University Southern California Trojans
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
Q&A with Alijah Arenas
August 07, 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 returners from last season, sophomore guard Alijah Arenas, sat down to talk about last season, his growth over the summer and goals for the season.
You were supposed to be a senior in high school last year, but instead you reclassified and made your collegiate debut playing against Big 10 competition. How was that adjustment for you after the offseason you had?
It was definitely a blessing. A very great opportunity to see what the next level was. Obviously, I didn't get to be able to play how I wanted to because of my body, my head and how conditioned I was. I wasn't up to par in terms of conditioning, strength, speed, shooting — everything had to come back. I felt I rushed a little bit.
But I was really trying to run away from all that happened and I wanted to just focus on what I could. It distracted me. That's why I still say it was a blessing because it still distracted me from everything else, even though the season didn't turn out how I wanted it to. This summer I was really focusing on cleaning up everything that I witnessed last year and building upon that for this year.
How have you noticed yourself grow as a player and a person throughout this summer?
I'm becoming a better person. Being a leader now comes with a lot of responsibility. The way I see it, you're either a leader or you're not, and you either asked to be a leader, or you didn't. Coach Musselman didn't ask me to be a leader. He told me I was a leader no matter where I go. That was something that I wanted to take seriously. Being vocal and being passionate about everything is what I want to do. It's probably the best thing that's happened to me. I'm happier off the court. On the court, I'm excited to come to practice. I'm excited to work hard. I'm excited to see my team grow, flourish and succeed. It just makes me happier every day.
Being one of the three returners this year, what is it like having the team look to you as a leader and how much confidence does that give you?
It gives me a lot of confidence. I feel honored to be in the role that I am now. I feel honored to be at USC. I feel honored to have the people who have my back every step of the way this year.
What was it like growing up with a father who played in the NBA while being a successful high school player? How did you stay grounded throughout it all?
I had so much fun. I loved my childhood. I grew up really happy with my dad and my mom. Just thinking about it makes me happy because I loved hooping with my family more than anything. I love being at the house playing, hooping in the backyard with my dad and my brother. I really didn't look at the whole fame and recognition thing. That wasn't my thing.
My room was really tall and my dad ended up putting a 10-foot hoop in there. I would come from practice at Chatsworth and I'd want to go home because we would hoop in my room every single day. The TV would be on, everybody would be in there and we would just hoop. Honestly, my family kept me grounded, reminding me where I'm at and who I am. My mom would remind me every day before I went to school, "Remember who you are." I thank them for that, honestly.
What are some of the things that your family told you as you were going through your first year of college?
Both of my parents got hurt — a lot of my family members have had injuries. This was my first significant one, right after the car accident. For me, it was new. It was something I really had to mentally get over. I'd say to anybody now that you could almost always come back physically, no matter what, if your mental is there. That's all I could ask for. They helped me keep my mental there as long as they could. Thankfully, I listened to them and got through it.
I'm glad to be where I am now. My mental is way better than it was last year. I don't feel all foggy and cloudy — I feel more open and fresh. I feel like I can think. I don't have too much weight on my shoulders.
What other things do you feel more confident in after this summer?
I'm trying to get really confident in my defense. The staff is helping me with that. I've been watching Anthony Black and some of the Arkansas guys that Coach Musselman coached in previous years. Just really learning that aspect because I've learned so much of the offense that I want to balance it out. That's where studying film comes in — that's a big focus for me this year too.
This year is a new opportunity for everybody. You're starting fresh. You have all the new guys and you, Jacob and Rodney are returning. How do you feel going into this year and what are some of your goals?
Our goals are to stay connected, be great and win. As a team off the court, we're already really close. On the court. Coach Musselman does a great job of putting everybody in different spots, rotating, and being uncomfortable instead of just staying comfortable all summer. He's doing this so when we get into uncomfortable situations in the season, we won't be shocked. We've all been going through it, seeing everybody mess up and we're all learning from each other, which is what we expected to do. It's making us more confident day by day.
You've grown much over the last year. You also have dreams of playing in the NBA someday. What would it take this year for you to make that leap?
Win. I don't have any other words. If we win, we all can make it. That's the biggest thing that I have my eyes set on right now. How do I get to that next level? All the guys in the first round of the draft from last year were on winning teams. Your individual stats can help you, but winning can help you go even farther.
