off the catch, and off the dribble pic.twitter.com/48W1tZiboG

— Michael Musselman (@michaelmuss_13) June 14, 2024

With a lack of guard depth -- particularly at the point guard spot -- Slajchert may end up a much more significant piece to this team than most Trojans fans realize.

As seen above, USC assistant coach Mike Musselman (son of the head coach Eric) broke down Slajchert's game not only with game clips but also with a graphic detailing Slajchert's prowess as a shooter.

It's not a stretch to say Slajchert will be the team's best shooter entering this year. As the stats indicate, Slajchert is excellent as both a stationary shooter and off the dribble when creating.

His ability to space the floor, as well as involve teammates in the half-court and in transition, will be key for USC's chances at competing in the Big Ten. With so many new faces, no one really knows what to expect from this team.

With that said, based on the length and depth at the wing spots, USC could provide some real matchup nightmares for a league not exactly known for its collective athleticism.

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