And then there were two …
USC is down to just two returning players from last season as its roster purge continued Wednesday with point guard Isaiah Collier official declaring for the NBA draft after one season with the Trojans.
Reserve forward Harrison Hornery and unproven second-year forward Brandon Gardner are all that remain since former coach Andy Enfield left USC for SMU and the Trojans hired Eric Musselman to signal a new era of Trojans men’s basketball.
Collier’s decision wasn’t a surprise, as he came into USC as the No. 1-ranked recruit in the country and an expected one-and-done player.
He averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field in his lone season at USC, missing significant time in the middle of the season with a broken hand.
For that reason — and the Trojans’ related collective struggles — it wasn’t the season many envisioned when Collier committed to the program, but the talented playmaker from Georgia showcased his next-level potential nonetheless.
Collier scored in double-figures in all but two games he played and scored a season-high 31 points on the road at Washington in early March. That was one of seven games in which he scored at least 20 points.
