University Southern California Trojans
Photo by: John McGillen
New Trojans, New Lore: Getting to Know USC Men's Basketball
September 15, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The Trojans have spent time before practice delving into each other's history, both on and off the court.
Every new USC men's basketball season brings new faces, new personalities, new quirks and new lore.
The Trojans and the coaching staff have spent time before practice delving into each other's history both on and off the court. With so many newcomers on the roster, the off-court unity became a priority for head coach Eric Musselman throughout the offseason.
At the center of Musselman's team-building exercise was a video board near midcourt at the Galen Center where each player and staff member gave a presentation to the more than 20 team members. Included in the presentation — a player or coach highlight, a graphic and a map highlighting each Trojan's hometown.
For senior guard and Georgetown transfer KJ Lewis, these types of ice-breaker exercises — most notably on the first day of class — are typically awkward and difficult. But after building rapport with his teammates during summer practices, sharing his upbringing and passions outside of basketball was easier than first anticipated.
"Everybody is from different parts of the world and it makes it easy to tell people about your experiences, where you come from and how you view things when everybody is accepting of it," Lewis said.
Lewis, who developed a passion for making music while recovering from an injury, shared with his teammates another one his forms of expression. He said his music hobby "caught everyone by surprise."
For others like forward Josh Hughes, the team-building exercise provided a window into the Trojans coaching staff's previous legend before devoting their lives to coaching. A tidbit that stood out to the Brisbane native during the presentations was the fact that Musselman and his father Bill Musselman were the first father-son duo to become NBA head coaches.
Eric coached the Sacramento Kings during the 2006-2007 season while Bill coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves in the 80s and early 90s. Or how much time USC Director of Sports Performance Andre Carrera devotes his time off the court to giving back to survivors of cancer and their loved ones.
"It was interesting to hear how much he was involved in his community," Hughes said. "It highlights how much they do outside of basketball."
But both Lewis and Hughes both agreed they were most interested in seeing the footage of the coaching staff in their playing days.
"It caught me by surprise, seeing how good some of our coaches were back when they were our age," Hughes said.
Regardless, Lewis said he was confident he could take on any one of his coaches in their playing prime.
More Trojan Tidbits
Josh Hughes: Fought a Kangaroo.
Alijah Arenas: Is the "best bowler" in the world.
Christian Collins: Had a child acting career.
Isaac Bruns: Doesn't listen to music when he drives.
The Trojans and the coaching staff have spent time before practice delving into each other's history both on and off the court. With so many newcomers on the roster, the off-court unity became a priority for head coach Eric Musselman throughout the offseason.
At the center of Musselman's team-building exercise was a video board near midcourt at the Galen Center where each player and staff member gave a presentation to the more than 20 team members. Included in the presentation — a player or coach highlight, a graphic and a map highlighting each Trojan's hometown.
For senior guard and Georgetown transfer KJ Lewis, these types of ice-breaker exercises — most notably on the first day of class — are typically awkward and difficult. But after building rapport with his teammates during summer practices, sharing his upbringing and passions outside of basketball was easier than first anticipated.
"Everybody is from different parts of the world and it makes it easy to tell people about your experiences, where you come from and how you view things when everybody is accepting of it," Lewis said.
Lewis, who developed a passion for making music while recovering from an injury, shared with his teammates another one his forms of expression. He said his music hobby "caught everyone by surprise."
For others like forward Josh Hughes, the team-building exercise provided a window into the Trojans coaching staff's previous legend before devoting their lives to coaching. A tidbit that stood out to the Brisbane native during the presentations was the fact that Musselman and his father Bill Musselman were the first father-son duo to become NBA head coaches.
Eric coached the Sacramento Kings during the 2006-2007 season while Bill coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves in the 80s and early 90s. Or how much time USC Director of Sports Performance Andre Carrera devotes his time off the court to giving back to survivors of cancer and their loved ones.
"It was interesting to hear how much he was involved in his community," Hughes said. "It highlights how much they do outside of basketball."
But both Lewis and Hughes both agreed they were most interested in seeing the footage of the coaching staff in their playing days.
"It caught me by surprise, seeing how good some of our coaches were back when they were our age," Hughes said.
Regardless, Lewis said he was confident he could take on any one of his coaches in their playing prime.
More Trojan Tidbits
Josh Hughes: Fought a Kangaroo.
Alijah Arenas: Is the "best bowler" in the world.
Christian Collins: Had a child acting career.
Isaac Bruns: Doesn't listen to music when he drives.
Players Mentioned
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