Ruben Report: Taking a deep dive into Eric Musselman’s USC roster construction

Eric Musselman is known as a good recruiter, talent evaluator and developer, but he never faced a situation like the one he walked into at USC when he was hired a month ago. The cupboard was bare. Only Harry Hornery was left and Muss needed to quickly recruit a competitive roster for the upcoming season and beyond. The job would be harder due to the move to the Big 10, a stronger basketball conference. Since his hire, three players decommitted from Arkansas and followed Muss to USC, including two highly regarded high school seniors.

In his college head coaching career, Muss has sent a number of players to the NBA from both Nevada and Arkansas. In early April his primary concern was getting players who would fit his system. He has primarily brought in experienced players, most with only one season of eligibility left, in an effort to be competitive right away.

Muss wants a team that can play fast with players who can play multiple positions. He likes players between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7 who can play anywhere. He has brought in a group primarily (but not exclusively) from mid-major programs who have had a lot of success scoring and rebounding. With one remaining open roster spot the Trojans only have one player over 6-foot-8 but the roster is stacked with players who have excelled under the boards. After the commitments last week Joe Lunardi is now projecting the Trojans to make the NCAA Tournament field, which would be an amazing accomplishment.

There are rumors throughout college basketball circles that DJ Wagner, who has entered the portal from Kentucky, is deciding between Arkansas with his former coach John Calipari and USC. Wagner was considered by some to be the best player in the 2023 high school class ahead of Isaiah Collier but he struggled in his freshman season. He knows what it’s like to play for Calipari so my guess is that his decision may be based on how the two school’s NIL offers compare and his earning potential in LA versus Fayetteville. Wagner would be a huge get for Muss and would immediately improve prospects for the upcoming season. I’m unaware of a backup plan for the last roster spot if Wagner doesn’t come to USC.

The Trojan staff is also recruiting for the 2025 class. Historically Muss hasn’t brought in five star recruits but he may be better positioned to do so at USC. He has recruited highly regarded four stars such as the two freshman recruits from the 2024 class.

Muss also has to put together a fall non-conference schedule. It’s been a very busy time even for a coach who lives basketball 24/7.

A few of the new Trojans were the best players on average or even poor teams, and a couple were team captains. Muss seemed to focus on whether a player will fit his system, whether he can help right away, and whether he will be coachable and a good teammate.

Muss won big at both of his former college stops. He succeeded in the highly competitive SEC so the move to the Big 10 will not faze him. I think he loves the challenge of this new opportunity and I expect the Trojans to be in the upper ranks of the conference in a year or two.

The Trojan Roster

Let’s go through the roster player by player in alphabetical order:

Chibuzo Agbo – Agbo is a versatile 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior from a good Boise State team. He is originally from San Diego where he was a top 100 recruit. He played for the Compton Magic and signed with Texas Tech over USC from high school. Before he entered the portal he was ranked as the third best returning player in the tough Mountain West Conference. Boise finished tied for fifth with San Diego State last season. Agbo was All MWC honorable mention and was ranked as the 176th player in the transfer portal. He committed to Muss only days after entering the portal.

Agbo can play the two or three. He played sparingly for two seasons at Tech before transferring to Boise where he broke out. Last season he was the second leading scorer on the team at 13ppg and also averaged over 5 boards. He made 45% of his shots, 41% from three and 72% of his free throws and played 31 minutes per game. Against Colorado he played 37 minutes and scored 17 points on 8-14 though only 1-6 from three.

Agbo is a very good catch-and-shoot player and also spot-up shooter but is not as good off the dribble or in transition.

Rashaun Agee – Agee is a 6-foot-8, 225-pound senior from Bowling Green who was second team All MAC last season. His strength is on the boards. He averaged 9.9 rebounds, which was 19th best in the country, and 3.8 offensive boards, 10th best in the country. Agee averaged 13.3 ppg, making 57% of his shots and 68% from the line. He plays inside, attempting only 13 threes.

Bowling Green finished fifth in the twelve-team MAC. Agee was the second-leading scorer and is the type of player who does the dirty work inside. Expect Agee to be on the court a lot for the Trojans.

