USC Trojans Add Elite Transfer Combo Guard EJ Neal From Sacramento State

Neal appeared in 32 games and started 25 games, averaging 8.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for Sac State last season. He spent one season at Idaho, where he averaged 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 29 games for the Vandals.

At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he fits exactly the type of mold that Musselman looks for. Neal will be expected to play anywhere from guard to forward for the Trojans.

The California native is an unranked transfer according to 247Sports and will fight for minutes in the the back end of the Trojans' rotation alongside guard Ryan Cornish and forward Amarion Dickerson.

After an underwhelming inaugural season with the Trojans that saw them miss the NCAA Tournament, Musselman's second offseason with the program has been quite a whirlwind.

In addition to bringing in ten transfers and two freshman, Musselman has also had to conduct an assistant coach search after Quincy Pondexter left to head back to Washington after only one season with the Trojans.

On May 30, the Trojans announced the hiring of former UTEP assistant coach Earl Boykins, who played and worked under Musselman. He played for Golden State during Musselman's tenure as head coach there and served as the director of student-athlete development at Arkansas from 2019-21. Boykins is considered to be a rising star in the profession after spending over a decade playing professionally.

It will be interesting to see how the Trojans perform in year two under Musselman. Usually coaches find a bit more continuity after their first season at a new program, but USC will not be returning any starters from their season-ending loss to Villanova in the second round of the College Basketball Crown tournament.

In fact, the program is only bringing back one player from last year's roster in forward Terrance Williams II. Despite the lack in roster continuity, the overall depth and talent pool is much stronger compared to last season. The addition of proven college basketball players like forward Chad Baker-Mazara and guard Rodney Rice shows that the Trojans will have much more of an identity this upcoming season.

If Musselman has shown anything during his time as a college basketball coach, it's that he knows how to identify talent in the transfer portal and maximize his players to the best of their ability. Musselman knows the Trojans can't miss the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years and the roster he has assembled looks fit to compete to get back into the Big Dance.