Gilbert Arenas Reacts to His Son Alijah Arenas Making USC Trojans Debut

USC Trojans five-star freshman guard Alijah Arenas made his long-awaited collegiate debut Wednesday night. Arenas' father, former NBA All-Star and 11-year veteran, Gilbert, shared his reaction.

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) gestures after scoring his first collegiate points against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC five-star freshman guard Alijah Arenas made his collegiate debut in the Trojans 74-68 loss to Northwestern on Wednesday night. 

Trojans coach Eric Musselman wasted no time getting Arenas acclimated to the college game and had USC's prized recruit in the starting lineup immediately. 

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) gestures after scoring his first collegiate points against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Arenas played 29 minutes and finished the night with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. He didn’t have a great night shooting, going 3-of-15 from the field and 0-of-6 from three and 2-of-6 from the free throw line. 

His father, former NBA All-Star and 11-year veteran Gilbert Arenas, reacted to his son’s performance on his YouTube Channel “The Gilbert Arenas Show.”

“I told him your performance is going to be highs and lows,” Gilbert said. “You haven’t been on a five-on-five court in six months. All of your skills and talent will not be there today. You're gonna show glimpses but to pull out a full game, don’t get down on yourself. You haven’t played in six months. Your talent hasn’t caught up. 

“Don’t get too frustrated on missing shots that you normally make. When you start the game you shoot early, you shoot early in the quarters because you’re the freshest. Play defense, get up the court, take the shots you think are open and just get a feel for the game. Just be out there, be present.”

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Arenas has had a long journey to get here. He was in a fiery single-car crash last April, where he had to be pulled from a burning Tesla Cybertruck. The Chatsworth (Calif.) product was hospitalized and put into an induced coma. Arenas made a full recovery but then suffered another major setback when he tore his meniscus at a USC practice in late July.  

Gilbert revealed that his son was expected to play 10 minutes in his debut, instead Musselman had his 6-foot-6 guard in for almost triple that time. 

“Muss did, what Muss do, Arenas said. “Put him in the game and get out there and learn.”

Dec 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) warms up prior to the game against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

He also revealed that Musselman didn’t have his Alijah doing five-on-five work leading up to Wednesday night’s matchup. They focused more on individual workouts to get him in shape.
Musselman spoke after the Trojans disappointing loss about Arenas' debut. 

“He should be a high school senior who reclassified, missed an entire summer,” Musselman said. “And then you’re throwing him in the middle of Big Ten play. He doesn’t have non-conference play and all that stuff just based on injury and it’s difficult thing for any super talented player to go through. 

“Should I have started him, I don’t know, maybe not. Should he have played less minutes, maybe. But we’re struggling right now to find five guys wit the way we’re shooting and blown coverages.”

Arenas certainly showed flashes of why he was a highly touted prospect. He can create open looks for shooters because of his court vision and create for himself off the dribble and has a smooth jumper. Arenas’ ability to changes speed and direction for a guard his size is impressive. He showed off his athleticism with a 360 layup. 

The key for Arenas is stacking good days of practice and continuing to get acclimated with his teammates and the college game so his skills can flourish. And the player he was against Northwestern can be drastically different than the one that is on the court next week or a month from now with more game experience under his belt. 

Getting Back on Track

Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC shooting struggles have been well-documented, especially since guard Rodney Rice was lost for the season with a shoulder injury last month. It’s a team that is 2-4 since the turn of the year. 

Southern Cal will have a pair of critical road matchups coming up after a three-game homestand. First, they travel to Madison for the first time since 1946 to face the Wisconsin Badgers team that has been fire offensively and won five in a row. Tip-off on Sunday, Jan. 25 is 1:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Peacock. 

Iowa has won each of its last two after dropping three in a row earlier this month. The Trojans and Hawkeyes both sit at 14-5 in a tight race for seeding in the Big Ten. Tip-off on Wednesday, Jan. 28 is 4:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.