LOS ANGELES — It struck like clockwork, the six-minute-mark seeming to set off that invisible gong that slows offense to a crawl and spirals defensive rotations into chaos.
Fourteen minutes into the second half of the USC men’s basketball team’s game Saturday at Washington, the Trojans had built a cushy 15-point lead; this was a phantom, USC consistently unable to escape its own demise. Within exactly two-and-a-half minutes, the Huskies blitzed to a 12-1 run, cutting USC’s lead to four.
Clockwork. Suddenly, USC had forgotten how to stick to shooters. Suddenly, USC abandoned much of the free-flowing offensive sets that built its lead. And another game seemed set to slip into the void of a sub-.500 season, the grim realization that this USC season would look much different if this were a different crunch-time team: “We’re right there,” team captain Kobe Johnson said after a mid-Feburary overtime loss to Colorado.
And Isaiah Collier brought them there.
As CBS’ broadcast crew audibly questioned USC’s grind-out-the-clock approach – “I’m not crazy about this, run offense!” – Collier came off a pick from Joshua Morgan and banged his way to a layup. Then another, on the next possession, somehow spinning and hanging for a ridiculous between-the-trees finish. Then another, simply dusting his man off the dribble, a freshman realizing in real time there was nobody in a Washington uniform properly equipped to guard him.
Collier finished with a career-best 31 points on 14-of-20 shooting, a stretch of four straight buckets leading USC to a much-needed 82-75 victory in the clutch.
After parallel outcomes on USC’s last road trip to the Washington schools, it’s become well apparent: Any hope the program has in the Pac-12 tournament will rest largely on Collier’s growth as USC’s closer.
“Previous games, that ball might’ve been off, driving full speed off of one foot and going off the rim and going down the other way in transition,” Enfield said of Collier’s late-game run against Washington. “He’s worked on his game management as a lead guard, and part of that game management is making sure your team takes a good shot down the stretch.”
Enfield’s goal as a coach in late-game situations, he said after USC’s practice Monday, is to find great shots and “not force something.” Too often in earlier parts of the season, with the ball in their top-rated freshman’s hands, the Trojans have forced something. So their ‘ pace, visibly, has slowed in late-game situations in February.
Execution with such an approach, however, only works with offensive talent able to hunt matchups and execute while wearing down the clock. In his first months, Collier’s innate motor and rawness in the college game would often lead to out-of-control mistakes. As recently as a tight USC loss to No. 19 Washington State last week, Collier missed a layup with three minutes to go. He missed two layups within the last 30 seconds in a double-overtime loss to Cal in early February. He was blocked on a last-second layup in an overtime loss to Long Beach State on Dec. 10, assistant coach Eric Mobley meeting with him in a practice the next week to review film of how Collier could’ve simply come to a jump-stop and counter.
“He started out the year learning the position – he had way too many turnovers, and defensively, he didn’t understand the level you had to play at and how hard you had to play … he’s made improvements on both sides of the ball,” Enfield said Monday, “and he’s playing much more efficiently.”
He’s had to learn how to “play under control,” Collier affirmed Monday. It’s an inherent paradox, for a player who often thrives best in sheer chaos, attacking the rim in transition and finding an angle to bank in a layup that would’ve impressed Pythagoras himself.
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The mental growth, though, has been apparent in nearly every facet of his game. Collier broke his hand in January and missed a month. In a certain way, the absence seemed to accelerate his growth, talking with assistant coach Chris Capko about taking pressure off upon his return. He’s putting up 20.6 points a game over his last seven and shooting 36% from deep, Enfield noting he’s been improving at setting his feet on jumpers; he’s averaging just 2.1 turnovers per game in the same timeframe.
Just two games remain in the regular season before USC (12-17, 6-12 Pac-12) heads to Las Vegas for one last four-game shot at a bid to March Madness – and Collier’s continued development, before a potential declaration for the NBA draft, is the biggest piece of the puzzle.
USC vs. ARIZONA STATE
When: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Where: Galen Center
TV/radio: FS1/790 AM