One of the returners from last season, sophomore guard Alijah Arenas, sat down to talk about last season, his growth over the summer and goals for the season.
You were supposed to be a senior in high school last year, but instead you reclassified and made your collegiate debut playing against Big 10 competition. How was that adjustment for you after the offseason you had?
It was definitely a blessing. A very great opportunity to see what the next level was. Obviously, I didn't get to be able to play how I wanted to because of my body, my head and how conditioned I was. I wasn't up to par in terms of conditioning, strength, speed, shooting — everything had to come back. I felt I rushed a little bit.
But I was really trying to run away from all that happened and I wanted to just focus on what I could. It distracted me. That's why I still say it was a blessing because it still distracted me from everything else, even though the season didn't turn out how I wanted it to. This summer I was really focusing on cleaning up everything that I witnessed last year and building upon that for this year.
How have you noticed yourself grow as a player and a person throughout this summer?
I'm becoming a better person. Being a leader now comes with a lot of responsibility. The way I see it, you're either a leader or you're not, and you either asked to be a leader, or you didn't. Coach Musselman didn't ask me to be a leader. He told me I was a leader no matter where I go. That was something that I wanted to take seriously. Being vocal and being passionate about everything is what I want to do. It's probably the best thing that's happened to me. I'm happier off the court. On the court, I'm excited to come to practice. I'm excited to work hard. I'm excited to see my team grow, flourish and succeed. It just makes me happier every day.
Being one of the three returners this year, what is it like having the team look to you as a leader and how much confidence does that give you?
It gives me a lot of confidence. I feel honored to be in the role that I am now. I feel honored to be at USC. I feel honored to have the people who have my back every step of the way this year.
What was it like growing up with a father who played in the NBA while being a successful high school player? How did you stay grounded throughout it all?
I had so much fun. I loved my childhood. I grew up really happy with my dad and my mom. Just thinking about it makes me happy because I loved hooping with my family more than anything. I love being at the house playing, hooping in the backyard with my dad and my brother. I really didn't look at the whole fame and recognition thing. That wasn't my thing.
My room was really tall and my dad ended up putting a 10-foot hoop in there. I would come from practice at Chatsworth and I'd want to go home because we would hoop in my room every single day. The TV would be on, everybody would be in there and we would just hoop. Honestly, my family kept me grounded, reminding me where I'm at and who I am. My mom would remind me every day before I went to school, "Remember who you are." I thank them for that, honestly.
What are some of the things that your family told you as you were going through your first year of college?
Both of my parents got hurt — a lot of my family members have had injuries. This was my first significant one, right after the car accident. For me, it was new. It was something I really had to mentally get over. I'd say to anybody now that you could almost always come back physically, no matter what, if your mental is there. That's all I could ask for. They helped me keep my mental there as long as they could. Thankfully, I listened to them and got through it.
I'm glad to be where I am now. My mental is way better than it was last year. I don't feel all foggy and cloudy — I feel more open and fresh. I feel like I can think. I don't have too much weight on my shoulders.
What other things do you feel more confident in after this summer?
I'm trying to get really confident in my defense. The staff is helping me with that. I've been watching Anthony Black and some of the Arkansas guys that Coach Musselman coached in previous years. Just really learning that aspect because I've learned so much of the offense that I want to balance it out. That's where studying film comes in — that's a big focus for me this year too.
This year is a new opportunity for everybody. You're starting fresh. You have all the new guys and you, Jacob and Rodney are returning. How do you feel going into this year and what are some of your goals?
Our goals are to stay connected, be great and win. As a team off the court, we're already really close. On the court. Coach Musselman does a great job of putting everybody in different spots, rotating, and being uncomfortable instead of just staying comfortable all summer. He's doing this so when we get into uncomfortable situations in the season, we won't be shocked. We've all been going through it, seeing everybody mess up and we're all learning from each other, which is what we expected to do. It's making us more confident day by day.
You've grown much over the last year. You also have dreams of playing in the NBA someday. What would it take this year for you to make that leap?
Win. I don't have any other words. If we win, we all can make it. That's the biggest thing that I have my eyes set on right now. How do I get to that next level? All the guys in the first round of the draft from last year were on winning teams. Your individual stats can help you, but winning can help you go even farther.
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
Monday, June 22
