USC Basketball: How Preseason Exhibitions Created Exciting Opportunity For Andy Enfield

One of the biggest advantages that came with your USC men's basketball team taking their summer tour to Greece not too long ago was that it allowed them to get in game-like settings with one another. Summer workouts and practices were the first phase of getting this new group to start developing chemistry but taking off to another country and facing off against international talent allowed the Trojans to get a glimpse at what they'll have prepare for this season.

It will be their final year as a member of the Pac-12 Conference and head coach Andy Enfield not only completed the school's most successful recruiting period but he also has a number of leaders and key players returning to him from last season.

Therefore, SC's trip to Greece/Croatia was not viewed as a time in which they must dominate every game... in fact, most of them were pretty close. Enfield kept a consistent rotation as he experimented with different players at different times. Everybody was looking forward to see how Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis would fare next to each other in the backcourt and they were rolled out together right away.

247 Sports/USC columnist Shotgun Spratling broke down exactly how Enfield got creative with his lineups and substitutions in their victory against SC Derby KK.

"It began with the starting lineup. Expected starters Isaiah Collier, Kobe Johnson and Joshua Morgan came off the bench while a pair of freshmen started. One of those, Brandon Gardner, didn’t even play in the first game of the tour. Walk-on guard Zach Brooker even got some run in the first quarterThe starting lineup for the second half featured Boogie Ellis, Johnson and three forwards: Harrison Hornery, Arrinten Page and Gardner."

(Via 247 Sports/USC)

Enfield will not have this freedom once the regular season rolls around so it was great seeing a mix of rotations during this trip!