USC gets another graduate transfer
For the third time in less than a week, the USC men’s basketball team is getting a graduate transfer for next season.
Chevez Goodwin , a 6foot-9 forward from Wofford, committed Monday to play for Andy Enfield and the Trojans, following in the footsteps of Utah Valley wing Isaiah White and Santa Clara guard Tahj Eaddy, who last week announced their impending transfers to USC.
All three could play meaningful minutes for a team stacked with talent but seriously lacking in experience. The Trojans will return one member of their starting five, rising sophomore Ethan Anderson. Junior guard Elijah Weaver is the only returner with more than one season of regular playing time.
Goodwin chose USC over offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Houston and Xavier after a season in which he led Wofford in rebounds per game (6.2). His presence on the glass could be especially valuable for the Trojans, who must bid adieu to one of the nation’s top rebounding pairs in senior Nick Rakocevic and Onyeka Okongwu, who already declared for the draft. — Ryan Kartje
UCLA guard Smith is up in the air
Had everything gone as planned, UCLA junior guard Chris Smith would have showcased his emerging talents in the Pac-12 Conference tournament and the NCAA tournament in addition to the NBA draft combine and individual workouts, giving him a strong sense of his standing before deciding whether to enter the NBA draft or return to college for one more season. Now there’s uncertainty piled atop uncertainty.
Smith’s father, Sean, said that his son continued to weigh all factors as the family discussed his basketball future, including the potential impact of a draft combine and individual workouts that could be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though there has been no official announcement, it is widely believed that individual workouts that normally start at the end of April and the draft combine scheduled for May 21-24 in Chicago will be postponed or canceled.
“That definitely has an impact because this is totally uncharted territory for the NBA as a whole,” Sean Smith said, “but the whole process is uncharted for us as a family, so we’re just trying to make the best decision for him, be that go back to school or whatever.”
Smith, who was selected the Pac-12’s most improved player after a season in which he averaged a teamhigh 13.1 points per game, is listed as a fringe secondround pick on some mock draft boards. His father said the family had not discussed a threshold that would determine whether he entered the NBA draft or returned to UCLA.
Pac-12 extends ban on activity
The Pac-12 extended its suspension of organized team activities an additional two months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that a complete shutdown of collegiate sports in the conference will last through May 31, while assuring it would reevaluate its position periodically in the coming weeks.
The updated policy will continue to bar any type of in-person workouts or team activities, while also clarifying limits for virtual team activities.
Online supervised workouts or skill instruction remain prohibited. Coaches, however, are able to recommend workout plans or pass along taped demonstration videos for workout plans, “in order to demonstrate proper form and technique,” the Pac-12 statement read.
Coaches are able to conduct some form of virtual team activities, including group film study, with football limited to two hours per week and all other sports allotted four hours.
The Pac-12 is appealing the NCAA to increase its limit of two hours for football.
UCLA cancels spring game
UCLA canceled its spring football game scheduled for April 18 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Pac-12’s decision to extend the suspension of organized team activities through May 31.
The Bruins held three spring practices before activities were shut down as a result of the health crisis.