Ad Disclosure
Alijah Arenas receives positive update from USC head coach Eric Musselman
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Alijah Arenas was one of the top players in the country when he signed with USC in the 2025 recruiting class. Unfortunately, his start in Los Angeles was delayed by a tragic accident.
Arenas, the son of longtime NBA star Gilbert Arenas, was involved in a crash in April and was placed into a medical coma afterwards. He has been on a path toward recovery since then, and head coach Eric Musselman offered a positive update on Wednesday.
Musselman confirmed that Arenas is cleared for practice and will return to the court on Thursday in his first practice with the Trojans. It’s a positive sign that he’s on a trajectory to be good to go when the season tips off.
Asked about a learning curve to come for Arenas, Musselman said the 5-star prospect has had plenty of time to study the playbook off the court, and he should be ready to roll as a result.
“Usually Alijah is following me around the court and talking to me,” said Musselman about Arenas’s time being unable to practice. “I think he knows the offense on paper, maybe better than anyone on our team. So he’s got an innate ability to kind of see things in a different manner.
“When he has to go live and he’s in there, it’s a different story maybe than seeing it on paper… but I would anticipate him picking it up really quick… I think he knows 2 positions, and we’ll probably need him to learn 3.”
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, Arenas was the No. 7 overall prospect in the entire country for the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 1 shooting guard, per the 247 Sports Composite. Musselman confirmed Arenas will learn the 2 and 3 first, but the Trojans also plan to get him some action at the 1 along the way.
Hopefully, Arenas is able to hit the ground running without any setbacks moving forward.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.