Tag: USC Basketball recruiting

Five-star small forward offered by USC basketball

USC makes another recruiting foray into Florida for a five-star athlete with two-way excellence.

Alex Constanza, a 6-foot-8, 190-pound sophomore from Westminister Academy (Fla.), has received an offer from USC basketball.

Constanza also holds offers from Creighton, Washington, Mississippi State, Arizona State, Georgia, Florida State, Louisville, Auburn, Illinois, Florida Gulf Coast, Alabama, St. John’s, Florida , Syracuse and Ole Miss.

The Ft. Lauderdale native is the No. 1 small forward and the No. 1 prospect coming out of Florida in the 2026 class.

ESPN put out its latest top 25 for the 2026 class, and Constanza jumped from No. 7 to No. 3 in the country.

Constanza is also rated as the No. 6 player overall nationally according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, while the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking put Constanza at No. 8 overall.

Constanza averaged 14.1 ppg, 6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals and shot 49 percent overall, 35 percent from 3-point range and 84 percent at the free throw line. This is a versatile and evolving player Eric Musselman would love to bring into the USC program to get two-way quality and wing defense.

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Top 2025 prospect sets official visit with USC basketball

Eric Musselman goes into Florida, looking for a top 2025 prospect.

Shon Abaev, a top-50 prospect in the Class of 2025, plans to make an official visit to USC basketball and Eric Musselman, according to recruiting websites 247Sports and On3.com.

Abaev will also be taking official visits to the Syracuse Orange, Dayton Flyers, Auburn Tigers, Cincinnati Bearcats, and the Maryland Terrapins.

The 6-foot-7 incoming senior attends Calvary Christian High School in Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) and is ranked as the No. 35 overall player in the 2025 On3 Industry Rankings.

This summer with SOH Elite, Abaev averaged 21.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 38.5% from three, 43% from the field.

His visit with the USC Trojans is set for September 13-14.

He owns offers from over 25 Division I programs so far, but his visit with USC on campus will be big in landing the four-star recruit for the 2025 class. Eric Musselman, as you can see, has a full-on national recruiting strategy, part of an attempt to remake USC as a national brand after a brutal 2024 season fell far short of expectations.

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USC basketball offers Danish 2025 forward Andreas Holst

USC considers the European path.

6-foot-11, 200-pound Danish forward Andreas Holst has been offered by the USC basketball program. The offer was extended earlier this week.

olst competed with the Denmark junior national team this summer in the U18 European Championship. He’s currently playing for the Bakken Bears in the Danish first division professional league.

Holst is a very intriguing prospect with his combination of size and skill, along with being a pretty good athlete. The 18-year-old has shown the ability to make plays off the bounce, knock down threes and block shots on defense.

Holst has represented Denmark on the international stage. He played for the U18 national team at the 2024 FIBA U18 European Championship in Nis, Serbia, and averaged 8.9 points and 3.0 rebounds on 34.6 % shooting from the 3 point land.

It will be interesting to see if Holst is willing to take a chance on Eric Musselman and USC. The Trojans’ crosstown rivals, the UCLA Bruins, have leaned into bringing aboard European players in recent years. Is this a sign that USC sees value in going the European route?

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USC basketball to make a strong push for Illinois four-star decommit

This is a top-35 national prospect and a point guard. UConn and Arkansas want him. Can Eric Musselman get him?

Jeremiah Fears, a four-star point guard out of Chicago, has decided to reopen his recruitment after being committed to the Illini since January. USC basketball definitely wants to be in on the battle to recruit him.

Fears took to X (formerly Twitter) to explain his decision:

“First and foremost, I would like to thank the Illini nation for all the love and support they have given me and my family during my recruitment and commitment,” he wrote. “I’d like to express my appreciation to Coach Underwood and his staff for their open communication and trust in me as a prospective next great guard to perform at the State Farm Center. Please trust my full intention was to enter Champaign in the class of 2025 and help contribute to the continued ascension in the BIG10. With that being said, after further consideration and meaningful conversations with my family, I’ll be reopening my recruitment and exploring other opportunities.”

Fears is the younger brother of Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears, who just finished his freshman year with the Spartans. The older Fears brother averaged 3.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 15.3 minutes per game over 12 games played. His season was cut short after suffering a gunshot wound to the leg last December.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Fears is currently a class of 2025 recruit at all four major recruiting services. He’s ranked 24th overall by ESPN, 55th by On3, 37th by 247 Sports, and 31st by Rivals.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Fears could re-classify to the 2024 class this fall.

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USC basketball target and five-star guard makes important decision

UConn leads in this recruitment.

Meleek Thomas, the No. 7 basketball prospect in ESPN’s Class of 2025, is a USC Trojan target. He is leaving Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh to sign with Overtime Elite, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported.

The 6-foot-4, 175-pound combo guard is averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27 minutes per game in the Nike EYBL this summer. He was all-state as a junior in Pennsylvania last season.

Thomas still plans on visiting UConn and Arkansas this summer as he prepares for his senior season. He told ESPN he was impressed that Dan Hurley turned down the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching job to return to Storrs.

“That definitely makes UConn more attractive now,” Thomas said.

Thomas also holds offers from Duke, Auburn, Indiana, Georgetown, Kansas, Michigan, Miami, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

247Sports ranks Thomas as the No. 6 overall player and top-ranked combo guard in the 2025 class.