Desmond Claude – Claude is one of the big signings. On3 ranked him the 24th-best player in the portal. He is a 6-foot-6, 207-pound junior guard from Xavier in the very good Atlantic 10 and was voted the most improved player in the league. For those who like a little pay back the coach at Xavier is Sean Miller.

Claude averaged 16.6 ppg as a sophomore along with 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists but also 2.2 TOs. He made 42% of his shots, only 29% from three and 79% from the line. He played lead guard most of the season and at his size is not the typical college point guard. Claude scored 30 points in a loss to Georgetown in the NIT. He also has 12 rebounds against St John’s and his session high in steals was 4.

Claude was the second leading scorer and third in rebounds on the team. He was an outstanding player on an average team; Xavier finished eighth in the Big East. He can play the one or two and possibly even three though he prefers to be the lead guard. With his size, he creates matchup problems at both ends for opposing guards. The Trojans may have him for two seasons.

Josh Cohen – Cohen was committed to Muss at Arkansas from UMass and as soon as Muss was announced as the Trojan coach on April 4 Cohen switched his commitment to USC. He is a 6-foot-10, 220-pound senior center who played three seasons at Saint Francis before transferring to UMass last year. On3 ranked him as the 76th-best player in the portal.

Cohen was All Atlantic 10 first team last season. He averaged 29 minutes and 15.9 ppg and 6.8 rebounds. He made 54% of his shots and 69% from the line. He rarely shot from three at St Francis but last season made 34% of his threes. In his last season at Saint Francis, he was the North East Conference player of the year. He scored a career-high 40 at Saint Francis and also had a career high 14 rebounds.

Cohen is clearly a player Muss wants and we can expect to see him play a lot next season.

Isaiah Elohim – Elohim is an incoming freshman from Sierra Canyon High School who signed with Muss at Arkansas over USC, Kansas, Villanova and other big name programs. After getting his release from Arkansas it took him awhile before committing to the Trojans. When he was a high school junior Bronny James was a senior teammate. Elohim was clearly the best offensive player on that team.

He is a 6-foot-5, 190-pound small forward and was ranked by one service as the 47th best player in the class. Like Bronny he battled injuries in high school but is reportedly healthy now. He is athletic, quick and very effective out to 17-18 feet. If he can improve his outside shot he can more easily also play the two.

It’s difficult to know how much playing time either of the freshman will see this season since we don’t know yet how all the transfers will fit. From video clips of a few Sierra Canyon games it’s clear Elohim is very talented and could contribute right away.

Harry Hornery – Harry is the lone Trojan holdover. Andy Enfield was unable to unlock Harry’s potential in three years. It will be interesting to see if he can earn any playing time on this new team.

Matt Knowling – He is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior forward who played three seasons at Yale. Knowling played 28 minutes per game and averaged 11.6 points, 4.9 boards and 2.6 assists. He averaged 13.6 as a junior and made 63.5% of his shots. In his senior season his numbers fell a bit to 56.7% and 60.8% from the line. He took only 18 threes in three seasons.

Yale had a big season and won the Ivy League title and beat Auburn in the Tournament. Knowling was first team All Ivy League as a junior and honorable mention as a senior and was the third leading scorer on the Bulldog Tournament team. Interestingly Knowling had an agent representing him in the portal.

I haven’t seen Knowling play but it appears his best qualities are his high field goal percentage and his assists and rebounds. Not having a three point game may limit his opportunities this coming season.

Bryce Pope – Pope is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior guard who played his entire career at UCSD which recently made the transition to Division 1. Pope had other major schools interested in him including LSU, Ole Miss, Florida State and Stanford. He averaged 18 points in both of his last two seasons and was the team’s leading scorer. This past season the team finished 21-12 and in second place in the Big West.

Pope was first team All-Big West and was ranked as the number 327th player in the portal. He made 41.8% of his shots, 33% from three and 81.7% from the line while scoring 18.6 ppg this past season. He made a number of deep threes from 25 feet or more and was a finalist for the Lou Hensen Award given to the best mid-major player in the country. Pope can play the 1 or 2.

