TROJAN PROFILE

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The 2013-2014 Men’s Basketball season hasn’t starting out the way J.T. Terrell would have hoped, but he is intent on making the necessary changes and determined for it to end the way he envisioned.

After a dazzling 20 point performance in the opener against Utah State, the senior captain and standout shooting guard found out on Nov. 21 that he would be suspended for the remainder of the fall semester because of academic reasons. Terrell had big plans for the team and himself entering the season, hoping to lead USC into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2011 season, and he believes that it can all still be achieved. It is just another twist to the Terrell story which has been a long and emotional seesaw journey for the gifted senior.

Terrell’s basketball odyssey began in his home state of North Carolina at Cummings High School where he helped lead his team to a state championship as a freshman. He went on to average 31 points and 6 rebounds per game during his junior year. ESPN.com ranked him the No. 49 prospect in the country as a senior at West Charlotte High where he averaged 30 points per game. In 2010 at Wake Forest he established himself as the Demon Deacons’ second-leading scorer and one the ACC’s most promising freshman. After a coaching change at Wake Forest and some off-court issues, Terrell decided to transfer and ended up playing his sophomore season at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash. where he continued his offensive success and was rated the No. 1 junior college player in America. Terrell’s shooting efficiency at Peninsula (47 percent from the field plus 38 percent from behind the arc) attracted the attention of several Division I

schools, including USC.The following year, 2012, would mark the year of Terrell’s acceptance to USC,

a program in desperate need of star power. He made his impression on the team early, earning a starting position and distinguishing himself as a proven scorer with the ability to light it up with the long ball. In fact, he made 2.5 three-pointers per game in conference to lead all players, and his 67 three-pointers made rank as the 11th most in a single season by a Trojan. He led the Trojans in conference play last year with 13.4 points per game average.

The 2013-14 season appeared set up perfectly for Terrell to put a finishing touch on top of this inspiring story: senior captain, last year’s leading scorer, starter, back for one last season with a new coach and a fresh start in an offensive system that would feature all of his strengths.

He joined Coach Andy Enfield at this year’s Pac-12 Media Day where he spoke about his matured attitude and his role as a leader on a team with four new transfers and six freshmen.

“The freshmen might not catch on as quick, so I help coach,” said Terrell. “When somebody is not getting something, I might go whisper in their ear or give you some things I would do in that situation; just passing down knowledge.” The entire Trojan community expected nothing less than a banner year from Terrell.

While his stuff on the court looked better than ever, averaging double digits in the first three games of the season, his academics were struggling. Temporarily losing focus on the “student” part of the student-athlete commitment, Terrell had

A STAR ON THE SIDELINESBY JENNA HARRIS, USC STUDENT ASSISTANT

it all taken away and learned a valuable lesson about striking a balance with his focus in the classroom and on the court.

Over the past couple of weeks, Terrell has been dealing with this disappointment and renewing his focus and commitment to academics while working hard on his own in the gym and weight room. According to NCAA guidelines Terrell is not allowed to be present at the practices or even the games while he is academically ineligible. He also missed the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Nassau, Bahamas from Nov. 28-30 where USC played against the eventual champion Villanova on Thanksgiving Day, his former team Wake Forest on the 29th and then a tough Xavier team on the 30th. Yet, he insisted in an interview that he talks to the team everyday and is in the gym more than once a day working on his game.

In terms of academics, Terrell is working hard to stay eligible and utilizing all of the resources USC student athletes are offered. USC’s fall semester finals end on December 18th, in which Terrell’s eligibility can then be reviewed at that point. With that being said, Terrell could gain his eligibility as soon as the Long Beach State game on December 19th.

“I really just want to apologize to my teammates and coaching staff and the whole Trojan family because I feel like I’ve let them down during the time I’ve been gone,” said Terrell. “I also want to let them know that I’m working hard to get where I need to be come second semester”.

It’s clear that despite this snag in the road, Terrell is working hard, and is confident that a lot can be done with the remainder of the season. He is motivated to come out in the 2014 season better than ever and wants to do great things as a team and individually. He hopes that he can get back to being a key member of the team and becoming leader both on and off the court with a focus on a big second half of the season.

