Both USC basketball coaches attended the annual Big Ten Basketball Media Days this past weekend, accompanied by two players each, with three of them being new to their Trojan teams this season.

Men’s basketball Head Coach Eric Musselman is looking to come back strong after a rough first season with the team as well as in the Big Ten, going 17-18 overall and 7-13 in conference play. His squad is set to kick off its season Saturday at 6 p.m. against Loyola Marymount University.

On the women’s side, Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb, in her fifth season with the team, will look to work around junior guard Juju Watkins’ injury, while still acknowledging that “there is no other Juju Watkins.” Coming off two-straight Elite Eight appearances, a 31-4 overall record and a 17-1 record in the Big Ten, USC and Gottlieb hope to go further this season in the NCAA Tournament — even without Watkins.

Each team was hit by major injuries: Watkins on the women’s team and freshman guard Alijah Arenas on the men’s team. As for The Associated Press’ preseason poll, the women enter the season ranked No. 18, while the men remain unranked.

Women’s basketball to face tough schedule head-on

With a high-powered nonconference schedule that features No. 1 UConn and No. 2 South Carolina, the Trojans will be tested early, even without Watkins. Players like sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, however, aren’t afraid.

“I feel like everyone on this team this year is very open-minded, very aware of where we are this year,” Smith said at media day. “I’m just super excited to see what we can do.”

Gottlieb said Smith has continued to build on her strong debut collegiate season, where she averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and an astonishing 2.2 steals per game.

“She’s probably the best individual defender I’ve been around in my career,” Gottlieb said of Smith. “If there’s a better defender in the country, I’m not sure who that would be.”

The other player who joined Smith and Gottlieb at Media Days was freshman guard Jazzy Davidson. Davidson, a four-time Gatorade Player of the Year from Oregon and the No. 1-ranked women’s basketball player for the Class of 2025, was held in high praise by her coach.

“Jazzy is really elite. She’s just a special talent,” Gottlieb said. “If people don’t know her name when the ball tips for the 25-26 season, they will very quickly. I think she really is going to be impactful from day one.”

Women’s basketball and Gottlieb added another strong recruit this summer: Saniyah Hall, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked women’s basketball player for the class of 2026, committed to USC, making it three out of the last four years with the top-ranked recruit heading to the Trojans.

Men’s basketball newcomers taking the spotlight

On the men’s side, Musselman added a total of 13 newcomers, including 10 transfers and three freshmen. Widely recognized as an excellent recruiter, Musselman added several marquee talents with high levels of experience.

Musselman brought highly sought-after graduate forward Chad Baker-Mazara and junior guard Rodney Rice to their media day. Baker-Mazara helped preseason No. 20 Auburn reach the Final Four last season, while Rice made the Sweet Sixteen with Maryland.

Ranked as the seventh-best transfer portal class in the nation, USC has become a top destination for men’s basketball once again. Several players have credited Musselman as one of the main reasons why they chose to come to USC, including Rice. 

“He’s built a great environment for the time he’s been there,” Rice said. 

Musselman and his coaching staff’s goals were to add players who could help make a difference for a more successful second year in the Big Ten.

“Multipositional players, length, athleticism,” Musselman said about the recruiting class. “Being able to switch things and play with a really good pace.”

One of Musselman’s featured additions was Arenas, who was ranked No. 13 in the 2025 basketball class by ESPN. Arenas, son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, sustained what appeared to be a potential season-ending knee injury in mid-July.

Musselman said Arenas will be re-evaluated in mid-January, which would put him around the six-month range given the original timeline. Even with the severity of the injury, Musselman says he attends practices every day, even acting like a coach by helping out with plays and situations the team faces.

“Every time we add something, he has his own clipboard that he diagrams stuff during the course of practice,” Musselman said about Arenas. “Student athletes that fit the culture of your campus becomes a huge part [of your program].”