Although he is a very different player than Knowling he may also struggle to make the regular rotation this season.

Jalen Shelley – He is an 6-foot-8, 190-pound freshman forward who signed with Muss and Arkansas over offers from Ohio State, Texas, LSU, Houston, Marquette, Tennessee and other high major schools. The On3 industry average listed Shelley as a 4 star recruit and the number 59 player in his class. He was nominated for the McDonalds game and his ESPN ranking at 47 made him the ninth highest ranked recruit in Arkansas history.

The left-handed Shelley averaged 18.2 ppg. 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his senior season. He is quick for his size and played some wide receiver earlier in high school. He is great in transition and a great finisher and passer on the break. Some recruiting experts have said he needs to become more assertive.

Like Elohim we won’t know until Shelley arrives on campus and begins to compete with his older teammates whether he will be a factor for the Trojans this season.

Clark Slajchert – He is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior guard from Ventura County who starred on a poor Penn team this past season. Major programs were recruiting him from the portal including UCLA, Michigan, Stanford and Cal.

Slajchert missed six games in the middle of the conference season and Penn struggled in his absence. He was second team All-Ivy League, second in the league in made threes and third in scoring average at 18 ppg. He made half of his team’s made total threes. He averaged 3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 TOs while making 48% of his shots, 42% from three and 82% from the free throw line. He made 87% of his free throws as a junior. His best scoring game was 32 against Brown which was half of Penn’s 64 points. He also scored 25 against Arkansas which is perhaps when Muss first became aware of him. Slajchert played 34 minutes per game as a senior.

In high school Slajchert led the state in scoring averaging 31 ppg and his 2533 total points is 17th highest in California high school history. Slajchert’s shooting ability should get him a long look this fall; the question of how much he will play may depend on his defensive ability since he is not an elite athlete.

Saint Thomas – He is a 6-foot-7, 209-pound forward who was ranked as the 59th best player in the portal by On3. After two quiet seasons at Loyola of Chicago he broke out after transferring to Northern Colorado. He was All Big Sky and averaged big numbers this past season, 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists with 3.5 turnovers and 1.9 steals. He was ninth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game, second in the conference in +/- ratio, second in player efficiency and fifth in assists. He led the conference in rebounds. Thomas is a former Nebraska high school player of the year.

Thomas is the type of player Muss loves. He can play anywhere with his shooting ability and size and can score from all three levels. He is physically strong and can shoot from three and also get inside to score or make the right pass. He is the primary reason Northern Colorado finished third in the Big Sky conference.

Terrance Williams II – He is another 6-foot-7 forward, though he is bigger at 225 pounds. He was the team captain on a bad Michigan team which had a season of controversy revolving around former coach Juwan Howard. Williams was a top 100 recruit out of high school and spent four years in Ann Arbor. He played 33 minutes per game this past season and averaged 13.4 points and 4.5 boards.

He made 43.3% of his shots, 40% from three and 70% from the line. He is versatile and can play the 3 or 4. He was the third leading scorer and rebounder for Michigan last season. His familiarity with the Big 10 and especially the road environments should help his teammates, most of whom have never played in front of massive hostile road crowds.

Williams improved his production every season at Michigan. He likes to play at a fast tempo which should fit Muss’ preferred approach. He is physically strong and plays with a toughness. He is not an explosive athlete or great leaper but does have good hands, something which has been missing in the Trojans’ front court recently.

And One

Nothing will look familiar when the Trojans take the court this November. Everyone will need to keep their phones handy to check the roster and see who is who. Muss is more animated than Andy Enfield during games and he has a whole new staff. The only person we’ll be able to immediately recognize will be Harry Hornery.

I’m excited for the beginning of fall practice in September. I’ll be even more excited if Muss can land DJ Wagner from the portal. Trojan basketball is beginning a new era in a new conference. There is a different kind of optimism this spring than last year around the program and what Muss will accomplish. Last spring the new players along with the return of Boogie Ellis excited everyone. This spring the anticipation is more geared toward the future and what Muss will build. He’s had a great first month.

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