USC Trojans Guard Isaiah Elohim Enters Transfer Portal

The USC Trojans men's basketball team is one of the many programs in the country that are being impacted by the transfer portal. USC saw their first player hit the transfer portal when freshman guard Isaiah Elohim elected to hit the portal on Monday.

Isaiah Elohim, 2, of USC shoots against Saint Mary's College during the 2024 Acrisure Mens Invitational in Palm Desert, Calif., Nov. 28, 2024. | Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After falling short of earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 16-17 record, the USC Trojans were bound to see a bit of roster reshuffling in preparation for USC coach Eric Musselman's first full offseason.

The Trojans saw their first player hit the transfer portal this past Monday when freshman guard Isaiah Elohim entered his name into the portal. The former four-star recruit originally committed to Musselman and the Arkansas Razorbacks before flipping to the Trojans when Musselman took the job at USC.

Feb 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Elohim's depature is a blow to the Trojans' depth at the guard spot. Over the course of his freshman season, he made 18 appearences and started one game. Elohim only averaged 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game as he made most of his appearences in late game moments.

The loss of Elohim is cushioned by the fact the Trojans have three guards who are currently committed to the program. Musselman and USC managed to reel in three recruits who could immediately contribute to the team.

USC's crown jewel of their 2025 recruiting class is five-star combo guard Alijah Arenas. He. reclassified to join the Trojans a year earlier than anticipated and will try to break into the rotation in his first season at USC.

Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports wrote that Arenas has all the talent to make an impact right away.

"Arenas is a smooth scoring guard with terrific positional size and length. He’s already exceptionally smooth and able utilize his length extremely well, both covering the court and taking long strides through the lane. He also shoots an easy ball from long-range with soft natural touch. Defensively, his size, length, hands, and court coverage are all assets," Finkelstein wrote.

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The Trojans are also set to pick up four-star guards Elzie Harrington and Jerry Easter in their 2025 recruiting class as well, leaving USC with six scholarship players who can man a guard spot in the starting five.

Mar 1, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts to the action in the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Musselman and the Trojans will only have three scholarship guards from this season's roster who are set to return. The Trojans will have to start searching through the transfer portal to find experienced guard depth.

USC has already been in contact with Nevada center transfer Nick Davidson to potentially fill in the depth in the frontcourt, but have also shown interest in North Dakota State guard transfer Jacari White. The No. 3 shooting guard and No. 14 player in the class, White would provide much-needed offensive relief to Desmond Claude in the backcourt for the Trojans. This past season for the Bison, White averaged 17.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game.

It'll be interesting to see how Musselman approaches the transfer portal in his second offseason with the Trojans as he looks to bring the program back to yearly appearences in March Madness.