USC Trojans Basketball Lands Fifth Transfer Portal Addition

The USC Trojans continued to build out their 2026 transfer portal class.

Jan 28, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

USC men's basketball rose as one of the nation's most aggressive teams in the college basketball transfer portal. Turns out the Trojans had room for one more addition.

And this one brings previous March Madness experience over to the Land of Troy.

Who USC Landed in Transfer Portal

Jun 24, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Salesian player Aaron Claytor (40) during the Section 7 high school boys tournament at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor is the newest arrival via Hawai'i, with ESPN College Basketball Insider Jeff Borzello reporting the move.

Hawaii transfer Aaron Hunkin-Claytor has committed to USC, his agent Drake U’u told ESPN. Started the first 17 games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury; expected to be ready in the summer. Averaged 6.0 points and 3.9 assists, scored 18 against Arizona State.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 2, 2026

He heads to Downtown L.A. fresh off witnessing a Big West Conference championship run with the Rainbow Warriors.

That Hawai'i team rolled through the season at 24-9 overall including going 14-6 overall in conference play. The Rainbow Warriors knocked off the Big West's top seed UC Irvine to clinch the title during the Big West Tournament. It marked the second time Hawaii moved on to the NCAA Tournament since 2015-16, during a time the school jumped to the conference for basketball (Hawai'i operates as a Mountain West Conference team for football and other sports).

Despite the minimal scoring production, Hunkin-Claytor did improve his scoring average this past season. He also built on his average rebounds per game compared to the freshman season output he delivered, going from 2.2 to 2.8 rebounds per game. He showed his brief worth on the defensive side too in hitting 0.9 steals a game.

Despite missing most of the Hawai'i run, Hunkin-Claytor has played 46 total games with 28 starts, including cracking the starting rotation in 17 games.

He produced five games of surpassing the double-digit scoring mark. USC and head coach Eric Musselman, however, likely locked in on Hunkin-Claytor's performance against Arizona State. The sophomore dropped a season-high 18 points despite Hawai'i falling 83-76 during that Nov. 20 game.

While he's a native of the island from Wahiawa, O'ahu, he's no stranger to California. Hunkin-Claytor played two seasons for Bay Area powerhouse Salesian College Prep in Richmond, Ca., as an upperclassman during his prep years.

Looking at USC's Portal Class

Mar 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Again, the Hawai'i starter is portal commit No. 5 for Musselman and his Trojans.

He adds to a stacked lineup too.

Eric Reibe of UConn is one of the headliners coming over to USC, who's fresh off a national title game run. KJ Lewis of Georgetown (who also played at Arizona) adds some Big East representation here too.

Even past local talent Jalen Cox comes over, who starred at Loyola High before committing to Colgate.

Evansville forward Joshua Hughes arrived before the Dunkin-Claytor addition. Hughes comes in to boost the depth in the frontcourt. He averaged 7.2 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds at the mid-major program out of the Missouri Valley Conference. He also averaged 1.1 blocks as a junior, handing Musselman a rim protecting option here too.

But arguably the biggest offseason move is retaining prized five-star Alijah Arenas, who briefly dipped to the NBA Draft waters before deciding to return for his sophomore season. The return of Arenas fuels the projection that USC will have one of the deepest backcourts among Big Ten teams next season.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news