Late Wednesday afternoon, USC men’s basketball suffered a major blow. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Trojan freshman Alijah Arenas suffered a torn meniscus. According to Haynes, Arenas will be out for at least 6-8 months and could potentially miss the entire 2025-2026 college basketball season.
The news is particularly brutal timing for Arenas, the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas. It comes just a few weeks after he was cleared to begin practicing with the team. Back in April, he spent nearly a week in the hospital after surviving a car crash.
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“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman told ESPN. “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.”
A five-star recruit, Arenas was expected to play a major role right away for the Trojans. He was one of several major offseason additions for the USC program, including Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara and Maryland transfer Rodney Rice.
With Arenas expected to miss the majority of the season, the Trojans will need to rely on other players to step up in his absence. After going just 17-18 in Musselman’s first season, USC will be looking to return to NCAA Tournament contention in 2025-2026.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC’s Alijah Arenas suffers torn meniscus, season in jeopardy
