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The crown jewel of the USC Trojans' 2025 recruiting class has decided on his number for his upcoming freshman season.
True freshman guard Alijah Arenas has chosen to honor his dad, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas or "Agent Zero," in a touching way with the number he will wear with the Trojans.
Connor Morrisette of 247Sports posted on X that Arenas will wear No. 0 for the Trojans, the number his father wore during the prime of his career with the Washington Wizards.
Alijah Arenas will wear No. 0 at USC. pic.twitter.com/f4vntXv6MB
— Connor Morrissette (@C_Morrissette) June 12, 2025
After experiencing a scary medical emergency earlier this year, Arenas is recovering and is expected to be a full go when school gets going for USC.
The No. 1 shooting guard and No. 7 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Arenas will be the big man on campus as a freshman. Expect to see plenty of No. 0 Arenas jerseys in Galen Center this season as Arenas is expected to be a big contributor in USC's rotation this season.
Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports said that Arenas has catchup up and grow physically since he re-classified to the 2026 recruiting class, but added his potential is through the roof.
"Arenas is a smooth scoring guard with terrific positional size and length. He’s a bit of a late-bloomer who has continued to grow throughout his high school career and now stands at nearly 6-foot-6 with a massive 7-foot wingspan and 8-foot-9 standing reach. The bottom line is that Arenas is a glaring talent in the mist of a late growth spurt and has significant long-term potential," Finkelstein said.
USC coach Eric Musselman did a good job in reloading the program after losing a bulk of the past season's production to the transfer portal and eligibility expirations. Along with Arenas, the Trojans brought in another four-star guard, Jerry Easter, in their 2026 recruiting class.
The Trojans built the bulk of their roster via the transfer portal, bringing in a couple of highly sought-after recruits in guard Rodney Rice and forward Chad Baker-Mazara.
Rice was the No. 6 shooting guard and No. 25 player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports and was being pursued by some high-major programs including Villanova and Auburn before ultimately landing with USC.
Baker-Mazara was the No. 3 small forward and No. 21 player in the transfer portal. His departure from Auburn, a 2025 Final Four team, was somewhat a surpise, but Trojan fans will have no complaints about landing one of the oldest and most experienced players in college basketball.
Musselman will have a starting five led by Baker-Mazara, Rice, and Arenas, which will be one of the most dangerous trios in the Big Ten and could be one of the best in the country by the time the postseason rolls around.
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With the 2025-26 college basketball season just around the corner, the Louisville men's basketball program has been generating an insane amount of buzz over the course of the current offseason. Across a variety of preseason polls, the Cardinals have routinely been regarded as a team in the top 10 to 15 range. However, one college basketball analyst is going a step further. On Friday, ESPN released their '100 Days to Men's College Basketball' article, where they list 100 things to know about the upcoming 2025-26 season, ranging from Top Storylines and Contenders, to Breakouts and All-American Candidates. In the section where they list '10 Wild Predictions,' ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello predicted that not only will UofL head coach Pat Kelsey win his first NCAA Tournament game - he will guide the Cardinals all the way to the Final Four. "Entering last March, the one knock on Todd Golden was his lack of an NCAA tournament win. He erased any doubt in pretty emphatic fashion," Borzello wrote. "Kelsey will be the next coach to go from zero to a Final Four. Louisville's backcourt is among the best in the country, and the Cardinals have the perfect blend of experience, depth and star power." It's understandable why Borzello is picking the Cardinals to reach their first Final Four since winning it all in 2013. Between their crop of returners and newcomers, Louisville has one of the most talented rosters in men's college basketball. For starters, guard/forward J'Vonne Hadley and forward Kasean Pryor, two of the Cardinals' top players from year one under Kelsey, took advantage of the Diego Pavia ruling and are coming back for one more year. Not to mention that Khani Rooths could be in line for a jump from his freshman campaign, plus Aly Khalifa and Kobe Rodgers - who both redshirted last season - are now fully healthy. Additionally, all three of UofL's portal newcomers - Virginia guard Isaac McKneely, Xavier guard Ryan Conwell and Kennesaw State guard Adrian Wooley - were top-25 transfers in the cycle, per On3. In the Class of 2025, Mikel Brown Jr. is a five-star prospect who was the best high school point guard in the nation last season, and two of the their international pickups - forward/center Sananda Fru and forward Mouhamed Camara - are four-star recruits. In other segments of the article by ESPN: Borzello said "don't count out Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr." in the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft," Brown was also tabbed as one of the '10 Freshmen to Watch,' the annual Louisville-Kentucky showdown was one of the 10 'Nonconference Matchups to Watch,' and Pryor was named as one of the '10 Players with Breakout Potential.' Louisville is coming off of a successful year one under Kelsey. The Cardinals went 27-8 overall, winning more games than over the previous three seasons combined, resulting in Kelsey winning ACC Coach of the Year. UofL made their return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 - although it resulted in a first round exit to Creighton.
WNBA legend Lisa Leslie had three words for Angel Reese
Now in her second WNBA season, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is averaging a league‑leading 12.5 rebounds along with 13.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She recently returned from injury and immediately picked up where she left off, posting her 16th double‑double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) on Tuesday night even as her Chicago Sky fell, 91-68, to the Minnesota Lynx. Then, on Wednesday, Reese showcased her brand power on Instagram, posting a pregame photo dressed head‑to‑toe in Gucci with the caption, "Don’t worry about me… life is GUCCI @gucci #guccipartner." The image quickly lit up her feed and drew an immediate response from one of the game’s all‑time greats, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who commented, “Yessss it is❤️." Despite flashes of elite play, the Sky have struggled mightily, standing at just 7-17 and sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their 76.7 points per game rank 12th in the WNBA, and opponents are torching them for 86.8 a night (12th in the league). With head coach Tyler Marsh searching for consistency, every bright spot has been a welcome reprieve for a franchise that won the title as recently as 2021. Front and center among Chicago’s bright spots is Reese. Off the court, Reese has quickly built a burgeoning portfolio of endorsement deals, including Reebok, Calvin Klein, Beats by Dre, Amazon and now Gucci, underscoring her status as one of the WNBA’s brightest personalities. On the other side, you have Leslie, whose voice carries more weight than arguably anybody in women’s basketball. A three‑time league MVP, two‑time WNBA champion and Finals MVP and eight‑time All‑Star, Leslie helped define the league’s early years with the Los Angeles Sparks, including driving home the first dunk in WNBA history in 2002. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer (class of 2015), she remains a global ambassador for the sport.
All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
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New York Yankees Top Prospect Reportedly Drawing Serious Trade Interest
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