USC basketball may not be the Los Angeles Lakers, but when the Trojans are good, they too draw star-studded crowds. Thursday night was no different!
Chris Rock was in the house with his daughter, a student. As was Trinity Rodman to support her brother D.J. and Natalia Bryant, the daughter of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, who is a freshman at the university.
No. 21 USC hosted Cal State Bakersfield at the Galen Center for their second game of the year. The roster is loaded with talent, including the sons of LeBron James and Dennis Rodman, Trinity’s brother.
However, against the Roadrunners, it was a different freshman who was the star. Isaiah Collier, the top-ranked prospect in the college basketball recruiting Class of 2023, dropped 19 points, five assists and three rebounds. He also managed to stay in the game with three personal fouls after fouling out in his college debut on Monday. Great success!
Sitting courtside was Chris Rock, who witnessed Collier’s ridiculous athleticism from the best seat in the house. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound point guard drove through the paint, split a pair of defenders, and went up-and-under for a tough two at the end of the first half.
Rock lost his mind over the dazzling bucket.
With a Rodman, a James, and the best freshman in the country on the roster, and the city in which the Trojans play, Rock will not be the last celebrity to be sitting on the floor this season!
That being said, though, it is not just the big names that make USC a program worth watching. It is a program with a legitimate chance to reach the Final Four.
The student section showed out on Thursday in a way that it typically does not for lower-tier matchups. The celebrities and other fans are following close behind.
This is a team that deserves a packed house night-in and night-out. Rock was just ahead of the curve!