USC Basketball: Andy Enfield Calls Trojans a 'Work in Progress' After 2-0 Start

Great start, but a long ways to go.

After a dominant home opener against the Kansas State Wildcats that saw the Trojans come away with an 82-69 victory, your USC Trojans now sit at a 2-0 record in this young season with an average win margin of 19.5 points. 

Their 2-0 start also includes an 85-59 defeat of CSU Bakersfield Thursday.

Led by five-star freshman recruit Isaiah Collier and veterans like Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson, a team that has seemingly been good-but-not-great across the past couple of seasons might now be over that hump. 

After entering the season with his overall team ranked at No. 21, it's safe to say that analysts may have underestimated Isaiah Collier. True freshmen can struggle to make immediate impacts, especially as point guards who struggle to shoot the ball.

The increased physicality, defensive complexity, size, and opposing players' ages are huge contrasts from high school, and to that end, it was extremely rational to suggest that Collier might get off to a slow start (or potentially just not be that much of a difference-maker), and thus, USC would struggle to piece it all together. 

That notion is aging poorly, but Andy Enfield chose to stay objective and cautious in his confidence. When asked about it, here's what he had to say, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of The Los Angeles Times: 

“We’re a work in progress right now, including Isaiah Collier,” coach Andy Enfield said. “He’s only a freshman and so we can’t rely on him to do everything. We have a lot of other good players on this team that need to step up and keep performing.”

Enfield is right, as while the box scores of both games may suggest nearly equal offensive contributions from multiple key pieces, the eye test definitely veers on the side of Collier being responsible for the vast majority of the team's output, one way or another. 

He's the primary ball-handler and initiator on most plays, and his ability to run in transition is creating high-level opportunities for himself and his teammates. It's sustainable and a good way to win, but there's certainly a heavy reliance on him early on that may not necessarily be required given the talent elsewhere on the roster. 

Let's see if others can play even better in USC's impending showdown against UC Irvine on Tuesday, who opened their season with a 72-64 to San Jose State.

Don't forget to join our community at LA Sports Report, where we celebrate all things Trojans!