Riaan 
Ezinyangeni ezine ezedlule, kudala ngaphambi kokuthi amaTrojans akhe avikeleke uhambo lwesithathu oluqondile oluya emqhudelwaneni we-NCAA, Andy Enfield waphuma enkantolo elandela USCevula ikhaya, ekhathazekile ngalokho asanda kukubona.
Ubungeke udwebe isiqalo esibi kakhulu se-USC. Ukuhlulwa ngamaphuzu angu-13 ezandleni zeFlorida Gulf Coast, iqembu langaphambili lika-Enfield, labiza yonke into mayelana nesizini ezayo, eyeshumi njengomqeqeshi, yangabazeka. Indlela entsha yonogada abane yawela phansi. A okusha, ukuzungeza kobusha ubukeke ulahlekile. Okaputeni ababili abadala bathwale kanzima. Eseshini yakhe yabezindaba yangemuva komdlalo, u-Enfield wakhala ngokungazilungiseleli kwabo.
“Besingelona iqembu elihle kakhulu,” kuvuma umqeqeshi kuleli sonto, ebheka emuva ekuqaleni kwesizini. “Besingadlala noma ngubani ngalobo busuku bese sihlulwa. Ngakho besinovalo kancane.”
Ukucabanga, ngoMashi, lawo maTrojan afanayo acishe afane neqembu elaqalwa ngobusuku bokuvulwa yiFlorida Gulf Coast, iqembu elagcina liqede elesishiyagalolunye kwiNkomfa Yelanga Yase-Atlantic. I-USC ilahlekelwe umdlalo owodwa eGalen Center isizini yonke. I-Trojans iwine isamba esingu-22, uphawu olufinyelelwe okwesithupha eminyakeni eyisikhombisa. Futhi yangena ngokunyenya emqhudelwaneni we-NCAA okwesihlanu ngaphansi kwe-Enfield, uhambo oluningi kakhulu olwake lwake lwanziwa umqeqeshi weTrojans.
Indlela eyathathwa yi-USC kusukela ngalobo busuku obuphoxekile ngoNovemba kuya kumdlalo womzuliswano wokuqala wangoLwesihlanu neMichigan State eColumbus, e-Ohio, iyenza ihluke kwamanye amaqembu u-Enfield awaqeqeshe e-USC.
“Leli yiqembu elithuthuke kakhulu engike ngaba nalo e-USC kusukela ekuqaleni konyaka kuze kube sekupheleni,” kusho u-Enfield ngesonto eledlule.
Ngisho nangaphambi kokuqala kwayo okuxakile, u-Enfield waqonda ukuthi le sizini ingase ibe umqansa. Ubenabadlali ababili kuphela ayazi ukuthi angathembela kubo ku-Boogie Ellis no-Drew Peterson, futhi kwakungebona neze abadlali abanokwethenjelwa kakhulu ngaleso sikhathi. U-Peterson wayejwayele ukunwebeka futhi edinga ukunqwabelana ngokomzimba, kuyilapho u-Ellis engakaze abonise ukuthi ungunogada ophelele, okwazi ukudalela abanye.
Kepha njengoba u-Enfield ekubona, isizini incike ekutheni abadlali bakhe ababili abadala benze kanjani. Abasebenzi babeke ithemba labo ku-Ellis ikakhulukazi, bakhetha ukungalethi omunye unogada ozomphusha. Ivoti lokuzethemba lisho lukhulu kukaputeni omkhulu uma kubhekwa ubunzima abebhekene nabo ekupheleni kwesizini edlule.
“Akazange ahambe ayokhipha muntu ku-portal yokudlulisa,” kusho u-Ellis. “Ubengethemba futhi ekholelwa emdlalweni wami futhi wangivumela ukuthi ngithuthuke futhi ngibe unogada oholayo weqiniso.”
Ukwethenjwa kwavuzwa, njengoba u-Ellis ethuthuka omunye wabaqaphi bephuzu lokudlala abangcono kakhulu ezweni ekupheleni kwesizini. Ezinyangeni ezimbili ezedlule ikakhulukazi, u-Ellis uvule elinye izinga lomdlalo wakhe, isilinganiso esingcono kunamaphuzu angama-22 ngaphezulu kwemidlalo eyishumi nambili ye-USC.
