Eric Musselman Doesn’t Hold Back on USC’s Leaders Next Season

After a 2025 season riddled with injuries, the USC Trojans seem to be a lot healthier entering 2026.

In addition to getting healthier, the Trojans also have three key players returning who coach Eric Musselman believes could have a major impact on USC’s 2026 campaign.

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Rodney Rice (1) dribbles the ball during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Culture Of USC Basketball

“Yeah, we’re super excited to have Rodney Rice, Alijah Arenas, Jacob Cofie. Those three guys have to bring the culture. They gotta bring the rest of the guys to where we wanna go. They know what the expectations are. The great thing about returners is to see growth in their game. Those three guys had good years last year, now we need them to have great years, and they need to build off what they’ve already done. And then we’ve gotta see a great deal of improvement as well in certain areas of their game,” said Musselman.

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As mentioned by Musselman, the Trojans are getting guard Rodney Rice, guard Alijah Arenas in addition to forward Jacob Cofie to return to USC for the 2026 season. Being able to bring back these three players is something that could do a lot more than just help the Trojans win more games, it could help to establish a winning culture at USC.

Last season, the Trojans were unable to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In order to reach March Madness, the Trojans must have leaders who can step up to show what the standard is at USC to compete at the highest level in college basketball.

That is why the returns of Rice, Arenas, and Cofie could be such a big deal. All three of these players had solid performances during the 2025 season and could take a step forward in 2026. However, they do need to help the younger players on the roster to develop and adjust to what is a very competitive and…

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Publish date : 2026-06-05 15:54:00

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