Kevin O'Neill and the USC Trojans basketball team have been relying too much too recently on transfers and junior college recruits to try and reconstruct their way back to the top, and it eventually cripples the depth in their depth chart. USC needs to start winning some recruiting battles, and they need to do so in a hurry.
Some preliminary good news comes from an interview Coast 2 Coast Hoops did with Ikenna Iroegbu, perhaps the best point guard in the West Coast (or at least was the West Coast, as he apparently is transferring to Oak Hill Academy in the east) in 2013. Here's his highlight reel.
Ike Iroegbu Mix... Nicest 2013 PG on West Coast? (via Yayareasfinest2006)
Iroegbu had nothing but good things to say about USC and how hard they were recruiting him. Iroegbu has offers from USC and the Oregon St. Beavers according to Rivals, and according to the interview the Washington St. Cougars offered as well.
Interviewer: Any schools starting to come at you harder?
Iroegbu: Uh, USC, they're at all my games at the All-West Camp and when I played a little bit in LA. USC and Pac-12 really.
...
Interviewer: Who would you say is coming at you the hardest?
Irogebu: Uh, USC and Washington State. Those two are coming hardest right now.
Unfortunately, this might be a strike against the Trojans.
Interviewer: So what are you looking for in a school when you do make a choice?Iroegbu: The facility, how the coaches treat the players, and just how the fans are... if the fans are real crazy, then I want to go to that school.
USC basketball has had the worst attendance in the Pac-10 the past couple of years, and O'Neill can be a bit abrasive with his players. The Trojans will probably need to step it up on the court the next couple of years if they want to attract the attention, and O'Neill might have to settle it down.
For more on USC basketball recruiting, check out Conquest Chronicles.
Check out the full interview!
C2CHoops.com: Ikenna Iroegbu Interview (via Coast2Coasthoops)