USC basketball star Alijah Arenas makes sophomore season decision

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USC will get another year of star guard Alijah Arenas in the 2026-2027 college basketball season. The Trojans will keep the son of former NBA legend Gilbert Arenas in Los Angeles for at least one more season.

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USC announced that Arenas, a former five-star recruit, would be returning on Tuesday via social media.

“Alijah Arenas will RETURN for the 2026-27 season!” the tweet read. “Let’s run it back, Agent 0.”

Arenas briefly flirted with entering the 2026 NBA Draft, but he withdrew his name shortly after entering. He never entered the college basketball transfer portal, indicating his return to USC, which was finally confirmed on Tuesday.

Arenas was USC’s third-leading scorer in his freshman season, averaging 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 2025-2026. He only appeared in 14 games, including 13 starts, and had a strong end to the year, becoming one of the team’s go-to offensive options in the final two months.

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With Chad Baker-Mazara, Ezra Ausar, Kam Woods and Jordan Marsh departing, USC will turn to Arenas to accept a larger role in his sophomore season, which the confident 6-foot-6 scorer will have no problem accepting.

Although USC has underwhelmed since joining the Big Ten, it is already set up for more success in 2026-2027. Arenas joins former Georgetown guard K.J. Lewis and UConn transfer center Eric Reibe on Eric Musselman’s new-look roster, which also confirmed the returns of Rodney Rice and Jacob Cofie. The Trojans will also welcome one of the best recruiting classes in the country, led by five-star forward Christian Collins.

Despite not making the NCAA Tournament since 2023, USC will have substantially higher expectations in 2026-2027, which could be a make-or-break season for Musselman.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-basketball-star-alijah-arenas-214455192.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-28 21:44:00

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