Pac-12 Basketball Recruiting: Taking a look at USC's Class of 2016

Last season was a resounding success for Andy Enfield and USC.

In Enfield’s third season, the Trojans went 21-13 and made it to their first NCAA Tournament since 2011.

However, the Trojans’ success came at a bit of a cost. While leading scorer Jordan McLaughlin (13.4 PPG) decided to return to school, second leading scorer Nikola Jovanoic (12.1 PPG) declared for the NBA Draft and Katin Reinhardt, who started 18 games for the Trojans, transferred to Marquette.

So, while the Trojans aren’t exactly in dire straits, they find themselves needing some players to step up and contribute right away. Luckily, they have four incoming freshmen eager to go.

Jonah Mathews

While the Trojans have Elijah Stewart and Louisville transfer Shaqquan Aaron on the roster listed as shooting guards, as Mathews is, both of those players are taller than 6’5” while Mathews is listed at 6’3”. The four-star guard gives the Trojans the ability to put a smaller lineup on the court when the time is right.

Mathews, a Santa Monica, California native, had offers from a host of Pac-12 teams, chose to stay local in committing to the Trojans.

We wrote more on Mathews when he committed to the Trojans back in September 2015.

DeAnthony Melton

Like Mathews, Melton is also listed as a shooting guard. At 6’4”, he offers the Trojans some of that same versatility Mathews does. Also like Mathews, Melton hails from a nearby city, as he is from Encino.

The similarities stop there, however, as USC was the only Pac-12 school to extend an offer to Melton.

While Melton was a three-star recruit, he brings a lot to the table for the Trojans, as you can see in his highlight video below and also in our write-up from when Melton originally committed.

Nick Rakocevic

While Chimezie Metu and Bennie Boatright will likely garner most starts at the four and five, the 6’11” Rakocevic is a very nice piece for USC to add.

Rakocevic, who comes to Southern California from Chicago, had offers from multple schools, mostly in the Big 10 and Big East.

Below is Rakocevic’s most recent highlight reel, and our story from his original commitment to USC is right HERE.

Harrison Henderson

The fourth, and final, USC recruit in the class of 2016 is Harrison Henderson. Henderson, like Rakocevic, is tall (6’10”), which could help him see playing time right away.

Henderson hails from Texas, and chose to play for the Trojans instead of a number of Big 12 teams.

Henderson, Boatright, Metu, and Rakocevic all stand at least 6’10”, so the Trojans will be one of the country’s tallest teams again. They had an average height of 78.5 inches last season, 15th in the nation.

Below is a video of Henderson’s 2015 highlights.