On August 7,
USC added a commitment from Roschon Prince, a 6’5”, small forward from Long
Beach Poly High. Prince, along with point guard Kendall Harris and guard Kahlil
Dukes are part of the initial 2013 recruiting class that Kevin O’Neil hopes will
bring respectability back to the Trojan basketball program. After a 1-17 Pac-12
schedule, this commitment by Roschon Prince is significant not only to O’Neill’s
Trojan squad, but also to the Pac-12 in general as both the school and
conference try to take steps back into the national limelight.
Prince is
not considered a five-star recruit, let alone a four-star recruit by recruiting
services such as ESPN and Scout. After recently updating their rankings based
on summer AAU and camp play, these services did not consider this multi-sport
star as a top-100 player. Despite this lack of national recognition, Prince is very
well-known on the West Coast and will become an impact recruit during the
2013-14 basketball season. Prince more than held his own against tough national
competition during the Nike EYBL, NBPA Top 100 camp, and Lebron James Skills
Academy this summer which made him a priority for many west coast colleges.
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| Getting to the line as usual |
As a highly
regarded 8th grader, Prince began his high school career on the Long
Beach Poly varsity squad averaging 9.1 ppg. He increased his scoring average to
12.3 ppg as a sophomore and 21.7 ppg as a junior while helping Poly capture
three league titles. Along with the league titles, Prince helped lead his team
to within a 2 point defeat in the most recent California State CIF
Championship. Not just a star on the basketball court, Prince also used his 6’5”
frame and muscular build to catch touchdowns on the football gridiron for the
famed Poly High football team. Long Beach Poly is one of the most famed high
school football programs in the country featuring alumni such as DeSean Jackson
and Mercedes Lewis. Despite not planning to play football this fall, Prince showcased
his physical style of play at events all over the country.
While dominating
California high school play this past winter, Prince also held his own on the
competitive Nike AAU circuit playing for ICP elite. Despite not making the
Peach Jam tournament, Prince did what he is well known for in California which
is attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. Prince shot an
average of 9 free throws a game during 20 EYBL games which was second only to
the 6’9 man-child, Julius Randle (185 to 180 attempts). Prince led ICP with 16
ppg and 5.4 rbg. The EYBL kicked off in Minneapolis and on opening night Prince
dropped 28 points, while averaging 21 points during the first session. He also
played extremely well in the Dallas EYBL averaging 18 points. During this
session, Prince got to face off with top ranked recruit Jabari Parker. While
Parker finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and a victory, Prince more than
held his own and helped his team throw a scare into the talented Mac Irvin Fire
team up until three minutes to go in the game.
Overall,
Prince had an impressive spring / summer and competed with many of the top players
in the country. Currently, the main area of weakness in Prince’s game revolves
around his outside shooting. He struggled behind the three point line in EYBL
shooting 5-34, but does possess good form giving him room to grow during the
off-season and senior year. An improved shooting stroke would also benefit
Prince at the free-throw line. He shot a respectable 65%; however considering
how often he gets to the line even a slight bump up would significantly
increase his points per game.
Going into
his senior season, Prince will look to finish his high school career with a 4th
straight league title and a California state championship. Prince will also get
one more shot at impressing the recruiting services that did not consider him a
top 100 player as Long Beach Poly will face off against many of the nation’s
top teams in the City of Palms Classic over the Christmas holidays.
Prince is an
under the radar player that can get to the rim almost any time he wants and
will bring a toughness to the Trojan squad that was sorely lacking in the
2011-12 season. With this commitment, O’Neil got one of the best players on the
west coast who also knows that he can hold his own and compete against any
player in the country. Not only is Roshcon Prince an important piece of the
puzzle in bringing respectability back to the USC program, but he also helps
bring respectability back to the Pac-12, a conference sorely in need of a
talent in flux after a trying 2011-12 season.
