Make California Post a Preferred Source This should be Eric Musselman’s best team at USC.
Those words were uttered a year ago, only for fate to intervene.
Rodney Rice went down after only six games, Chad Baker-Mazara was dismissed on the first day of March and Alijah Arenas hobbled through the final handful of games on a badly sprained ankle.
Going back to his final season at Arkansas, Musselman’s teams have not made the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive years now — an eternity for a coach who had never previously missed the tournament in back-to-back seasons.
But here comes that dangerous refrain again: This should be Musselman’s best team at USC.
The optimism centers on a roster that features tremendous length and height — even with 7-foot-1 center Eric Reibe, a transfer from UConn, sidelined by a foot injury until around the start of Big Ten play.
What other college team will count on a 7-1 small forward like the Trojans have in Adonis Ratliff, the sharpshooting freshman and son of former NBA All-Star Theo Ratliff?
“Adonis,” Arenas said with palpable awe, “his shooting, that’s something else.”
Identical twin Darius Ratliff is among the options to hold down the 5 spot until Reibe returns, along with the 6-10 Jacob Cofie as part of a small-ball lineup and perhaps some spot minutes from 6-10 Aussie Joshua Hughes and 6-10 freshman Onyeka Joe Agu.
Cofie will mostly play power forward, with Hughes getting some time there as well as 6-9 freshman Christian Collins, one of five former McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster.
The length carries into the backcourt with the 6-7 Arenas returning for a second college season after being limited to 14 games last season because of a knee injury. After returning from the sore ankle that required a six-week recovery after the season, Arenas is expected to fully unleash the talent that could make him an NBA lottery pick.
“Completely different player,” Musselman said of the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. “His vertical leap is like 6 inches better than last year, which is unheard of.”
Running the offense will be Rice, the veteran guard who showed a tantalizing combination of skills while averaging 20 points and 6.3 assists before going down in late November with a season-ending shoulder injury.
No. 21 USC’s season opener against Milwaukee on Nov. 2 at the Galen Center will represent the first time that Rice and Arenas have played together.
“Those two guys can be dynamic,” Musselman said. “They both can score the ball, so sharing the ball, passing up good shots for great shots, all those things become super important.”
Musselman has set a goal of 200 passes per game as a barometer of whether his team is sharing the ball enough. Helping in that department will be former Georgetown and Arizona guard KJ Lewis, who recently returned from the ankle injury that prematurely ended his one season with the Hoyas.
Retaining three starters in Rice, Arenas and Cofie should give Musselman a head start in instilling the culture he wants on a team that also includes four freshmen and seven transfers.
“If you don’t have it,” Musselman said of the retention, “it’s a pretty big hurdle to overcome, so those three guys being starters help a ton.”
Cofie, who has appeared more confident and assertive after participating in the NBA draft combine, said the length and versatility on this roster is enticing.
“I think we’ll have multiple different lineups — we have long arms, tall players,” Cofie said. “I think we have a lot of different offensive skills. I feel like last year we had certain lineups that didn’t fit what we wanted to do.”
For the moment, with their roster mostly intact and the possibilities inviting, it’s no stretch to say the Trojans should make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023.
Then again, given how things can always go sideways, one might hesitate before repeating the recognizable phrase.
Christian Collins. The former St. John Bosco High standout should flash star power in his first college season, using his unique blend of length and athleticism to elevate the Trojans. He’ll also become a symbol of courage for pushing through his ongoing bout with Cystic fibrosis, raising awareness for a condition that cannot stop him from becoming a major contributor for his new team.
How to deal with the injury to Eric Reibe. When coach Eric Musselman snagged the 7-foot-1 center from UConn out of the transfer portal, it was seen as a major coup. Reibe was a promising piece from a blue blood school that would provide a significant upgrade at a position of need. But Reibe’s foot injury that’s expected to sideline him until around the start of Big Ten play will force Musselman to get creative with his rotation. Freshman Darius Ratliff should get most of the minutes at the position until Reibe’s return.
Having five former McDonald’s All-Americans and a trio of returning starters means this team has the sort of upside rarely seen inside the Galen Center. The Trojans could be the season’s breakthrough team, rejuvenating one of the worst fan bases in college basketball.
After recently returning from a left ankle injury that had sidelined him since February, Georgetown transfer KJ Lewis could be a major spark off the bench and a candidate for the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year. Lewis won’t need to be a prolific scorer – though he certainly has that capability – as much as influence games with his ability to distribute, grab rebounds and come up with steals.
Rodney Rice fulfills his vow to play at an All-America level. The senior guard who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury could easily average over 20 points and five rebounds, making him the Trojans’ most indispensable player. Having as much talent around him as he does will only help.
Musselman’s off-the-court troubles. Already embroiled in a lawsuit brought by former Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara that accused Musselman of going on a racist rant in the locker room, Musselman was subsequently sued by a beach treasure hunter who claimed that Musselman’s verbal scolding during a chance encounter left him with severe emotional and psychological distress.
1. The Trojans finally make the NCAA Tournament under Musselman. They haven’t come close in either of Musselman’s first two seasons, finishing with a losing record in Year 1 and dropping their final eight games in Year 2 to finish 18-14. But there’s more than enough talent on this roster for a breakthrough in Year 3.
2. Home attendance finally experiences an uptick. The Galen Center is never going to be confused with Cameron Indoor Stadium – or, heck, even Pauley Pavilion – when it comes to generating a huge homecourt edge, but the Trojans should enjoy some bigger crowds this season.
3. Alijah Arenas will fashion himself into a lottery pick. With his enticing blend of skills, it almost seems as if all he has to do is stay healthy to become a player many NBA teams will covet.
NOV. 11 AT CALIFORNIA: Facing an old Pac-12 rival on the road might provide the first indication of the Trojans’ upside.
DEC. 13 VS. TEXAS TECH: The Trojans’ only marquee nonconference game could provide an NCAA Tournament seeding bump.
DEC. 30 AT PURDUE: A road win over the Boilermakers in a tough environment could make for a very happy New Year.
JAN. 12 VS. MICHIGAN STATE: Perhaps Eric Musselman’s best win at USC came over the Spartans in Year 1.
MARCH 6 AT UCLA: With both rivals probably NCAA Tournament locks by then, this will be all about seeding.
There’s no drama on Selection Sunday this season for Musselman, his team landing a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a chance for an epic second-round upset.
