USC Men’s Basketball Managers Earn Valuable NBA Experience
July 13, 2026 | Men's Basketball
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Five Trojan managers and graduate assistants are working for NBA teams, trainers and agencies this summer
LOS ANGELES — As the spring semester began to wind down, USC men's basketball student manager Grace Borrego thought she was going home for the summer.
After cold-emailing dozens of NBA teams for summer internship opportunities, she faced a predicament familiar to most college students: Nobody was responding. Time was running out. She thought of moving back home to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she'd do the same summer job she worked last year until USC's summer practices began.
On a rare slow day at the Galen Center, Borrego received a phone call from Los Angeles Clippers Executive Director of Basketball Operations Rishabh Desai that completely changed her summer plans.
"I thought it was going to be one of those networking calls where someone gives you advice, I could ask some questions and nothing would come of it," Borrego said. "But 40 minutes into the call, he started talking about a summer internship that I had no idea about. I had no idea that he was actually interviewing me for it on the call."
A few days later, Borrego got another call: She was going to be the Los Angeles Clippers' next basketball operations intern.
USC basketball players aren't the only ones gaining experience with NBA teams during the offseason — student managers are getting professional experiences too. Borrego is one of five current USC student managers and graduate assistants interning with NBA teams, trainers or agencies this summer, including Brady Beyer (Miami Heat), Jordan Bradford (JusHoop), Jeremiah Suh (Drew Hanlen) and Aki Swamy (Klutch Agency).
One week after her last final, Borrego began taking on more projects for the Clippers than she anticipated, ranging from writing bios of draft prospects to transcribing interviews, developing trackers for summer league players, and helping out in practices before the Clippers headed to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League. Although no two days were the same, she felt prepared for the job because of the skills she developed as a student manager at USC.
"One of the big things that USC has taught me is how to talk to people in this industry and how to network," Borrego, who is going into her junior year, said. "I get to talk to NBA scouts, agents and parents all the time at USC. And it's also taught me how to do the little things well — even if nobody notices. Doing the things that nobody else wants to do is really important, and it usually turns into good experiences."
While each USC manager had different summer tasks at their internships, they all used connections and skills they formed at USC to help them succeed.
Rising junior Jordan Bradford found out about his opportunity with renowned NBA trainer Chris Johnson's JusHoop program through Elston Jones, a former USC men's basketball graduate assistant who worked with Johnson's program last summer.
In the lead-up to the NBA Draft, Bradford helped Johnson run workouts for Klutch Sports Agency's four-man draft class, including eventual first-round picks Caleb Wilson, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat. Six days a week, Bradford would help with skill development and drills for the future draft picks before working with USC players later in the day. While some of Bradford's fellow interns were star-struck when future first-round picks and current NBA players showed up to the gym, Bradford was confident, composed and unafraid to give advice to the players he trained. USC men's basketball manager Jordan Bradford (right) guards
Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney during a JusHoop practice.
Blake Miller (@bigb.media)
"Chris Johnson is very adamant about coaches speaking up and using our voices," Bradford said. "He'll let us coach and give our two cents. The best part about the guys that he trains is they're all trying to get better, so they'll actually listen to you. As long as you know what you're saying and you know what you're talking about, they'll take your advice and listen."
As Bradford was teaching players in practice, he was constantly learning more about basketball because of Johnson's knack for simplifying the game. After spending time running fast-paced, NBA-style practices with Johnson, Bradford decided he would use those drills at USC whenever players will ask for his help. With each practice, his confidence grew, helping him become a more confident, capable leader — no matter who he shared the gym with.
"Our guys are trying to get better too, and they trust and believe that I know what I'm talking about because of who I work with," Bradford said. "It's a good way for me to practice teaching, coaching and using my voice with no pressure. That's been big for my confidence."
Being confident in an NBA environment as a college student might be daunting for some. Brady Beyer was born into it. His father, Dave Beyer, has been the Senior Director of Basketball Operations at the Miami Heat for over two decades. As the Heat won titles throughout Beyer's childhood, he knew that he wanted to be out on the floor coaching.
So far, Beyer has taken on a video coordinator role during Miami's Summer League stint in Las Vegas. After sitting in for early coaches' meetings — a rarity for interns — Beyer helps at practice before hunkering down behind a laptop to make video scouting reports for opposing Summer League players.
Like his fellow student managers, Beyer says the professional environment at USC has helped him as he works for an NBA team. Every day, Beyer has to think quickly, problem-solve independently and deliver results in a pressure-packed environment.
"When people at USC ask me to do something, I don't need them to hold my hand — I just figure it out and do it," Beyer said. "No one's holding your hand at the next level. When my bosses at the Heat ask me for a personnel edit in the next four hours, I can say I'll get it done in the next two hours. Being part of USC and learning from what the coaches expect of me — especially being a leader of sorts — has really helped me transition to be the best I can at the next level."
When Beyer isn't watching opponents' film, a main part of his job is filming Miami's practices. Beyer isn't the only Trojan learning the ropes with the Heat this summer: Former Trojan Ezra Ausar is on the Miami Heat's Summer League roster.
"When he showed up to practice, he just had the biggest smile on his face when he saw me," Beyer said. "For him, having someone who he's familiar with and seeing a familiar face really helped him get comfortable with the team."
Later in the summer, Beyer had front-row seats to Ausar's Summer League debut against the Los Angeles Lakers in the California Classic, where he finished with four points and four rebounds in 12 minutes.
"At halftime he came up to me with this look on his face and he said, 'Brady, I'm learning so much out there,'" Beyer recalled.
For the USC student managers, these opportunities to learn from NBA teams, trainers and programs are a privilege. Thanks to being in Los Angeles and working in a program full of people with NBA backgrounds, USC's student managers gain unique opportunities compared to most college students.
"Being in LA at USC is not only a privilege, but also we have a vast amount of resources," Beyer said. "Being part of USC men's basketball, you meet all types of people from inside and outside the program. Building those relationships and connections has been really good for everybody who's been a part of this program on staff to get opportunities to work at the next level."
Bradford echoed that sentiment, adding that USC's great resources and connections also come with great responsibilities.
"You never know who [head coach Eric] Muss knows, and you never know who's watching," Bradford said. "The one day that you decide you don't want to go hard might be the day that you're caught on camera being lazy. You have to go hard at all times. The main thing is to stay focused, reach out and present yourself in the best way. The rest will take care of itself."
"You can learn how to watch and cut film, or learn all the CBA rules anywhere," Borrego added. "But learning how to do the little things and being held to a high standard is what's going to carry us further than anyone else."
