USC Basketball: Elite Rising Sophomore Offered by Trojans

Eric Musselman is putting in offseason work.

Feb 12, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; The UCLA Bruins forward Cody Riley (2) and Southern California Trojans forward Chevez Goodwin (1) jump for the opening tipoff over the SC logo at midcourt at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas Razorbacks-turned-USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman is making major inroads in the recruiting ranks already.

Though now-ex-USC head coach Andy Enfield (now with SMU) did land one-and-done Trojans guard Isaiah Collier, the top prospect in his class, he was generally not regarded as the level of recruiter Musselman is.

Now, Mussellman is already mapping out the Cardinal and Gold's future far in advance. According to 247Sports, rising sophomore small forward Babatunde Oladotun, a 6-foot-8 wing at James Hubert Blake, was already extended an offer by USC.

Of course, the Trojans are not without competition for the services of this intriguing young potential future star. He has also received bids from the Bryant Bulldogs, the Louisville Cardinals, the Tennessee Volunteers, the Virginia Tech Hokies, and the West Virginia Mountaineers. The DePaul Blue Devils and the Maryland Terrapins are also alleged to be interested, but per 247Sports they have not extended a scholarship offer to Oladotun.

Musselman had to veritably start from scratch when it came time to putting together his roster this offseason, with all nine of Enfield's top players in 2023-24 either graduating, transferring, or trying to make the 2024 NBA Draft.

He's added a pair of four-star small forward prospects in Sierra Canyon School swingman Isaiah Elohim and wing Jalen Shelley, a 6-foot-8 prospect out of Branson, Missouri. Musselman is also bringing in 11 transfers, headlined by four-star additions like ex-Washington Huskies combo guard Wesley Yates, former South Dakota small forward Kevin Patton Jr., former Xavier shooting guard Desmond Claude, recent Michigan power forward Terrance Williams, former Boise State Broncos forward Chibuzo Agbo Jr., ex-Northern Colorado small forward Saint Thomas, and ex-University of Massachussetts power forward Josh Cohen. Cohen had previously committed to transfer to Arkansas while Musselman was still there.

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