When asked what he wanted to accomplish when he returned, Terrell stated, “Finish out our non-conference with wins to give us extra confidence going into conference play. Surprise everyone who said we can’t accomplish what we know we can. Finally, try to win enough games to make it to the (NCAA) Tournament”.

And his final goal? “To academically graduate from USC,” said Terrell. We all know he can do it. Terrell had his time on the sidelines, now it is time for the rest of us to sit back and watch.

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TROJAN PROFILE

W ith the season underway, Trojans are hopeful and supportive of the new era of USC Men’s Basketball. Coach Andy Enfield has led the team to an impressive 5-3 start. Enfield was named the USC head

coach in April 2013 because of his offensive system, leadership abilities, and success on and off the court. However, those skills are worthless without the proper talent to allow his system to run. This year’s freshman class of Kahlil Dukes, Julian Jacobs, Nikola Jovanovic, Roschon Prince, Samer Dhillon and Devon Pflueger has provided Enfield with the building blocks for a successful future of USC basketball.

Over a third of this rising team are freshmen, and these six players are excited and determined. Already this group has 14 combined starts this season; just a year following a season without a single start from a freshmen player.

Freshmen Jacobs had one word to describe what he hopes to bring to the team, “consistency.”

Jacobs has been a key player for the Trojans. He holds the second highest total playing minutes, following junior Byron Wesley. He leads the team in assists and third in rebounds.

As a vocal and explosive guard, Jacobs is also a leading scorer and excellent passer for the Trojans. Jacobs was hopeful that he would earn a starting position at USC, and said, “I’m really fortunate and feel really blessed and thankful for coach Enfield for giving me a chance.”

Jovanovic is another stand out freshmen. He is a skilled forward who has brought a lot to the Trojans and hopes to continue to contribute to the team through rebounding and scoring. Jovanovic is the top scoring freshman and fourth overall in rebounds for the entire team.

“Having the opportunity to compete as a freshmen is an honor,” said Jovanovic, who already has scored more points as a freshman than Nikola Vucevic did during his first season at USC.

Jovanovic is also unique to the team because of his background. Besides being ranked in number 40 on ESPN.com as a power forward, Jovanovic has played internationally. He came to USC all the way from Serbia, and is adjusting to life well; Jacobs called him the funniest freshmen on the team.

Dukes is also expected to have a strong presence on the court. He is a talented shooter and can consistently hit three-pointers. The freshmen guard came to USC from Connecticut. Through USC’s first eight games, his prorated points-per

THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO A

BRIGHT FUTUREBY CHARLOTTE ADLAM, USC STUDENT ASSISTANT

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TROJAN PROFILE

(LEFT to Right): Roschon Prince, Nikola Jovanovic, Kahlil Dukes, Samer Dhillon, Julian Jacobs, Devon Pflueger

Julian Jacobs

minutes played numbers lead the entire team, projecting to 28.1 points per 40 minutes played.

Forward Prince, the 2013 Gatorade High School Player of the Year for California, is another talented freshman. He has appeared in all eight games, making two starts so far and made an impact in each, with his skills on defense and offense. He is averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and really showed his skill at getting to the rim during the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

Dhillon and Pfueger also add to the depth of the freshmen group. Dhillon is a talented forward and is believed to be the first Indian basketball player to compete in a BCS conference. Pflueger is an excellent outside shooter and defender.

The freshmen have bonded and are growing together. Prince said, “We all get along. We are always laughing, smiling, hooking up to do something outside of basketball. We are getting a feel for each other because we will be here for a while and we are making the best of our time together.”

With their diverse backgrounds, they have managed to help each other adjust to college life.

“We have a Serbian, a guy from back East, someone from Las Vegas, local California, some NorCal, so we are telling each other about what it is like at home and trying to make each other feel at home here,” continued Prince.

“I love it every day,” added Jacobs.With the early accomplishments of the freshmen class, the future is bright for

the program and the chance is strong that the fans are going to love every day of watching them wear the Cardinal and Gold.

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Nikola Jovanovic

Roschon Prince