USC Trojans Officially Welcome Five-Star Recruit Alijah Arenas

The USC Trojans men's basketball program recruited Alijah Arenas right from their own backyard. The five-star McDonald's All-American joins the Trojans from Chatsworth High School in Woodland Hills, and will seek to be a pivotal part of the Trojan's 2025-26 team.

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

In their efforts to recruit and rebuild their roster, the USC Trojans men’s basketball team signed 2025 five-star guard Alijah Arenas from Woodland Hills, California. USC officially welcomed Arenas to the program on social media.

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The 2025 McDonald’s All American brings high expectations for the Trojans and USC coach Eric Musselman’s team. Arenas was originally supposed to graduate in 2026, but he reclassified to the class of 2025.

Arenas chose the Trojans over elite powerhouse basketball programs like Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky, and Louisville. 

What fans often overlook about Arenas is his resiliency. In April, Arenas was involved in a fatal Tesla cyber truck accident that placed him in a medically induced coma. A few weeks later, Arenas had woken up from the coma and began his recovery.

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

Now, Arenas has signed with the Trojans and has inspired many across Los Angeles with his resiliency to pursue his dreams of playing Division I basketball.  

In high school, Arenas scored over 3,000 career points in three years of high school basketball, and became the first male in LA Section history to reach this milestone. The 6-6 guard with a 7-foot wingspan will add versatility, size and scoring ability to Musselman’s roster. 

Additionally, Arenas earned honors such as the LA Daily News' All-Area Player of the Year and was awarded the John R. Wooden award for being the High School Player of the Year.

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Musselman commented on how Arenas will fit in with the team, as well as the USC community following the car accident in April. 

"Alijah will be a huge addition not just to our basketball program, but to our USC community,” Musselman told USC Athletics. “Alijah has an extremely impressive skill set that will have an instant impact on our USC basketball program. He will play a huge part in turning the Galen Center into an exciting homecourt atmosphere. Our coaching staff is beyond excited to be able to get on the floor and get to work with Alijah." 

This past season USC finished their 2024-25 campaign 12th in Big Ten Conference play and 16-17 overall -- not an ideal season for Trojan fans.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman interacts with fans after the game against the Chattanooga Mocs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In the transfer portal, USC lost talent like Desmond Cluade, Josh Cohen and Saint Thomas. However, they’ve also picked up highly regarded players from the portal.

In particular, Virginia-transfer Jacob Cofie and Sacramento-State transfer E.J. Neal could pair well with Arenas on the court to compete with the talented teams in the Big Ten and in college basketball. Chad Baker-Mazara from an elite Auburn team should also play well in this new mix. 

USC currently has a top-10 transfer class in the country. Arenas will be able to complement a plethora of players this season in size and skill. 

Feb 20, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts from from the sideline during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

For Musselman, having Arenas a part of the Trojans team is bittersweet. Arenas’ dad, Gilbert Arenas, was coached by Musselman in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors. 

“Alijah is our first McDonald's All-American that we have been fortunate to coach at USC, and sixth McDonald's American as a college coach.” Musselman said.” Alijah will also be my first, second-generation player that I have had the pleasure to coach in my career, having coached his father Gilbert with the Golden State Warriors."

The Trojans have now filled 13 of 13 spots on their roster and will prepare to compete in the 2025-26 season with a solid group of talent and versatility. 

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