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Apr 1, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; McDonald's All American West guard Alijah Arenas (16) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game McDonald's All American East at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

Eric Musselman Praises USC Trojans 5-Star Recruit Alijah Arenas' Character

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Cory Pappas | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 10:34 PM ET

The USC Trojans landed class of 2025 shooting guard Alijah Arenas, who signed with the Trojans on June 20. Arenas is a five-star recruit and is the highest graded recruit Eric Musselman has in this 2025 class.

In April of this year, Arenas had a very scary moment when his Tesla Cybertruck crashed and caught on fire with him in it. Arenas was put in a medically induced coma because of the amount of smoke he inhaled. Since then, he has been recovered and is set to be on the court for the Trojans when the 2025-2026 season tips off in November.

Trojans coach Eric Musselman spoke to the media last week about Arenas.

Eric Musselman Speaks Highly of Alijah Arenas

USC Trojans coach Eric Musselman has thought very highly of the character of Alijah Arenas even before the accident occurred.

“His perspective is really unique. He doesn’t have, you know, even before the accident to be honest with you, when you talked to Alijah, it’s a unique thought process on how he views life, how he views the game of basketball, and how he views his teammates,” Musselman said.

Musselman added that Arenas and him were together the recently discussing the 2025-2026 Trojans roster together.

“He was over at my house the other night and went through the entire roster on hey, this guy is really going to help us in close games, this guy, you know, we got to build his confidence up,” Musselman said. “He’s wired uniquely in his viewpoint on everything.”

On the court, there is no doubt that Alijah Arenas can be one of the best players in college basketball sooner rather than later. USC will look to get back into the NCAA Tournament after falling short each of the past two seasons. Will Musselman be able to get the Trojans back in the dance in his second season as coach?

Alijah Arenas Playing for Eric Musselman, Just Like His Father Gilbert Arenas

Alijah Arenas is a 6-6, 195 pound shooting guard out of nearby Chatsworth, California. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 7 overall player in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Alijah is the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert played his college ball for the Arizona Wildcats from 1999 through 2001. He played in the NBA from 2001 through 2012 with the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, and Memphis Grizzlies.

USC coach Eric Musselman coached Gilbert Arenas for the 2002-2003 season with the Warriors. In this season, Arenas averaged 18.3 points. 6.3 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Now, his son Alijah will, be also be coached by Eric Musselman, 23 years since he did the same.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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