Jan 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC Trojans' Eric Musselman Makes Coaching Staff Changes After Disappointing Season

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Gabriel Duarte | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 4:00 PM ET

When the USC Trojans hired Eric Musselman to lead the men's basketball program last year, it didn't take long for the veteran coach to assemble his inaugural staff. After a disappointing 17-18 season that culminated in a quarterfinal loss in the College Basketball Crown tournament, the Trojans will be undergoing their first coaching turnover in the Musselman era.

According to a report from USCFootball.com , USC assistant coach Quincy Pondexter will be departing from the coaching staff after one season in Los Angeles. Last offseason, Pondexter was the fifth and final addition to Musselman's first staff at USC. The former Arkansas coach brought over three of his assistants from Arkansas, and he hired Will Conroy and Pondexter away from Washington.

The move comes at an interesting time as the USC coaching staff is undoubtedly working around the clock to build their roster via the transfer portal. Musselman will now be forced to divert some of his attention away to the staff search to replace the outgoing Pondexter.

Musselman and the Trojans will more than likely continue to build out the remainder of the roster through the portal before turning their focus to the search.

Interestingly enough, Pondexter and USC's second leading scorer Wesley Yates III, who entered the transfer portal this past weekend, are cousins. Both Pondexter and Yates came from Washington last year, where Yates redshirted after dealing with an injury and Pondexter was on staff for former UW coach Mike Hopkins.

USC has been active in the transfer portal following a lackluster year one for Musselman. After seeing four defections to the transfer portal, the Trojans have responded by reeling in four commits so far, with all of them coming within the last week.

The Trojans landed three transfers in one day this past Saturday when CSUN's Keonte Jones, Robert Morris' Amarion Dickerson, and Virginia's Jacob Cofie all committed to USC. Two days later, Georgetown's Drew Fielder announced his commitment to Musselman and the Trojans as well.

Next season, USC's roster will have a new look with some familiar pieces returning back both on the roster and the coaching staff. Not only has the program added key pieces from the transfer portal, but one of the best additions they got was from high school recruiting.

At the beginning of the year, USC picked up a big commitment from five-star prospect, Alijah Arenas. The No. 1 shooting guard and No. 7 player in the class according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Arenas will have big expecations as a potential one and done player for the Trojans. According to 247Sports, Arenas is the third best prospect to ever commit to the Trojans.

Despite all the turnover, historically Musselman's teams have taken a significant jump from the first season to the second, it will be interesting to see if USC can do the same.

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

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