USC basketball continues hasty rebuild with commitment of Isaiah Elohim
LOS ANGELES — Nine faces make up the USC men’s basketball roster for 2024-25 on their official website, a group projected to return after this past winter off sheer eligibility.
Only two actually remain: veteran Harrison Hornery and redshirt freshman Brandon Gardner.
In the wake of a coaching change and a complete program overhaul, newly instituted head coach Eric Musselman – who is still less than a month into his USC tenure – has had no choice but to approach building the Trojans’ roster through the transfer portal, via simple need to field a team next season. On Monday, though, he took a step toward building the program’s future, as USC landed a commitment from Sierra Canyon High standout Isaiah Elohim, widely regarded as one of the best prospects in California in the class of 2024.
Elohim is the first high school recruit Musselman has landed since being introduced to fanfare on April 4, and it’s a hand-in-glove fit, Elohim a local product with a game perfectly tailored to Musselman’s previous Arkansas teams built on slashing and athleticism. A former Arkansas commit who ultimately flipped to USC, the 6-foot-5 Elohim’s stock dropped slightly throughout high school after years recovering from various injuries, but he still boasts one of the most polished midrange games in the country and natural ability to finish around the rim.
Elohim averaged 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game during his senior season at Sierra Canyon, but he played in just 14 games while recovering from injury; his health will be a major emphasis throughout his college career at USC.
Slowly, USC’s first foray into Big Ten basketball is starting to take shape after a flurry in the transfer portal and a sequence of apparent hires on the coaching staff. Former Washington associate head coach Will Conroy is joining the program as an assistant, and former Arkansas coaches Michael Musselman, Anthony Ruta and Todd Lee are all listed on USC’s athletic staff directory as assistant coaches.
Musselman has brought in a variety of intriguing mid-major pieces in the last couple weeks, too:
Josh Cohen, Sr., F: 6-10, averaged 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in his final season at UMass.
Clark Slajchert, Sr., G: Undersized combo guard shot the lights out at Penn, averaging 18.0 ppg on 42% shooting from 3-point range last season.
Bryce Pope, Sr., G: The 6-3 guard has experience in Southern California hoops after four years at UC San Diego and can score, averaging over 18 points a game each of the last two seasons.
Saint Thomas, Jr., F: The versatile 6-7 wing from Northern Colorado has a chance to explode at the high-major level after averaging 19.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists last year on good efficiency.
Matt Knowling, Sr., F: A semi-undersized 6-6 frontcourt piece who is tough inside, he averaged 11.6 ppg on 57% shooting for an NCAA Tournament team in Yale last year.
Rashaun Agee, Sr., F: The burly, athletic 6-8 forward essentially averaged a double-double (13.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg) last year at Bowling Green.
A clear identity is forming, with Musselman adding both shooting and versatile, athletic transfers to his frontcourt. Just a few months remain, ultimately, to fit the pieces together.