USC Basketball: 4-Star SF Prospect Names Trojans As Finalist
![Mar 17, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; USC Trojans guard Drew Peterson (13) passes around Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first round of the NCAA men s basketball tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Basketball Ncaa Men S Basketball Tournament Mar 17, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; USC Trojans guard Drew Peterson (13) passes around Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first round of the NCAA men s basketball tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Basketball Ncaa Men S Basketball Tournament](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3600,h_2025,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_trojans/01j4f9q4c0e3gdjbtyas.jpg)
Four-star small forward Winters Grady shortened his list to nine schools, one of which was USC. Grady, class of 2025, named Arizona State, Colorado, Creighton, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, and the Trojans as his top schools on Friday.
NEWS: 2025 four-star SF Winters Grady is down to nine schools, he tells @On3Recruits.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 2, 2024
The 6-6 sharpshooter has scheduled six official visits: https://t.co/o35KMi79AZ pic.twitter.com/zrMZZlQf8r
The 6-foot-6 rising senior has taken an unofficial visit to USC and Oregon. The prospect also has official visits scheduled with six other schools on his list.
The Prolific Prep senior is the No. 66 overall prospect in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Grady is also the No. 15 small forward prospect in the 2025 cycle. The rankings are based on a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting companies.
Nationally, Grady is ranked as the No. 81 prospect based on the 247Sports composite. Last season, the Napa Valley sharpshooter played alongside AJ Dybansta and Tyran Stokes who are the top-rated players in the 2025 and 2026 cycles. Prolific Prep boys' basketball went 34-6 last season.
The small forward has yet to publicly share his thoughts on USC, but in an interview with On3's Jamie Shaw, the four-star recruit discussed other programs involved in his recruitment.
Grady spoke with Oklahoma's head coach Porter Moser via Zoom call.
“I really like Coach Moser," Grady said. "My dad and I both really like him. He’s a basketball mind. We sat on our last Zoom call for about 30 minutes after it ended just talking basketball. That was a great thing to see because I’m a basketball junkie too. I just love watching it and playing it, it’s kind of my whole life.
So seeing someone else like that, knowing they are as invested as I am and do things like I do, is good to see. “Coach Moser sees me as a three-level scorer and that my game is really translatable to college and beyond. He thinks I fit well in their freestyle type of system."
Before Grady played for Prolific Prep in Northern California, he played for the Lake Oswego boys' basketball team in Oregon. The prospect averaged 27.4 points per game as a sophomore at Lake Oswego. Grady shared his thoughts on Oregon and their involvement in his recruitment.
"Things are good there now," Grady said. "They’ve definitely picked up their recruitment here recently. We haven’t discussed too deep into a lot of things. I know they think I can score the ball and they kind of view me as more of a shooter, but someone who can score the ball. A lot of the high-major players from Oregon typically go to Oregon, but I wouldn’t say there is pressure for me. I played at Prolific this past season, so I’m not full-time Oregon anymore."
4⭐️ Winters Grady discusses his recruitment while breaking down Michigan, Oregon, New Mexico, and Oklahoma | READ: https://t.co/PSvqTNS1OR pic.twitter.com/82YpGjNQmn
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) July 29, 2024
It's unclear whether the Ducks are a strong contender for Grady, but now that he is in California, the Trojans might be a more appealing option for the four-star recruit.