Jan 14, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC Trojans' Transfer Portal: Youngstown State's Gabe Dynes Commits To USC

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Gabriel Duarte | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 8:59 AM ET

It's been an interesting past few weeks for the USC Trojans men's basketball team. From losing guard Wesley Yates III to a transfer portal defection to landing three players via transfer portal in one day, it's been a wild ride as USC coach Eric Musselman looks to retool the program in his first full offseason in Los Angeles.

Over the past week, the Trojans have landed two transfer portal targets, including securing Youngstown State transfer Gabe Dynes' commitment this weekend. Dynes is the No. 24 center and No. 171 player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports.

Coming off a season where he averaged 6.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, Dynes fits the role of defensive anchor perfectly. He appeared in every game from the Penguins this season (34), but only started in seven of them.

Dynes gives USC the big that they have been searching for in the transfer portal. The Trojans originally had Georgetown transfer Drew Fielder pledged to the program before he flipped to Boise State, two days after making his commitment.

It will be interesting to see where Dynes will fit into Musselman’s rotation. The 7-3 center led the country in blocked shots with 104 last season. He will most certainly have a spot in the rotation with his defensive presence and elite shot-blocking ability.

Although he is a big center similar to former USC center Josh Cohen in size and stature, that’s about where the comparisons stop. Dynes nearly won the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year Award, finishing as a runner-up to current USC commit Amarion Dickerson, who suited up for Robert Morris this past season.

Dynes is the second player to commit to USC this week. The Trojans landed a commitment from a forward from Samford, Jaden Brownell, this past Friday. With the addition of Dynes, the program sits with 11 scholarship players and has only four roster spots left.

USC's transfer portal class isn't filled with the most well-known names or most stars, but instead is built on understanding of roles within the program. Each player the Trojans have taken in from the portal is shaping up to be a contributor to the team.

Defensively, there might not be a program that has made more underrated pickups than the Trojans. USC landed a pair of forwards that could guard any position on the floor in CSUN transfer Keonte Jones and Dickerson in addition to the shot-stuffing Dynes. Jones averaged 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game at CSUN and was a two-time finalist for the Big West Defensive Player of the Year Award.

On the offensive end, USC will be aided by the return of guard Desmond Claude and the addition of guard Alijah Arenas, a true freshman with big expectations to potentially become the next one-and-done at USC.

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

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