USC’s men’s basketball roster has been turned over again, but the Trojans still enter the season with a group that looks far more interesting than the average rebuild. Rodney Rice, Alijah Arenas and Jacob Cofie all chose to stay, giving Eric Musselman a core to build around even as the rest of the roster changed around them.
That continuity matters, especially with a wave of transfers and a trio of headline freshmen joining the mix. It also comes with a catch: injuries have already complicated the picture before the season even fully settles in.
“It’s fun coaching freshmen because they’re such willing learners, and it’s been great to see Alijah’s evolution from where he was last year,” Trojans third-year head coach Eric Musselman said.
“The most challenging thing is certainly new players, but maybe more challenging has been the injuries. We’re inching closer to being more whole.”
The returnees give USC a strong starting point. Arenas, a 6-foot-7 guard, had to wait through the first 18 games last season after tearing his meniscus, then averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Cofie, a 6-foot-10 forward, brought length and athleticism, finishing with 1.75 blocks per game, good for No. 41 nationally, while also scoring 9.9 points per game. Rice, a 6-foot-5 guard, was limited by a shoulder injury but scored in double figures in all six games he played, putting up 20.3 points per game and landing on the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Top 20 Watch List.
The newcomers bring both production and uncertainty. Isaac Bruns, a 6-foot-5 guard from South Dakota, was third in the NCAA with 415 total points before a season-ending foot injury cut him down.
He also led the nation in free throws made with 118 before getting hurt. Christian Collins arrives as a five-star forward and ESPN’s No. 5 recruit out of St.
John Bosco, where he averaged 17.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in his junior and senior seasons, though a foot injury will delay his USC debut. Eric Reibe, the 7-foot-1 center from UConn, is also sidelined right now with a foot injury but is expected back in January.
USC also added a deep group of experienced transfers. Jalen Cox, a 6-foot-3 senior from Colgate who prepped at Loyola High, earned All-Patriot League First Team and All-Defensive Team honors last season while averaging a team-high 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Joshua Hughes, a 6-foot-10 forward from Evansville, started all 32 games and averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, a 6-foot-3 guard from Hawai’i, started 17 games before a toe injury ended his season and ranked second in Big West play with a 3.1 assist/turnover ratio.
There’s more scoring punch in the group too. KJ Lewis, a 6-foot-4 guard from Georgetown, led the Hoyas with 14.9 points per game.
Jadis Jones, a 6-foot-5 guard from Lindenwood, averaged 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds. Onyeka Joe Agu, a 6-foot-10 center, comes in after averaging 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Brussels Basketball Club in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The frontcourt also includes two highly touted brothers. Adonis Ratliff, a 6-foot-11 forward and former five-star recruit, was ranked No. 22 in his class by ESPN and earned McDonald’s All-American honors after averaging 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks at Archbishop Stepinac High School. His twin brother, 7-foot center Darius Ratliff, was also a McDonald’s All-American and the No. 31-ranked recruit after putting up 9.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in high school.
USC’s departures were significant, too. Ezra Ausar, a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds and ranked No. 23 nationally with 233 free-throw attempts, signed with the Miami Heat on Oct.
- Chad Baker-Mazara, a 6-foot-7 forward who shot 44.4% from the field and 38.1% from 3-point range, was dismissed from the team on March 1.
Jerry Easter II transferred to Oregon after averaging 4.4 points and three rebounds in 27 games. Jordan Marsh, who shot a team-best 39.6% from deep and averaged 7.3 points, moved on to Temple.
Kam Woods, a midseason addition, started 17 of 20 games and averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
In Other News...
Arizona Just Got A Painful Reality Check In The Rankings
Ohio States trip to USC turned into the kind of setback that can shake up the entire rankings picture, even with the Buckeyes out-gaining the Trojans on the night. With true freshman Luke Fahey starting at quarterback because of Julian Sayins injury, Ohio State still had enough talent to control stretches of the game, but missed tackles, penalties and special teams mistakes kept opening the door for USC to make the most of it.
The ripple effects go beyond Columbus, too. Georgia steadied itself with a win over Florida after its earlier loss, though the passing game still looked like a work in progress, while Floridas offensive issues are pushing it toward another drop after its third loss. And for Arizona, Texas Techs important win only adds to the pressure in a crowded rankings race, the sort of result that can quickly turn a promising week into a painful reality check. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Added More Fuel To Ohio States Ugly Night
After USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State, the night got even messier as Lincoln Riley found himself in the middle of a postgame confrontation while leaving the field. Reporters on hand and video from the scene showed the USC coach exchanging words with Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and other staff members, turning an already rough loss for the Buckeyes into something more combustible on the way off the turf.
Maurice Clarett, the former Ohio State running back, was also seen stepping in to help cool things down as the moment escalated. For a game that already carried plenty of weight, the postgame scene added another layer of tension, leaving the Buckeyes to sort through both the defeat and the fallout from a night that was ugly in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
The upset in Los Angeles did more than hand Ohio State a road loss. USCs defense set the tone early and never let the Buckeyes get comfortable, holding them to one touchdown while piling up tackles for loss and sacks against backup quarterback Luke Fahey. The Trojans also got the kind of explosive play they have been hunting, with Mark Bowman turning a short opening into a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped swing the game in USCs favor.
For Lincoln Riley, the 30-18 win carried extra weight because it was his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and it came against a team that arrived with far more national respect. For Ohio State, the bigger issue now is not just the blemish on the schedule but the way the offense looked under pressure, with a backup quarterback trying to survive behind a line that could not settle things down. [Read more 🡒]