Alijah Arenas, a consensus top 15 recruit in 2025, will likely miss his entire freshman season after tearing his meniscus, per NBA Insider Chris Haynes. What does Arenas’s injury mean for the USC Trojans?
“USC’s prized recruit Alijah Arenas has suffered a tear of the meniscus, putting him in jeopardy of missing the entire 2025-26 college basketball season, league sources tell me,” Haynes tweeted.
Arenas was expected to play a key role for USC this season, as coach Eric Musselman has rebuilt the Trojans’ roster after a disappointing first season in Southern California. Arenas had recently returned to the practice court for the Trojans after recovering from a medically induced coma after a fiery crash. He crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a hydrant and a tree, with the truck bursting into flames, reportedly due to a malfunction.
“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,” Musselman said in the statement. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.”
Son Of Former NBA All-Star Guard Likely To Miss Entire 2025-26 Season, What Does It Mean For USC Trojans?
Arenas is officially expected to be out of action for six to eight months. Therefore, the earlier the 6-6 five-star recruit could hit the floor is February. More likely than not, Arenas will be able to play in a game by mid-February, meaning he would likely be available for fewer than eight regular-season games. If he isn’t able to return in six months, Arenas will likely miss the entire season, therefore taking a medical redshirt.
Arenas, the son of 3-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, is from Los Angeles. The 6-6 guard, who reclassified from the class of 2026 to 2025, was a McDonald’s All-American last season and was considered one of the top incoming freshmen in college basketball.
“With Alijah, I mean, he’s got all the tools, like you said. He’s got the positional size. He’s got the ability to score the ball. You know, he’s just got a lot to his game,” said On3’s Jaime Shaw. “And he’s showed it at the highest levels too. At the McDonald’s All-American Game, you know, he was able to get to his spots and knock down shots. In the USA Basketball Training Camp last year, he was one of the better players there, one of the last players that was actually cut from making the 17U team last year, and he had a great training camp, again, getting to his spots and knocking down shots, and scoring in a very consolidated, professional manner, you know.”
“The upside is there,” Shaw added. “I think he finished in the Top-10 for our rankings, has come up based on the upside of what it is.”
USC Projected 2025-26 Very Early Lineup Without Alijah Arenas
USC went 17-18 under Musselman, finishing 12th in the Trojans’ first season in the Big Ten with a 7-13 record. The Trojans ranked in the top third of the nation in offensive efficiency, but they were 96th in scoring, averaging 76.7 points per contest. Defense was a significant problem, as they ranked in the bottom third of the nation, allowing 74.6 points per contest (257th). They have finished with a losing record in each of the past two seasons, marking their first consecutive losing campaigns since 2012-2016.
Arenas was part of Musselman’s 11-man recruiting class that included nine transfers. The Trojans’ 2025 class is ranked 34th overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings and No. 7 in transfer rankings. Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazarra, former Maryland Terrapin Rodney Rice, ex-Utah Ute Ezra Ausar, 7-3 center Gabe Dynes (Youngstown State), and Virginia power forward Jacob Cofie top the list of transfers Musselman brought in.
Terrence Williams II is expected to lead the way for the Trojans as he returns for his sixth collegiate season after being limited to seven contests last season due to injury. Rice, Baker-Mazzara, and Dynes project to join Williams in Musselman’s starting lineup.
Jordan Marsh (UNC Asheville), Ausar, Cofie, Ryan Cornish (Dartmouth), Jerry Easter II, and Amarion Dickerson (Robert Morris) figure to be in the mix for the Trojans’ second unit.
Easter is one of three freshmen in the Trojans’ 2025 class, joining Arenas and Patrick O’Brien. Easter II, a top-50 consensus recruit in 2025, comes from an athletic family, including former NBA’er Jimmy Jackson. Big men Brit Burden and Jonah Goorin are the other returning players for the Trojans.
Photo Credit: © Alex Martin/Journal-Courier
The post What Does Son of Former NBA All-Star 2nd Injury Of Summer Mean For USC Trojans appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.