University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: John McGillen/USC Athletics
Q&A with Jalen Cox
July 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES — With a talented mix of returners, transfers and blue-chip freshman recruits, the USC men's basketball team is looking to make the NCAA Tournament in Head Coach Eric Musselman's third year.
One of the incoming transfers, senior guard Jalen Cox, sat down to talk about returning back home to Los Angeles, his collegiate journey and the Trojans' deep backcourt.
Why'd you end up choosing USC, and what was the recruiting pitch?
The ability to be back home, play in front of my family, friends, and then also to have a coach like Coach Musselman. It was really hard to pass up on this opportunity.
How excited are you to return home after three seasons on the East Coast?
Very excited, especially where I was at. It was freezing in those winter months.
Can you give me some insight on what led you to Colgate and to the East Coast out of high school?
Yeah, out of high school, I didn't have any Division I offers. I was thinking about actually pursuing track, and saying forget basketball. But my parents persuaded me to go have a prep year in Connecticut.
What did you find most helpful during that one year at Connecticut?
Just another year to get a little bit more mature, work on my game. We were in the middle of nowhere, so the ability just to work on your game 24/7, I think that helped out.
What excites you most about playing in front of your hometown, playing at the Galen Center?
It's just the history. Everyone that's come before me, it's an honor to put on this uniform. I'm very excited, and we have a really good team. I'm excited to see what we can do.
The team has a good group of guards this year. You have yourself, Rodney Rice, Alijah Arenas, and company. What are you most looking forward to playing with this group of guards?
It's just the ability to play with future pros and where every practice is a gauntlet. We're being pushed every day, so it's going to make the games feel that much easier.
What did you notice most about playing at Colgate and the level of competition during the summer at USC?
The biggest thing that jumped out to me was the physicality. The shot-making is tougher, and the defense is a little tougher. It's just a little heightened. There's taller players. There's more athletic players and shooters.
How would you describe your game?
I'd say all gas, no brakes. I'm a very fast player. I feel like so I definitely use that to my advantage. Whenever I have the opportunity, I'm always trying to push the ball and make the game fast-paced.
How did you develop your playmaking abilities?
I definitely think that's something I've definitely had with me when I was playing basketball as a little kid. But definitely my freshman year at Colgate, I played under Braden Smith, who's at Notre Dame right now, and just having a year under him, seeing how he was playmaking — I think that definitely helped me out.
Who do you model your game after?
In a perfect world, I like to say, like a De'Aaron Fox. I think we're both pretty really fast guards, and just just how he attacks the game. I definitely watch him a lot.
One of the incoming transfers, senior guard Jalen Cox, sat down to talk about returning back home to Los Angeles, his collegiate journey and the Trojans' deep backcourt.
Why'd you end up choosing USC, and what was the recruiting pitch?
The ability to be back home, play in front of my family, friends, and then also to have a coach like Coach Musselman. It was really hard to pass up on this opportunity.
How excited are you to return home after three seasons on the East Coast?
Very excited, especially where I was at. It was freezing in those winter months.
Can you give me some insight on what led you to Colgate and to the East Coast out of high school?
Yeah, out of high school, I didn't have any Division I offers. I was thinking about actually pursuing track, and saying forget basketball. But my parents persuaded me to go have a prep year in Connecticut.
What did you find most helpful during that one year at Connecticut?
Just another year to get a little bit more mature, work on my game. We were in the middle of nowhere, so the ability just to work on your game 24/7, I think that helped out.
What excites you most about playing in front of your hometown, playing at the Galen Center?
It's just the history. Everyone that's come before me, it's an honor to put on this uniform. I'm very excited, and we have a really good team. I'm excited to see what we can do.
The team has a good group of guards this year. You have yourself, Rodney Rice, Alijah Arenas, and company. What are you most looking forward to playing with this group of guards?
It's just the ability to play with future pros and where every practice is a gauntlet. We're being pushed every day, so it's going to make the games feel that much easier.
What did you notice most about playing at Colgate and the level of competition during the summer at USC?
The biggest thing that jumped out to me was the physicality. The shot-making is tougher, and the defense is a little tougher. It's just a little heightened. There's taller players. There's more athletic players and shooters.
How would you describe your game?
I'd say all gas, no brakes. I'm a very fast player. I feel like so I definitely use that to my advantage. Whenever I have the opportunity, I'm always trying to push the ball and make the game fast-paced.
How did you develop your playmaking abilities?
I definitely think that's something I've definitely had with me when I was playing basketball as a little kid. But definitely my freshman year at Colgate, I played under Braden Smith, who's at Notre Dame right now, and just having a year under him, seeing how he was playmaking — I think that definitely helped me out.
Who do you model your game after?
In a perfect world, I like to say, like a De'Aaron Fox. I think we're both pretty really fast guards, and just just how he attacks the game. I definitely watch him a lot.
Players Mentioned
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Monday, June 22
