Four-star guard commits to USC men’s basketball

Bringing in a quality recruit during the same week in which it endured a blowout loss magnifies the importance of building the next USC basketball roster.

Earlier this week, USC men’s basketball landed a commitment from four-star guard Jerry Easter. This commitment takes on added meaning and significance in light of USC’s 35-point loss to Saint Mary’s on Thursday night. Rosters comprised mostly of transfers will lack early-season continuity and cohesion. Eric Musselman knows he has to build a foundation for the program’s future with quality recruiting, and here’s a really good addition for the Muss Bus.

A 6-4 guard, Easter is from Toledo, Ohio, but attends high school at Link Academy in Stamford, Connecticut. On3 Consensus ranks him as the No. 33 overall player in the class of 2025.

Easter is USC’s first commit of the 2025 class, which will mark the first full recruiting cycle for new head coach Eric Musselman. Musselman took over the program in April after spending the previous five seasons as the head coach at Arkansas.

Given the state of the Trojans’ roster the time of his hiring, Musselman’s 2024-2025 team is made up almost entirely of transfers, as we noted above. Musselman’s 2025 recruiting class will be his first real step towards building the program in his image.

USC currently sits at 5-2 on the 2024-2025 season after the Saint Mary’s on Thanksgiving Night.

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Elite 2025 recruit Jerry Easter is open to an offer from Kentucky basketball

Top 20 recruit Jerry Easter says getting an offer from Kentucky basketball would be big.

Combo guard Jerry Easter is a top 20 player in the 2025 class, and he has already heard from Kentucky basketball coaches. Now, he’s waiting for an offer from the Wildcats.

Easter is one of the best players in his class, and 247sports has him in the top 20, and rated four stars. That rating might go higher after his recent stretch of play. He showed off both his ability to score and his knack for passing and rebounding in front of a number of interested coaches in Indianapolis.

Related: Current Kentucky basketball recruiting targets for 2025

Mark Pope was there in person to witness Easter’s performances, and it wasn’t lost on the Ohio native. He told Kentucky Sports Radio:

They’ve just been watching me, seeing how I’m doing. I’ve just wanted to show them I’m a hard worker and I just like to win.

Easter also told KSR that he was aware of the great fandom that Kentucky has, saying:

They come out and support, they really support their teams and I like that environment. I like big crowds — I’m used to that in my hometown. You can’t go wrong with Kentucky.

An offer from Kentucky would “be big” according to Easter, and he hopes to get one from a team he says he watched a lot as a kid.

Big Blue Nation is waiting to see how well Mark Pope recruits, and he is in contact with a number of the top 2025 players. As for Easter, fans will have to wait and see how it plays out, but after watching him play, it would be surprising if Pope doesn’t make an offer.

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope interested in 2025 recruit Jerry Easter

Kentucky basketball has been in contact with 2025 recruit Jerry Easter.

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is looking ahead to 2025, even though he’s still building the 2024 roster. He has been in contact with multiple top recruits in the class, and has made offers and set up visits for some. Now, he has another, guard Jerry Easter, in his sights, according to Jacob Polacheck of Kentucky Sports Radio (subscription required).

Easter, a 6’3″, 200 lb four-star combo guard is currently the 20th ranked player in the 2025 class according to 247sports. A number of teams have already also expressed interest.

Polacheck spoke to Easter, who had this to say about Kentucky, and Pope in particular:

I like how they’ve been building their program and reaching out to me. They seem like cool coaches. I like how they’ve been talking to my dad.

Easter’s father also had complimentary things to say about the Wildcats.

The whole staff is going to see him play next weekend in Indianapolis. We’ve been watching Kentucky our whole life. We love Kentucky. Derek Anderson went there. Jerry works out with Derek Anderson.

Fans who were unhappy about Pope’s hire will want to see him be able to land some top recruits for the Wildcats. He’s certainly working on it, and Easter would definitely be a solid addition.

Michigan State basketball to host 5 recruits against Ohio State

MSU will be hosting five big time recruits for its matchup with Ohio State on Sunday:

Michigan State is set to host Ohio State inside of the Breslin Center on Sunday afternoon for a big time Big Ten matchup.

While the matchup on the floor is imperative for the Spartans as they move into March, the Spartans will be making it a big day for recruiting as well.

According to Joe Tipton of On3, via X, Michigan State will be hosting five big time targets in the class of 2025 and class of 2026.

Check out who the Spartans will be hosting at the Breslin Center on Sunday, when they square off with the Buckeyes: