Louisville transfer Shaqquan Aaron is thrust into a critical role for the Trojans

While his new teammates were fighting to move on last season during USC’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2011, Shaqquan Aaron was at his mother’s home in Los Angeles.

The cable was on the fritz and the Internet was down, so Aaron, his mom and his sister watched the game on his phone. The first half was tense but going well. By halftime, USC led Providence by a point. Plus, the Internet started working again so Aaron beamed the second half from his computer onto the television.

“I had the remote,” Aaron recalled.

Then USC blew a last-second lead, failing to cover an inbound pass, and lost by one point.

“And that’s when I broke the remote,” Aaron said.

It is difficult to avoid wondering how USC’s season would have turned out had Aaron, a transfer from Louisville, been eligible to play. This season was supposed to provide an answer: USC was expected to return its entire starting five.

But an offseason exodus to the professional ranks, led by starters Nikola Jovanovic and Julian Jacobs, shook up USC’s roster and thrust Aaron into a critical role.

Playing the wing, Aaron represents a different type of player than USC used last season, when it was powered by its two point guards. Aaron must be able to defend guards and forwards, score from inside and out and create plays for others when necessary.

“We’ll be able to slide him between different positions,” Coach Andy Enfield said. “His versatility should really help our team.”

Aaron transferred after tumult at Louisville, where Coach Rick Pitino called him “extremely talented” but also complained about his work ethic.

“He just doesn’t have a Louisville attitude,” Pitino said at the time. “He’s not a Louisville man in terms of the way we practice.”

Aaron disputed Pitino’s assessment but said it didn’t bother him.

“He questioned my work ethic, but that’s him,” Aaron said after a USC practice this week. “That’s how he felt. I feel like I work hard. I work hard every day.

“So I feel that didn’t hurt me at all. Maybe in the media or whatever in Louisville and Kentucky. Maybe their fans don’t like me. But, oh well, that’s the real world.”

Aaron will fill the vacancy left by Jacobs in USC’s starting lineup. Chimezie Metu is expected to assume Jovanovic’s role at forward. Last season, Jacobs and Jordan McLaughlin split ball handling duties.

This season, McLaughlin alone will be the engine in a one-point-guard offense.

“We’re still doing the same thing we plan to do,” McLaughlin said. “Push the ball, play fast, smart and unselfish.”

Depth could be more of a question, especially at point guard. Behind McLaughlin, who has missed games because of injuries in each of his first two seasons, is freshman De’Anthony Melton.

Were McLaughlin to be injured again, Enfield said “depending on the situation, we’ll slide other guys in.” Then he reiterated: “It’ll be Jordan, Melton.”

In addition to its losses to professional basketball, USC also lost four players who transferred.

“All the transfers we already knew,” shooting guard Elijah Stewart said. “Nik and Ju were a surprise because they didn’t talk us through what they were thinking.”

Enfield filled the voids by adding a graduate transfer from Minnesota, forward Charles Buggs, and offering a scholarship to forward Nick Rakocevic late in the recruiting season.

Those two provide reinforcements, but the biggest addition may have already been on the roster. Aaron said his role is “to fill in that big gap that left the team. … It’s going to be, not the same team, but we didn’t lose a step.”

zach.helfand@latimes.com

Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand