With one week of official practices under their belt, USC head coach Eric Musselman and his team are preparing for the fast-approaching 2025-26 season. The Trojans are also focusing on building team chemistry that translates on and off the court.
The team has already been affected by injuries, with freshman guard Alijah Arenas expected to sit out until at least late January, according to Musselman, though there is no exact timetable for his return. Arenas sustained a knee injury in mid-July.
Two other players are also missing from preseason action. Junior guard Rodney Rice and graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara were sidelined with injuries yesterday afternoon.
In their absence, some younger players have already stepped up. Following practice, junior guard Jordan Marsh and sophomore forward Jacob Cofie shared their thoughts on which teammates were flying under the radar.
“I’m gonna go Amarion [Dickerson]. I’ve just seen his improvements,” Cofie said. “I see he’s in there with me working on his jump shot as well. So I’ve seen his shot improve, and just his motor is really good.”
Marsh, on the other hand, has noticed promising play in graduate forward Jaden Brown.
“He’s just a real good shooter, and like, whenever he gets a chance to shoot it, you just know it’s going in,” he said.
With so many new faces rotating in and out of the lineup due to injuries and experimentation, the question remains: How will this team work together as one defensive unit?
To right the ship, Musselman decided to slowly implement multiple defensive schemes to help ease the players in.
“We stuck with two defensive coverages, and now we’ve added a third, and then we’ll get to a fourth later in the week,” Musselman said when referring to the implementation of these patterns.
Team chemistry is also a major factor. When asked about how a team with 13 new players are getting to know each other, coach Musselman said, “Ezra [Ausar] had all the guys out to his house last week, and they FaceTime me, they’re trying, they’re making a conscious effort, to try to get to know each other.”
Musselman has always been a high-flying, energetic coach, making sure that his team is playing at 110% at all times.
“He just came in the weight room with all the football gear on,” Jordan Marsh said when mentioning his funniest moments.
Last season, defense was a weak spot for the Trojans, who ranked 218th in the country in defensive efficiency and 234th in average opponent’s points against, Musselman is setting a clear tone in the locker room and his efforts will hopefully lead to an upgraded defensive unit.
“I feel the energy he brings every day,” Cofie said. “It’s like, if he’s bringing that level of energy, why shouldn’t I bring that level of energy?”
Cofie is a prime example of Musselman’s tone-setting and the sophomore is already showing his selflessness. When asked about his current role as a center, feeling natural to him he said, “I’ll say that I play more as a four, but I’m playing out of position just for the better of the team.”
One other interesting take that Musselman brought up was that the offseason was way too long.
He offered the solution that, “some type of competition in the summer,” should be played and “rules probably need to be looked at, because it’s a long stretch we don’t practice.”
For Musselman, the first two preseason exhibitions will not only provide the team with comfortability playing in different environments but also give Trojan fans across the city a chance to watch the team.
“I thought it was strategic. Playing at LMU gives them an opportunity to come see us and not have to travel or be in traffic,” he said.
Luckily, their season will begin soon as the Trojans will open versus LMU for an exhibition game on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Gersten Pavilion.