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USC Basketball: Trojans Land Big East Most Improved Player in Transfer Portal

Eric Musselman is building something strong early on with the Trojans.

Eva Geitheim

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The USC men's basketball team has landed another transfer portal addition in Desmond Claude. Claude was a standout for Xavier University, becoming the Big East's Most Improved Player in 2024.

The 6-foot-6 guard saw significant improvements in both time and production on the court during the 2023-2024 season. After averaging 20.8 minutes for 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman, Claude's numbers shot up to an average of 33.6 minutes, 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

Now, Claude will transfer over to the West Coast where he will play under new head coach Eric Musselman.

"It honestly felt like a perfect fit from the first call," Claude said, via ESPN's Jeff Borzello. "The academic support, basketball resources and basketball vision all seemed custom-made for me. Also, Coach Musselman has a proven track record over the past several years of helping big lead guards make the jump to being NBA-ready guards."

Claude provides another much-needed addition for USC, who will have almost a completely different roster from the 2023-24, with players like Boogie Ellis, DJ Rodman, Oziyah Sellers, Bronny James, Isaiah Collier, and Kobie Johnson departing from the program.

Claude joins a USC transfer class that includes Chibuzo Agbo from Boise State, Josh Cohen from UMass Amherst, Michigan's Terrance Williams II, Saint Thomas from Northern Colorado, Yale's Matt Knowling, Bowling Green's Rashaun Agee, UC San Diego's Bryce Pope, and UPenn's Clark Slajchert.

These players will be tasked with trying to help USC to rebound from a disappointing 2023-24 season in which the team finished just 15-18 while failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.

More USC: USC Women's Basketball: Projecting 2-Time All-Pac-12 Transfer's Role With Trojans

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Eva Geitheim

EVA GEITHEIM

Eva graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has been covering college and professional sports since 2022.