The odds of Tahj staying are very slim given his age and performance. He’s a lock to land an overseas or g-league contract.

Yes, there is an excellent chance we are going to lose our best two players. That sucks!

Would suck, but would be totally Ok with having Reese taking the reigns for Tahj, or maybe Drew gets it going & becomes the leader of the team, or how about another grad transfer coming our way. The possibilities are endless

I would certainly hope that our success this year and our increased exposure from high draft picks will get more prospective recruits to come to USC. Last year when Big O left I never thought we'd have the kind of season that we are currently enjoying so maybe next year will surprise us as well.

As a potential top 2 NBA draft pick, E. Mobley should turn pro after this season, so his returning-to-school possibility should be 0%.
Of course if Evan returns next year, it will greatly enhance our strength. Yet if he turns pro as a high draftee, it's also a good advertisement for USC BB program and benefits our team in the long run in terms of gaining interest levels of both recruits and fans.

Agree Evan has to enter the draft. Anytime a player is a guaranteed lottery pick, then he should be encouraged to enter the draft. That shows recruits that the system works and sets up elite talent for good draft success.

Regarding the seniors coming back, don’t forget that we have 4 incoming players as well as Morgan and Waters on the bench expecting much increased playing time next year. Chavez Goodwin’s inside game would be the most impactful and appreciated component to have back if Tahj and Evan leave. I like White a lot, but he’d be easier to replace by what we have.

Yeah, as much as I would love a strong Trojans team next year, Evan has worked his *** off and deserves to go pro and make the big bucks. I'm not interested in the short term for SC, I want Enfield to build a program that attracts talent and takes them to the next level; we shouldn't have to coax players to stay in order to have a good team. It would feel unfair, it would be a guilty pleasure AND maybe even some bad PR given Evan's dad is a coach and incentives may look misaligned.

I think SC has a very strong resume for prospective "Big Men" basketball players in the future. I mean, who better to coach one up then Coach Mobley after Okongwu & Evan? Players will see that, we will get some exposure in the tourney and that will give us an edge in recruiting talent.

There is zero - and I mean ZERO chance Evan returns to the team next year and that is absolutely the right move for him.

Totally sucks. But I welcome that as an overall trajectory for the program.

Really, the best teams in the country lose their 1-2 best players every season. If we're trying to build a true contender - which I hope Bohn and Sosna are - this is a good thing. We can tell the best HS recruits and transfers in the country, come play here because we put our best guys into the NBA every single season.

Precisely. We lost basically our top 5 players last year and here we are. Each team is different and each year is different.

Definitely starting to believe CAE, Hart, Mobley & Capko + the rest of the staff have figured out which type of kids + what style of play to go after based on how this current squad has performed.

I hope so, but even the best schools and coaches in the country pick out duds on occasion so its not gonna be perfect from here on out... Regardless, they are learning how to be better coaches every year and they're heading in the right direction!

I totally agree that Evan should go - especially if the consensus is he'll end up a top 3 pick. All signs point to that. At the same time, you can't ignore that there are things that could help him prepare for a sustained career at the next level. Evan still needs to put on weight. He gets dominated by bigs in the low block who use their lower body strength against him. He's very well skilled for a big, but he rarely dominates the game, even at this level. If I'm an NBA scout, I want to see at least a few games where a top 3 pick puts his college team on his back and closes out the final minutes of a game and just dominates in some fashion. Evan just hasn't done that - even once. He is not as tough as he needs to be, and he needs to develop more offensive aggression, even if it's only to get to the foul line and put more pressure on opponents bigs. There is no question in my mind that another year of developing could really improve his long term success at the next level.

There is a compelling argument to the potential for his desire to continue his career as a Trojan. Isaiahs development from year 1 to year 2 was significant, and Evan could work on his weaknesses and commitment to being more aggressive, tougher, and stronger. I totally agree it's not likely in the cards, but how many times have players been drafted when they're not ready, and either lost confidence after having been inserted into the lineup as a savior, or lost confidence due to their specific team situation. So many lottery picks fail because of situations like that. He is so young. I could argue that even a catastrophic injury would not likely derail Evan from being a top pick in any future draft. Not with his skill sets, and not with todays medical technology.

The potential to compete for an NCAA title could end up being another factor. You never get your college years back. ...and at USC, he's playing with family close to home....with no fans. how amazing would it be to play at home, WITH fans, get to the Final Four (or farther), and head into the draft as a clear #1 pick? That's a dream anybody in Evans position would have to consider....as unlikely as it might be.

I want the best for Evan. I'd be proud to see him leave and get drafted as a top 5 pick, and I would also encourage him to go. In the end, money talks. I just think there are things to consider.

What in tarnation are you talking about?

He has dominated MULTIPLE games this year and won SEVERAL games for us this year thanks to his all-around play.

On this last road trip, he average 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. We swept two teams on the road by double digits. He dominated.