Overtime Elite has produced some top-tier talent since 2021, including Amen and Ausar Thompson, who were lottery picks in the 2023 NBA draft. Alex Sarr, Matas Buzelis, and Rob Dillingham are among the alums expected to be taken in the lottery in this week’s draft.

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USC basketball offers 2025 four-star small forward Jasir Rencher

Eric Musselman is trying to boost future USC classes while Lincoln Riley is attempting to do the same in football.

Four-star guard Jasir Rencher, a native of San Francisco from Archbishop Riodran High School, picked up a USC basketball offer this week from Eric Musselman. Rencher also holds offers from BYU, West Virginia, Illinois, Utah, Cal, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and Utah among others.

Rencher is a bonafide star of the 2025 class. He ranks as the No. 110 best overall prospect in the class and the No. 11 player in the state of California.

Rencher is also ranked as the No. 28 small forward in the class. He plays shooting guard at 6’5 and 200 pounds.

USC is expected to use a different style of play under Eric Musselman, compared to Andy Enfield, who is now at SMU. The Trojans should play faster and should apply more all-court defensive pressure. Regardless of style or tempo, Musselman does bring a uniquely ravenous energy to USC. The hope is that his energy rubs off on his players and the program, so that USC can take the next step in its overall development.

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USC basketball target Sadiq White sets date for college decision

An elite forward makes his choice, with USC in the running.

One of the top power forwards in the 2025 basketball recruiting class, Sadiq White, is ready to announce his commitment. The 6-foot-8 rising senior out of Charlotte will announce his college decision on Wednesday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time on the On3 Recruits YouTube Channel. White will choose among his final seven schools — Alabama, Georgetown, LSU, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, and the USC Trojans.

The five-star recruit is No. 23 nationally, No. 7 at power forward, and No. 1 in North Carolina within his cycle, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

Thus far, during the EYBL’s two sessions in Memphis and Atlanta, White is averaging 14.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

On3 expert Jamie Shaw recently said, “In a gym filled with athletes, you notice 6-foot-7 forward Sadiq White’s explosion. Where he has done a good job finding his niche is on the defensive end. While his skill set continues to round out, he has natural instincts in the passing lanes and as a weak-side shot blocker.”

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USC basketball offers 2025 guard Kayden ‘Bugg’ Edwards

USC and Eric Musselman are in the mix for an explosive and creative scorer.

2025 guard Kayden “Bugg” Edwards is from Duncanville High School in Texas. He has been offered by Eric Mussleman and the USC basketball program.

Edwards currently has offers from Memphis, Arkansas, Tennessee, TCU, Texas, Auburn, Kansas State, Mississippi State and many others.

The left-handed combo guard averaged 18 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 44% shooting from the field last season.

Edwards was named a top five performer at The Puma Pro16 Circuit this past weekend.

Basketball recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw said this about Edwards:

“Friday night’s performance was as good of a showing as I have seen from the guard position in offseason showcase events this year. One thing I have been wanting to see from Edwards was how he reacted as a primary initiator in the halfcourt. The lefty exploded for 41 points, playing expertly in the pick and roll as he snaked through the defense to find open space. Edwards showcased a quick handle with good wiggle. He scored at each level. During his Saturday morning game, Edwards finished with 32 points, going 6-10 from three and 10-11 from the free throw line.”

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USC basketball offers the No. 2 prospect in Michigan

Eric Musselman wants to make a Big Ten statement on the trail in Michigan.

Davison (Michigan) native Gregory Lawson is a 2025 three-star point guard. He has been offered by USC and Eric Mussleman. The new Trojan coach continues to build this USC hoops team from the ground up.

Lawson averaged 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists in his junior season last year. He was also one of the top cornerbacks in the state of Michigan but plans on playing basketball at the next level.

Lawson tells SpartanMag.com that Arkansas, Michigan State, Ohio State, TCU, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Xavier, Alabama, Iowa, Penn State, Notre Dame, and Georgetown ‘are all really consistent’ with their communication.

Rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Lawson is ranked the No. 22 point guard, No. 125 overall recruit in the national 2025 class and No. 2 in the state of Michigan.

Eric Musselman had to load up on the transfer portal to create his 2024-2025 USC basketball roster. Future rosters are likely to be more recruiting-oriented and less dependent on the portal.

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AJ Dybantsa, top recruit in 2025 class, lands USC basketball offer

USC is in the mix for the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025.

AJ Dybantsa, the consensus No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, has received an offer from Eric Mussleman and USC basketball.

The 6-9, 210-pound forward from Prolifc Prep High School in Napa (California) is very much in demand. Dybantsa, a five-star prospect, was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2026, but he announced on CBS Sports HQ in October that he will be joining the Class of 2025.

Dybantsa per247Sports has offers from several other high-profile schools, including Duke, North Carolina, Arkansas, UConn, Kansas and Kentucky.

He averaged more than 20 points a game this season while shooting better than 50 percent from the field, leading his school to a national championship.

Dybantsa is also the only freshman to ever win the Gatorade Player of the Year Award in Massachusetts.

“[The G League] is a possibility as well,” Dybantsa told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 in an interview last fall, “but I did promise my mom one year of college.”

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