USC Basketball: Former 4-Star Recruit Explains Decision To De-Commit

USC men's basketball commit Liam Campbell requested a release from his National Letter of Intent earlier this week to open up his college recruiting. The four-star recruit out of Owyhee High School decided after former USC men's basketball coach Andy Enfield announced he was leaving the program to become the head coach of SMU. The decision also comes after fellow recruit Trent Perry announced he was re-opening his recruiting as well.

Campbell explained how the departure of Enfield led to his decision, and what his options are going forward.

"Coach Enfield informed me that he was taking the job at SMU and he was the biggest reason I committed to USC," Campbell told 247Sports. "Obviously I love the school but that was a great coaching staff that had a lot of trust in me. They made me feel like home so I wanted to reopen my recruitment to have all my options open. Following coach Andy, staying at USC or finding a new coach are all options.”

As Campbell mentioned, he's open to following Enfield over to SMU. However, he hasn't closed the door to staying at USC. Now that the Trojans have officially named former Arkansas and NBA coach Eric Musselman as their next head coach, they could still keep Campbell's interest. Musselman's reputation as a winner, especially at the collegiate level, has USC hopeful that their program will maintain the interest of many potential recruits.

"Coach Musselman is a big time coach," Campbell said. "USC told me he's supposed to give me a call soon. He's won a lot of games and was very successful. Going back to USC could definitely be an option."

Ultimately, the possibility of Campbell staying with USC will likely depend on how his call and conversations with Musselman go. If they can keep Campbell, it could prove to be a huge sign of belief in the Trojans' next head coach.