Published Mar 23, 2022
Max Agbonkpolo, Ethan Anderson, Boubacar Coulibaly enter transfer portal
Ryan Young  •  TrojanSports
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It looks like another roster remake could be on the way for Andy Enfield's USC basketball program.

Less than a week after the Trojans were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament, part-time starters Ethan Anderson and Max Agbonkpolo, reserve forward Boubacar Coulibaly and walk-on Amar Ross entered the transfer portal.

Anderson posted a farewell message to USC on Twitter, amid various reports on social media that he had entered the portal.

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The Rivals' basketball account reported the news about Agbonkpolo and Coulibaly, who have not posted or said anything themsleves yet.

Both Anderson and Agbonkpolo were three-year contributors to the program, helping USC to the Elite Eight last year and to a 26-8 record this season.

Anderson, a 6-foot-1 point guard, started 15 of USC's 34 games, averaging 4.4 points over 21.1 minutes per game with the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team at 75-to-32. After a disastrous first half for the Trojans in their NCAA tournament game vs. Miami, Enfield benched guard Boogie Ellis in favor of Anderson, who delivered 4 points and 4 assists with 0 turnovers.

After serving as a primary starter as a freshman, Anderson was undermined by lingering back issues his sophomore season. He never developed as a scorer for the Trojans, which limited his role.

Agbonkpolo, a 6-foot-9 forward, had his best season statistically as a junior this year, averaging 7.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game while starting 18 of 33 games played. He was benched in the second half of the tournament loss to Miami.

USC also loses sixth-year seniors Chevez Goodwin, the starting center this year, and key reserve guard Isaiah White, who are out of eligibility.

It's widely expected that starting forward Isaiah Mobley, who led the Trojans with 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, will move on to the next level after going through the NBA pre-draft combine last year before opting to return for his junior season.

Senior guard Drew Peterson 12.4 points per game this season) has an extra year of eligibility if he wants it, but he has not yet announced his intentions. The L.A. Times' Ryan Kartje also reports that no decision has been relayed to the program by junior guard Ellis (12.5 PPG) on his future.

That's five of USC's top six players in terms of minutes and points, plus White, either already moving on or facing decisions about their future.

Coulibaly, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, played just 23 minutes all season.

Guard Reese Dixon-Waters, who scored a season-high 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting in that loss to Miami while helping spur a comeback that fell short in the end, showed great potential as a freshman and looks ready to step into a major role next season.

Fellow freshman guard Kobe Johnson played in 26 games, averaging 7.6 minutes, and had some moments -- 6 points in 12 minutes vs. Stanford, 7 points in 19 minutes vs. UCLA -- while fellow freshmen guard Malik Thomas and forward Harrison Hornery saw limited opportunities. Hornery had 9 points in 14 minutes vs. Pacific for the highlight of his season.

Joshua Morgan played in 31 games, averaging 12.4 minutes and finishing second on the team with 28 blocked shots, as a 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore.

The Trojans have the No. 9-ranked incoming recruiting class, featuring five-star 7-footer Vincent Iwuchukwu (the No. 17 overall prospect in this class), four-star 6-foot-9 power forward Kijani Wright (No. 52 nationally), four-star 6-foot-5 small forward Tre White (No. 90) and three-star shooting guard Oziyah Sellers.

What is noticeably missing from that list of returners is a point guard, though Peterson handled a large share of that job and would continued to do so if he returned. That's where losing Anderson hurts from a depth perspective.

Expect Enfield and his staff to work the transfer portal for more help this spring.