5-Star Recruit Alijah Arenas Commits to USC Trojans, Eric Musselman

5-star guard in the class of 2025, Alijah Arenas, announced on Thursday that he would be committing to the USC Trojans. Alijah is the son of former NBA All-Star, Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert played under USC coach Eric Musselman with the Golden State Warriors.
Jan 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have received the verbal commitment of five-star shooting guard Alijah Arenas. Arenas was on his father Gilbert Arenas’s podcast on Thursday and announced he would be committing to USC.

“For me it felt like the best fit,” Elijah Arenas said. 

Dec 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half a
Dec 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the Cal State Northridge Matadors at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Alijah Arenas Commits to USC

Arenas is a 6-6, 195 pound shooting guard out ofd Chatsworth, California. He is the top ranked shooting guard in the class of 2025. 

Arenas called USC coach Eric Musselman to announce his commitment, and some of Musselman's message to the recruit was caught on the podcast.

"Alijah, congratulations man. You celebrate with your family, I’m gonna go celebrate with the coaches, and call you in a little bit. Cannot wait to coach you, thanks for trusting us. Love it that you’re staying in Los Angeles, California," said Musselman.

Before announcing his commitment, Arenas spoke to 247Sports' Brandon Jenkins in December about his recruitment process. Arenas talked about the relationship he has with Musselman.

"Eric Musselman is my guy and he is pushing hard. He coached my dad in the league," Arenas told Jenkins.

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Arenas was originally a member in the class of 2026 before reclassifying. The decision accelerated his process of committing, but the elite recruit made sure to prioritize relationships and fit during his recruitment.

"We are taking it step-by-step to see how it goes," Arenas told Jenkins. "I am just seeing what my options are. It will all come down to how they are going to treat me and how I can fit into their program."

His father, Gilbert, played in the NBA from 2001 to 2012, making the All-Star game three times and being on three All-NBA teams. Gilbert spent the early years of his career with the Golden State Warriors. One of his first coaches when he was on the Warriors was Musselman.

Some of the other schools that Alijah Arenas had been considering were the Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona Wildcats. Landing Arenas is a huge win for coach Eric Musselman and the Trojans. This is the highest ranked player they have got a commitment from in the Musselman era, and he is the first five-star of the Trojans' 2025 recruiting class..

Arenas is the third prospect to commit to USC, giving the Trojans the No. 7 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports. He joins four-star guards Elzie Harrington and Jerry Easter, and his commitment gives USC the highest-ranked class in the Big Ten with three commits.

In the overall rankings, the few teams ahead of USC are traditional powerhouses like Duke, Houston, UConn, and Kentucky.

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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.