USC grabs another big basketball commitment

Head coach Andy Enfield and the USC Trojans have been hot when it comes to transfer portal recruiting this offseason. USC landed its fourth commitment in the past month on Friday, as former Long Beach State center Joshua Morgan announced his intentions.

Unlike the previous three commitments–Santa Clara shooting guard Tahj Eaddy, Utah Valley wing Isaiah White and Wofford forward Chevez Goodwin–who were all grad-transfers and will be eligible to play this season, Morgan is coming off his true freshman season and will likely be forced to sit a year before competing for the Trojans.

It was quite a first season for the 6-foot-11, 195-pound center. Morgan, a lightly-recruited prospect out of Shelton High School in Sacramento, led Long Beach State with 6.1 rebound and 2.5 blocks per game, while scoring 8.4 points and shooting better than 62% from the floor.

He was a defensive force when it came to blocking shots, as he climbed well into Long Beach State’s all-time top-10 in that category in less than one season. With 80 blocks this season, he finished 13th in the nation and with four more than Onyeka Okongwu’s 76.

For his efforts, Morgan was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year.

With incoming five-star big man Evan Mobley likely to spend just one year at USC, the Trojans would seemingly have his replacement ready to go, as well as the ability to pit Mobley and Morgan against each other in practice all season.

USC is still chasing a pair of five-star freshmen in the 2020 recruiting class, as forward Ziaire Williams (Chatsworth, Calif./Sierra Canyon) and guard Josh Christopher (Lakewood, Calif./Mayfair) both have the Trojans among their top programs. Williams is ESPN’s No. 7 overall prospect, while Christopher is No. 10 overall.