Eric Musselman Shares Biggest Takeaways From USC Summer Practices

In the early part of summer, the USC Trojans have had a few practices, and at this point, Eric Musselman has a few takeaways that many USC fans will love.

Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In his first availability of the 2026-27 season, USC Trojans men's basketball coach Eric Musselman spoke to the media about where his roster is at and revealed some of his takeaways in the early part of the summer.

Dec 22, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard Kj Lewis (5) dribbles past Coppin State Eagles forward Khali Horton (7) during the first half at McDonough Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Talent, Length, and Injuries

“Talent level is at a different spot than it has been. Deep team, long, we just gotta get through the injuries. We’d rather have stuff happen now than happen later,” Musselman said when discussing the offseason.

After missing the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, Musselman and the USC recruiting staff made aggressive moves to significantly overhaul the roster, which speaks to the talent aspect that he was alluding to.

To understand how much Musselman and the Trojans changed the roster, here is a look at USC’s additions:

• Forward Christian Collins (freshman)
• Center Adonis Ratliff  (freshman)
• Center Darius Ratliff (freshman)
• Guard Isaac Bruns (South Dakota transfer)
• Guard Jadis Jones (Lindenwood transfer)
• Guard Jalen Cox (Colagte transfer)
• Guard KJ Lewis (Georgetown transfer)
• Guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor (Hawaii transfer)
• Forward Joshua Hughes (Evansville transfer)
• Center Eric Reibe (UConn transfer)

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Rodney Rice (1) shoots a free throw during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

These new additions should help to complement USC’s top returners in guards Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas, in addition to forward Jacob Cofie, who chose to withdraw from the NBA Draft and come back to USC for one more season. With the trio of Rice, Arenas, and Cofie all coming back, the Trojans have players who can help the newcomers get acclimated to USC and continue to establish a culture to create a program that can have sustained success in the Big Ten.

In terms of the injuries that Musselman alluded to, Reibe reaggravated an injury, so he will be out for a major portion of the summer. Lewis and Hunkin-Claytor sat out this past practice, and Rice did practice, but was held out of the five-on-five portion. 

Out at Galen Center for USC summer hoops practice. Some availability notes:

—New center Eric Reibe reaggravated an injury he suffered at UConn. He’ll be out for the summer.

—Guards KJ Lewis and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor are also out.

—Rodney Rice appears to be full go pic.twitter.com/cf7dOB6GXh

— Ryan Kartje (@RyanKartje) June 22, 2026

It is tough to see injuries at this point in the summer, but as Musselman said, it is better to have these things happen now rather than later. Dealing with injuries throughout the season is very difficult to do, especially for the Trojans, with 10 players having to get acclimated to the new system and culture. 

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) shoots against Connecticut Huskies center Eric Reibe (12) in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Now shifting the focus to the frontcourt, Musselman and the Trojans did a great job adding a significant amount of length to the team, which should help USC to compete in the Big Ten after Michigan showcased how important size in the frontcourt was on a path to a national title.

Heading into next season, USC has six players who are at least 6-8, which could be very beneficial when challenging shots at the rim, disrupting passing lanes, forcing tough perimeter shots, and being a solid rebounding team on both ends of the floor.

As far as the frontcourt rotation, a variety of players could see a lot of playing time, but it may be safe to assume that if healthy, Reibe would start at center, Cofie would start at one of the forward spots, and then possibly Collins or Hughes would be at the other forward spot. However, Adonis and Darius Ratliff could also find themselves in the rotation with their length and ability to contribute on botyh ends.

Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) reacts against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In the backcourt, it seems quite likely that Rice and Arenas would start assuming they are healthy to start the season, but with players like Bruns, Lewis, Cox, Jones, and Hunkin-Claytor behind them, they must perform well through the summer to secure those starting spots.

With summer practices ramping up, there will be plenty of opportunities for the entirety of USC’s roster to show Musselman what they can do, which should help him to get a better idea of skill sets as well as which players fit well together and could form chemistry that leads the Trojans to success.

Regardless of who starts for USC, the depth and length that this team has if healthy is something that could put the Trojans over the top and in a great position to make a run at a Big Ten title and potentially a deep push in the NCAA Tournament.

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