USC’s Drew Peterson and the development of a point forward

Growing up as a middle child in suburban Chicago, Drew Peterson was something of a sport contrarian. When his family rooted for the Cubs, he was in Yankee pinstripes. On Sundays, he was cheering the Chiefs rather than the hometown Bears.

And while his father and older brother considered Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player ever, Peterson preferred LeBron James.

That could simply be a generational bias at play, but it’s also revealing about the type of player Peterson always wanted to be, and has become as a member of USC men’s basketball the past two seasons: A pass-first guard, despite his height at 6-foot-9.

Peterson was not a point guard who had a late growth spurt in high school. He was always taller than his classmates, towering over other kids while playing first base in Little League.

But because he was also so skinny and could not keep up with the physical battles in the post, his father, Mike, emphasized guard skills.

And that suited Peterson just fine.

“He likes to make plays,” his father said. “As much as he likes to score, he likes to drive the ball and dish and make people happy. It’s as much his personality as any training he had.”

“I always liked to pass the ball growing up, even as more of a three,” Peterson added. “So I always tried to develop my handle and just be able to prove that I can control the ball for more of the game.”

Peterson spent his first two college years at Rice, where he displayed many of the same tendencies as a pass-first guard. But he struggled to control the ball against quicker defenders with lower centers of gravity, averaging a career-high 2.7 turnovers as a sophomore.

When he entered the transfer portal in the early months of the pandemic, he rushed into a commitment to Minnesota. But he backed out, wanting to further explore his options.

A scholarship had opened at USC in the meantime, and Peterson was attracted to the university and the basketball program.

Early after Peterson enrolled at USC, head coach Andy Enfield began to emphasize Peterson’s ability to spread the ball around and run the offense. In Peterson’s first year with the Trojans, he got some opportunities to back up the team’s point guards.

But this season as a senior, Peterson has acted as the Trojans’ primary ball handler for long stretches of games. As he led 17th-ranked USC in every major category in last week’s win over UCLA, he was bringing the ball up the court on most possessions.

And as impressive as his scoring was that game with a career-high 27 points, Peterson still found opportunities for his teammates, like a perfect skip pass to Chevez Goodwin for an easy dunk.

“We were able to flourish together, [Enfield’s] philosophy and how I play,” Peterson said. “I always had the confidence, I always wanted to play point guard. Now I’m just trusted in big situations to be able to come off ball screens and be able to make plays for my teammates.”

Washington State (14-11, 7-7 in Pac-12) at No. 17 USC (22-4, 11-4)

When: Sunday, 4:30 p.m.

Where: Galen Center

TV/Radio: Fox Sports 1 / 790 AM