1. TROJAN
PROFILE
2013-14 USC TROJANS BASKETBALL | 43
T
he 2013-2014 Men’s Basketball season hasn’t starting out the way J.T.
Terrell would have hoped, but he is intent on making the necessary
changes and determined for it to end the way he envisioned.
After a dazzling 20 point performance in the opener against Utah State, the
senior captain and standout shooting guard found out on Nov. 21 that he would be
suspended for the remainder of the fall semester because of academic reasons.
Terrell had big plans for the team and himself entering the season, hoping to lead
USC into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2011 season, and he
believes that it can all still be achieved. It is just another twist to the Terrell story
which has been a long and emotional seesaw journey for the gifted senior.
Terrell’s basketball odyssey began in his home state of North Carolina at
Cummings High School where he helped lead his team to a state championship
as a freshman. He went on to average 31 points and 6 rebounds per game during
his junior year. ESPN.com ranked him the No. 49 prospect in the country as a
senior at West Charlotte High where he averaged 30 points per game. In 2010
at Wake Forest he established himself as the Demon Deacons’ second-leading
scorer and one the ACC’s most promising freshman. After a coaching change at
Wake Forest and some off-court issues, Terrell decided to transfer and ended up
playing his sophomore season at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash. where
he continued his offensive success and was rated the No. 1 junior college player
in America. Terrell’s shooting efficiency at Peninsula (47 percent from the field
plus 38 percent from behind the arc) attracted the attention of several Division I
schools, including USC.
The following year, 2012, would mark the year of Terrell’s acceptance to USC,
a program in desperate need of star power. He made his impression on the team
early, earning a starting position and distinguishing himself as a proven scorer
with the ability to light it up with the long ball. In fact, he made 2.5 three-pointers
per game in conference to lead all players, and his 67 three-pointers made rank
as the 11th most in a single season by a Trojan. He led the Trojans in conference
play last year with 13.4 points per game average.
The 2013-14 season appeared set up perfectly for Terrell to put a finishing
touch on top of this inspiring story: senior captain, last year’s leading scorer,
starter, back for one last season with a new coach and a fresh start in an offensive
system that would feature all of his strengths.
He joined Coach Andy Enfield at this year’s Pac-12 Media Day where he spoke
about his matured attitude and his role as a leader on a team with four new
transfers and six freshmen.
“The freshmen might not catch on as quick, so I help coach,” said Terrell.
“When somebody is not getting something, I might go whisper in their ear or give
you some things I would do in that situation; just passing down knowledge.” The
entire Trojan community expected nothing less than a banner year from Terrell.
While his stuff on the court looked better than ever, averaging double digits in
the first three games of the season, his academics were struggling. Temporarily
losing focus on the “student” part of the student-athlete commitment, Terrell had
A STAR
ON THE SIDELINESBY JENNA HARRIS, USC STUDENT ASSISTANT

2. it all taken away and learned a valuable lesson about striking a balance with his
focus in the classroom and on the court.
Over the past couple of weeks, Terrell has been dealing with this disappointment
and renewing his focus and commitment to academics while working hard on his
own in the gym and weight room. According to NCAA guidelines Terrell is not
allowed to be present at the practices or even the games while he is academically
ineligible. He also missed the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Nassau, Bahamas
from Nov. 28-30 where USC played against the eventual champion Villanova on
Thanksgiving Day, his former team Wake Forest on the 29th and then a tough
Xavier team on the 30th. Yet, he insisted in an interview that he talks to the team
everyday and is in the gym more than once a day working on his game.
In terms of academics, Terrell is working hard to stay eligible and utilizing all
of the resources USC student athletes are offered. USC’s fall semester finals end
on December 18th, in which Terrell’s eligibility can then be reviewed at that point.
With that being said, Terrell could gain his eligibility as soon as the Long Beach
State game on December 19th.
“I really just want to apologize to my teammates and coaching staff and the
whole Trojan family because I feel like I’ve let them down during the time I’ve been
gone,” said Terrell. “I also want to let them know that I’m working hard to get
where I need to be come second semester”.
It’s clear that despite this snag in the road, Terrell is working hard, and is
confident that a lot can be done with the remainder of the season. He is motivated
to come out in the 2014 season better than ever and wants to do great things as
a team and individually. He hopes that he can get back to being a key member
of the team and becoming leader both on and off the court with a focus on a big
second half of the season.
When asked what he wanted to accomplish when he returned, Terrell stated,
“Finish out our non-conference with wins to give us extra confidence going into
conference play. Surprise everyone who said we can’t accomplish what we know
we can. Finally, try to win enough games to make it to the (NCAA) Tournament”.
And his final goal? “To academically graduate from USC,” said Terrell. We all
know he can do it. Terrell had his time on the sidelines, now it is time for the rest
of us to sit back and watch.
44 | 2013-14 USC TROJANS BASKETBALL
TROJAN
PROFILE

