All Trojans

USC Basketball Stars Show Out For Trojans Big Ten Home Opener

In the USC Trojans Big Ten home opener against the Michigan State Spartans, a few of the Trojans basketball stars were in attendance. Men's basketball coach Eric Musselman, NBA All-Star Demar DeRozan, Jazzy Davidson, and Kennedy Smith made appearances.
Teddy King|
Feb 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In this story:

USC TrojansMichigan State Spartans

The USC Trojans Big Ten home opener is underway, where they lead the Michigan State Spartans late in the second half. Per coach Lincoln Riley and general manager Chad Bowden's wishes, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has a solid attendance for their late night 8 p.m. PT kickoff.

Paired with a energetic crowd, are a list of Trojans stars, current and former, who are in attendance for tonights Big Ten opener.

USC Men's Basketball Coach Eric Musselman Energizes Coliseum Crowd

USC Trojans Eric Musselman Basketball NBA Demar Derozan Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Eric Gentry Michigan State Spartans
USC coach Eric Musselman cheers his team during the first half against Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena Saturday, March 1, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC men's basketball coach Eric Musselman has made it clear to Trojan fans his support for the football program is unwavering, with different posts in support of their games each week.

On the sidelines, Musselman stole the spotlight in front of fans to hype up the crowd, leading the Coliseum in a "Trojans" chant prior to the first snap.

This marked the first game that Musselman was on the microphone, and fans should expect more based off his support.

Today, Musselman also posted another video on social media in full pads, this time disrupting his team's practice in the gym to hype up his players about tonight's match.

Musselman and the Trojans are coming off a 17-18 overall season, and spent the offseason rebuilding.

The Trojans added Auburn transfer Chad Bazker-Mazara, Virginia transfer Jacob Cofie and Maryland transfer Rodney Rice. They also added the No. 1 2026 recruit Alijah Arenas who reclassified to the class of 2025, before suffering a torn meniscus to leave him out of his freshman season.

Trojans in the NBA: DeMar DeRozan In Attendance

USC Trojans Eric Musselman Basketball NBA Demar Derozan Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Eric Gentry Michigan State Spartans
Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan is also in attendance in for tonight's game, watching from the sidelines.

DeRozan was one of the Trojans most dynamic small forwards in their 2008-09 season, accumulating 485 points, 31 steals and 201 rebounds, earning Pac-10 tournament MVP honors. DeRozan was selected in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors as the ninth overall pick.

Since his professional career, the Kings forward has recorded over 25,000 points in 16 seasons, and has appeared in seven NBA Playoffs with the Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls.

The six-time NBA all-star is a common supporter of USC Football, with his most recent appearance coming from USC's game at Stanford in 2023. DeRozan also led the Trojans out of the tunnel as a tunnel captain in 2017 against the Cardinal.

USC Women's Basketball Team Supports From Sidelines

fffff
Mar 31, 2025; Spokane, WA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament game at Spokane Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Among the men's basketball stars was the USC women's basketball team, with majority of the roster highlighted on the big screen for their attendance.

Tonight's attendee's included some of the Trojans most notable, including No. 1 recruit Jazzy Davidson and guard Kennedy Smith.

The Trojans were dominant in their first Big Ten season last year, finishing 31-4 overall and 17-1 in conference play. They also placed first in the Big Ten regular season after a 80-67 win over crosstown rival UCLA.

While star Juju Watkins is still injured, Davidson should step up and see a lot of court time even as a true freshman.

Published
Teddy King
TEDDY KING

Teddy King is a reporter for USC Trojans On SI. Teddy graduated from Ole Miss with a B.A. in Journalism. She has experience in both on-site NFL production, including New Orleans Saints games and Super Bowl LIX, as well as in-studio soccer coverage with UEFA Euro Cup and Conmebol Copa America Cup with FOX Sports. During her time at Ole Miss, Teddy spent three years writing for the student-run newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, before transitioning into Sports Editor her senior year of college where she covered the First Round of the NCAA Tournament for Ole Miss Men’s Basketball in Milwaukee. She was also featured on The Paul Finebaum Show as a guest correspondent to discuss the 2024 Ole Miss football season — analyzing offense, defense and strength of schedule. Teddy’s role with USC Trojans On SI allows her to combine two of her favorite things: storytelling with sports.

Home/Basketball