USC, Arizona State Seek to Stop Slides

USC Basketball head coach Andy Enfield Post-Game Interview

In Tempe, Ariz., the struggling Arizona State and Southern California will face off on Saturday, attempting to break out of downward spirals in Pac-12 Conference competition.

Arizona State (10-7, 4-2) raced to a 4-0 beginning in the conference before an 82-67 defeat on Jan. 11 at Washington. The Sun Devils then had their flawless home record tarnished with a 68-66 loss to UCLA on Wednesday.

Arizona State guard Frankie Collins stated after their loss to the Bruins, “We have a young team but we have to grow up early if we want to continue to do what we say we want to do and get to NCAA tournaments.”

Against UCLA, the Sun Devils squandered a 15-point lead and amassed four technical fouls in the second half.

Collins, the leading scorer for the season with 13.8 points per game, emphasized the need for the Sun Devils to “have to control (their) emotions” in the future.

Arizona State hopes to avoid its second three-game losing streak of the season, while USC arrives on a three-game skid of its own.

The Trojans (8-10, 2-5) continued to struggle amid a string of injuries, suffering a defeat on Wednesday at No. 12 Arizona, 82-67.

After missing the losses to Washington State and Colorado on Jan. 10 and 13 due to an upper respiratory infection, Joshua Morgan returned. However, USC played without guards Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier for a second consecutive game.

Ellis, the team’s top scorer with 18.7 points per game, is dealing with a hamstring injury that Trojans coach Andy Enfield mentioned he was attempting to play through “at about 60 percent.”

Collier, with 15.4 points per game, is USC’s second-highest scorer. He sustained a hand injury during the second half against Washington State.

In his second start, contributing to filling the Trojans’ backcourt void, Bronny James achieved personal bests of 11 points, six assists, and five rebounds, providing a silver lining for USC in the loss at Arizona.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity that we’ve had to try to fight through, and Bronny’s had the most adversity,” Enfield noted, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

LeBron James’ son, Bronny, experienced cardiac arrest in July, delaying his collegiate debut until Dec. 10.

“So we’re just extremely proud of him and happy that he’s improving,” Enfield said. “We think he has a big upside.”

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WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025
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Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.
The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.
Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.
As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.
Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.
The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.
The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.
The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.
Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.
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College Sports News
Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State
Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones
Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.
Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.
During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.
In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.
Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.
In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.
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College Sports News
Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer
View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball
Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.
At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.
She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).
In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.
Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.
VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”
“It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”
Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.
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