3. W
ith the season underway, Trojans are hopeful and supportive of the
new era of USC Men’s Basketball. Coach Andy Enfield has led the
team to an impressive 5-3 start. Enfield was named the USC head
coach in April 2013 because of his offensive system, leadership abilities, and
success on and off the court. However, those skills are worthless without the
proper talent to allow his system to run. This year’s freshman class of Kahlil
Dukes, Julian Jacobs, Nikola Jovanovic, Roschon Prince, Samer Dhillon and
Devon Pflueger has provided Enfield with the building blocks for a successful
future of USC basketball.
Over a third of this rising team are freshmen, and these six players are excited
and determined. Already this group has 14 combined starts this season; just a
year following a season without a single start from a freshmen player.
Freshmen Jacobs had one word to describe what he hopes to bring to the
team, “consistency.”
Jacobs has been a key player for the Trojans. He holds the second highest total
playing minutes, following junior Byron Wesley. He leads the team in assists and
third in rebounds.
As a vocal and explosive guard, Jacobs is also a leading scorer and excellent
passer for the Trojans. Jacobs was hopeful that he would earn a starting position
at USC, and said, “I’m really fortunate and feel really blessed and thankful for
coach Enfield for giving me a chance.”
Jovanovic is another stand out freshmen. He is a skilled forward who has
brought a lot to the Trojans and hopes to continue to contribute to the team
through rebounding and scoring. Jovanovic is the top scoring freshman and
fourth overall in rebounds for the entire team.
“Having the opportunity to compete as a freshmen is an honor,” said Jovanovic,
who already has scored more points as a freshman than Nikola Vucevic did during
his first season at USC.
Jovanovic is also unique to the team because of his background. Besides
being ranked in number 40 on ESPN.com as a power forward, Jovanovic has
played internationally. He came to USC all the way from Serbia, and is adjusting
to life well; Jacobs called him the funniest freshmen on the team.
Dukes is also expected to have a strong presence on the court. He is a talented
shooter and can consistently hit three-pointers. The freshmen guard came to
USC from Connecticut. Through USC’s first eight games, his prorated points-per
THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO A
BRIGHT FUTUREBY CHARLOTTE ADLAM, USC STUDENT ASSISTANT
78 | 2013-14 USC TROJANS BASKETBALL
TROJAN
PROFILE
(LEFT to Right): Roschon Prince, Nikola Jovanovic, Kahlil Dukes, Samer Dhillon, Julian Jacobs, Devon Pflueger
Julian Jacobs

4. minutes played numbers lead the entire team, projecting to 28.1 points per 40
minutes played.
Forward Prince, the 2013 Gatorade High School Player of the Year for California,
is another talented freshman. He has appeared in all eight games, making two
starts so far and made an impact in each, with his skills on defense and offense.
He is averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and really showed his skill
at getting to the rim during the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Dhillon and Pfueger also add to the depth of the freshmen group. Dhillon is a
talented forward and is believed to be the first Indian basketball player to compete
in a BCS conference. Pflueger is an excellent outside shooter and defender.
The freshmen have bonded and are growing together. Prince said, “We all
get along. We are always laughing, smiling, hooking up to do something outside
of basketball. We are getting a feel for each other because we will be here for a
while and we are making the best of our time together.”
With their diverse backgrounds, they have managed to help each other adjust
to college life.
“We have a Serbian, a guy from back East, someone from Las Vegas, local
California, some NorCal, so we are telling each other about what it is like at home
and trying to make each other feel at home here,” continued Prince.
“I love it every day,” added Jacobs.
With the early accomplishments of the freshmen class, the future is bright for
the program and the chance is strong that the fans are going to love every day of
watching them wear the Cardinal and Gold.
TROJAN
PROFILE
2013-14 USC TROJANS BASKETBALL | 79
Nikola Jovanovic
Roschon Prince