University Southern California Trojans
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
Q&A with Isaac Bruns
July 31, 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 Isaac Bruns, sat down to talk about why he chose USC, wh he left his home state of South Dakota, and what he adds to a deep guard rotation.
What stood out about the USC basketball program during your time in the transfer portal and why did you ultimately choose to become a Trojan?
I think the first thing was that USC is in the Big Ten, it's a move up from you know a mid-major like University of South Dakota. And I thought going to a school like USC would be a super cool experience. I've watched USC growing up and thought it was a pretty cool place to go to college. Obviously, the coaching staff and the high expectations this year also was another reason why I chose USC. Also, they really just value everybody they recruit. We only have 13 guys on the team right now. A lot of colleges in the country have 15. The coaching staff really pour into every single guy. And there's a couple South Dakota ties on the team. Assistant coach Brad Davidson coached at the University of South Dakota and Klein played there too.
You've grown up in South Dakota and accomplished a lot on the court in South Dakota — three years playing at the University of South Dakota, high school state titles and player of the year award — but how was leaving your home state for Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is a lot different than South Dakota, like you said. I played college right where I grew up. It was actually only about a half hour away, and you know that was really awesome. I loved it. I played for three years there, but I had a pretty solid year. I think just getting outside of that, moving up, and just having new and bigger opportunities was the move. I've loved it here so far.
How have you adjusted and have there been any culture shock moments yet?
The coaching staff, the players and everything have been great. They're easy to get along with. Fun to be with on and off the court. We spend a lot of time in the gym and the weight room. There's not a whole lot of time to go out there and mess around, but we make sure to get together off the court too. Maybe there's been a little bit of culture shock. It's a lot busier and there's a lot more going on. But that's the kind of stuff you expect and you hear about, even if you don't live here. But I've liked it so far, so it's been really good.
What's surprised you most about the difference about playing at a program like USC?
The level is definitely a step up. Guys are in the gym a lot more. Practices and weight room sessions are a little bit more intense. The players are obviously a lot better here. And we see a lot of professional athletes coming in and out of the facility. We get to either play with them, work out with them and watch them work out. And I think just seeing how great players do things. It's a little bit different than you know just staying in South Dakota. I've learned a lot since I've been out here. We've seen Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan. Dalton Knecht was in here the other day. A lot of NBA guys come here and get a workout in. Los Angeles is a hot spot for this sort of. It's been pretty cool to see those guys.
What do you think you bring to this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball?
I would think my shooting is probably what I bring most to the team. I know that's something that the USC coaching staff talked about. They wanted to improve since last year. I think I can really shoot the ball, be a great cutter, move off the ball, and hopefully fit well with the pieces that are coming back.
This team has a deep backcourt. What stood out to you most about this mix of guards during the summer?
There's only 13 of us. But every single player is highly talented. The guys coming back are all really good players. Last year, maybe a couple of them could have gone to get drafted. And this year coming up, I'm assuming a couple of the guys would do that as well. But just their talent level and their basketball IQ is really high.
What is something you hope to accomplish this season on an individual level, small or big?
I want to be able to shoot over 40% from three because the team really wants to improve that from last year. And we got good big guys and guys that continue to attack the basket. And just combining that with the three point shooting, I think it'll be a good combination.
What stood out about the USC basketball program during your time in the transfer portal and why did you ultimately choose to become a Trojan?
I think the first thing was that USC is in the Big Ten, it's a move up from you know a mid-major like University of South Dakota. And I thought going to a school like USC would be a super cool experience. I've watched USC growing up and thought it was a pretty cool place to go to college. Obviously, the coaching staff and the high expectations this year also was another reason why I chose USC. Also, they really just value everybody they recruit. We only have 13 guys on the team right now. A lot of colleges in the country have 15. The coaching staff really pour into every single guy. And there's a couple South Dakota ties on the team. Assistant coach Brad Davidson coached at the University of South Dakota and Klein played there too.
You've grown up in South Dakota and accomplished a lot on the court in South Dakota — three years playing at the University of South Dakota, high school state titles and player of the year award — but how was leaving your home state for Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is a lot different than South Dakota, like you said. I played college right where I grew up. It was actually only about a half hour away, and you know that was really awesome. I loved it. I played for three years there, but I had a pretty solid year. I think just getting outside of that, moving up, and just having new and bigger opportunities was the move. I've loved it here so far.
How have you adjusted and have there been any culture shock moments yet?
The coaching staff, the players and everything have been great. They're easy to get along with. Fun to be with on and off the court. We spend a lot of time in the gym and the weight room. There's not a whole lot of time to go out there and mess around, but we make sure to get together off the court too. Maybe there's been a little bit of culture shock. It's a lot busier and there's a lot more going on. But that's the kind of stuff you expect and you hear about, even if you don't live here. But I've liked it so far, so it's been really good.
What's surprised you most about the difference about playing at a program like USC?
The level is definitely a step up. Guys are in the gym a lot more. Practices and weight room sessions are a little bit more intense. The players are obviously a lot better here. And we see a lot of professional athletes coming in and out of the facility. We get to either play with them, work out with them and watch them work out. And I think just seeing how great players do things. It's a little bit different than you know just staying in South Dakota. I've learned a lot since I've been out here. We've seen Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan. Dalton Knecht was in here the other day. A lot of NBA guys come here and get a workout in. Los Angeles is a hot spot for this sort of. It's been pretty cool to see those guys.
What do you think you bring to this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball?
I would think my shooting is probably what I bring most to the team. I know that's something that the USC coaching staff talked about. They wanted to improve since last year. I think I can really shoot the ball, be a great cutter, move off the ball, and hopefully fit well with the pieces that are coming back.
This team has a deep backcourt. What stood out to you most about this mix of guards during the summer?
There's only 13 of us. But every single player is highly talented. The guys coming back are all really good players. Last year, maybe a couple of them could have gone to get drafted. And this year coming up, I'm assuming a couple of the guys would do that as well. But just their talent level and their basketball IQ is really high.
What is something you hope to accomplish this season on an individual level, small or big?
I want to be able to shoot over 40% from three because the team really wants to improve that from last year. And we got good big guys and guys that continue to attack the basket. And just combining that with the three point shooting, I think it'll be a good combination.
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