Kodwa kuzothatha okungaphezu kokugxuma okukhulu kunogada wayo ukuze kuguqulwe amaTrojans abe yiqembu lomqhudelwano.
Kobe Johnson udlale imizuzu engu-7.5 nje kumdlalo ngamunye njengomdlali omusha, indoda ye-10 ngokushintshana kwamadoda angu-10. Uthathe amashothi angu-34 nje isizini yonke edlule ngesikhathi u-Enfield emxhuma ohlwini njengomdlali wesibili.
Ubebalulekile ekujikelezeni kwe-USC kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, wathuthuka waba omunye wabavikeli abahamba phambili bebhola ku-basketball yasekolishi, okuwumphumela wokubekezela kohlelo. Useze waba umnikeli oqinile ohlaselayo, wathola amaphuzu ayisishiyagalolunye ngomdlalo ngamunye.
“Uma unabadlali abahle abancane, ifilosofi yethu kufanele ubayeke bakhule,” kusho u-Enfield.
Lokho futhi ngokuvamile kusho ukubanikeza ithuba lokufunda emaphutheni abo.
Ngoba I-Tre White, indawo yayibucayi ekuqaleni. Umuntu osanda kuzalwa uzabalaza ukuzijwayeza lapho efika ehlobo eledlule. Kepha u-Enfield umkhuthaze ukuthi asuse ama-miss, aqhubeke nokudubula. Wazama ukuqinisa ukuzethemba kuMhlophe, emvumela ukuthi azilungisele yena yedwa.
Ngeke kumthathe isikhathi eside ukuthi akubone lokhu njengoba uWhite eqale imidlalo engama-27 kwengama-31 ye-USC, wathola indawo eqenjini labadlali abasha bengqungquthela.
Ayizange ichofoze ngokushesha ku-Kijani Wright. Indoda entsha enezinkanyezi ezine bekulindeleke ukuthi yenze umthelela ngokushesha, kodwa maphakathi nesizini yayilahlekelwe yindawo yayo ekujikelezeni.
Ngakho-ke u-Enfield nabasebenzi bakhe babeka izindawo lapho u-Wright ayedinga ukwenza ngcono ukuze abuyiselwe, ngaso sonke isikhathi ezama ukuhlala enethemba.
“Besicacile kakhulu naye,” kusho u-Enfield. “Kufanele ube umdlali ongcono, ube ngumdlali wasemuva ongcono. Futhi wakufaka enhliziyweni lokho.”
Abasebenzi bamethemba u-Wright ukuthi uzoyithola. Kwathi ngoMashi, wayesedlala imizuzu ephusile esuka ebhentshini.
“Abanye abaqeqeshi bazama, njengokulawula konke ukulandisa okuncane,” kuchaza uWhite. “Kodwa ngizwa sengathi ngomqeqeshi u-Andy, usinika imihlahlandlela kodwa uyasivumela ukuthi sikhululeke. Ngizwa sengathi yileyo ndlela esiba ngcono ngayo sonke. Akakususi ukuzethemba kwethu.”
Ukuzethemba kwabo kubonakale kukhula ngaphambi kohambo lwangesonto eledlule oluya eLas Vegas, lapho amaTrojans ethunyelwa ukupakisha emzuliswaneni wokuqala. yomqhudelwano we-Pac-12 Conference okokuqala kusukela ngo-2014.
Ukuhlulwa kube yisikhumbuzo esisheshayo sokuthi lincane kangakanani igumbi lephutha le-USC ngoMashi. Kodwa uma kubhekwa ukuthi yayikuphi ngoNovemba, akekho obona isizathu sokuyeka ukuthembela kuleyo nqubo manje.
“Ukuqala kwale sizini, besingazi ukuthi sizoba luhlobo luni lweqembu,” kusho uJosh Morgan. “Kodwa sabambelela kukho. Saqhuba izifundo, sagcina sithole umazisi. Manje, ngasekupheleni kwesizini, siyiqembu elingcono kakhulu kunalokho ebesiyikho ekuqaleni.”
