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USC Basketball Recruiting: Trojans Land Alijah Arenas over Kentucky, Arizona and Kansas

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image via LA Daily News

Five-star guard Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, committed to play for Eric Musselman USC on Thursday. The potent scoring guard narrowed his options to Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas, USC and Louisville before choosing the Trojans. Arenas reclassified from the class of 2026 to enter college and the NBA earlier.

Arenas is one of the country’s most talented scorers, averaging 31.8 points per game this season for his Chatsworth team. He’s shown his scoring ability against AAU competition, averaging 21.7 points on a 59.4% true shooting clip in six logged games (per Synergy) with summer with Compton Magic on the Adidas Circuit.

At 6’6, Arenas boasts rare advantage creation tools with one of the best handles in the country. He’ll weave in and out of defenses to find layups, floaters and pull-up jumpers. Arenas must prove himself a capable and willing playmaker, but his scoring inclination at this point makes sense given his immense talent with the ball in his hands.

Arenas’s landing at USC makes sense given his Los Angeles area roots. Arenas figures to be their feature prospect and will have the ball in his hands for much of his time on the court. However, the Trojans already have two four-star guards (Jerry Easter and Elzie Harrington) for 2025. 

Musselman’s Trojans currently sit at 12-8 in his first season as head coach and USC’s first season in the Big 10. With Arenas, the Trojans will hope to make it past the first round of the tournament for the first time since 2021.

Arenas chose the Trojans over Kansas, who already landed Darryn Peterson, the top guard in the country. Mark Pope’s high-powered offense would have welcomed Arenas alongside a trio of high-level freshmen, though he already recruited two guards (Acaden Lewis, Jasper Johnson) from the 2025 class. He passed up the chance to play at his father’s Alma mater, Arizona, and to team up with Bryce James.

Regardless of where Arenas chooses to play, he’ll set his sights at the top of a loaded 2025 class. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson are all elite, blue-chip prospects, and Arenas will hope to play himself into that group. Choosing the right school will be paramount for his eventual NBA success.