"Guess he doesn't want to win", "Enjoy the west coast": Fans react as USC lands Big South standout amid Desmond Claude transfer uncertainty

High Point Panthers guard Kezza Giffa has found a new home for his senior stint of college basketball in the 2025-26 season. As confirmed on May 29 by On3, the 6'2'' French guard is headed to coach Eric Musselman's USC Trojans next campaign. Giffa spent the last two years at High Point and his freshman season with the UTEP Miners.

This news follows a report from collegiate hoops insider Joe Tipton via On3 on X, revealing that the Alabama Crimson Tide have since rescinded their pursuit of Trojans standout Desmond Claude, who entered the transfer portal on April 22.

Coach Nate Oats' Alabama squad is expecting the return of now-sophomore Labaron Philon, who withdrew his name from the 2025 NBA Draft.

Musselman and the Trojans will have an influx of guards with the arrival of Giffa and Claude, who could potentially stay with the team, along with their other prospects and perimeter players. Despite that, Claude is still widely expected to transfer, with programs like Tennessee and Oregon emerging as potential destinations.

College basketball fans dropped their reactions to Giffa's commitment amidst Claude's uncertainty.

USC is set to welcome Giffa with open arms as he is coming off a 2024-25 campaign averaging 14.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, leading the Panthers to a 29-6 overall record and 14-2 in the Big South conference. He also played a key role in guiding the Panthers to the first round of the 2025 NCAA national tournament.

Coach Eric Musselman posts Kezza Giffa's USC Trojans commitment on his Instagram story

With the announcement of Kezza Giffa committing to the USC Trojans, his new coach, Eric Musselman, reposted the news on his Instagram story. Musselman, who took over the Trojans' program in 2024 after a successful stint with the Arkansas Razorbacks, is heading into his second season at the helm.

In the 2024-25 campaign, Musselman led USC to a 17-18 overall record, including a 7-13 mark in Big Ten conference play. The Trojans then went on to compete in the 2025 College Basketball Crown, wherein they defeated the Tulane Green Wave by 29 points, 89-60, in the first round but were eliminated by the Villanova Wildcats by a mere margin, 60-59, in the second round.

About the author

Koby del Rosario is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda who took up BS in Advertising Management at De La Salle University, one of the big "four" universities in the Philippines. Koby has over four years of experience with Complex PH, M2.0 Communications, The LaSallian, Daily Tribune, and Time Attack Manila.

Koby's favorite college team would have to be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Apart from being MJ's alma mater, Koby has always been fond of the Jordan silhouettes that release in the school's colors (being a sneakerhead himself).

His past favorite college players would have to be Russell Westbrook (UCLA) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). With Russ, his 1-2 punch with Kevin Love during their UCLA days was something Koby marveled at as Russ became his favorite player to watch post-Kobe.

Besides playing basketball, Koby enjoys nightlife, collecting sneakers, and playing video games. Apart from hosting parties and taking pictures for parties/bars/clubs, Koby is learning to DJ as a hobby with all sorts of house and hip-hop as the main genres.

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