Months after worrying car crash, Alijah Arenas’ injury setback elicits inspiring message from USC HC Eric Musselman

USC's Alijah Arenas was the No. 10-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class. As a result, there was a lot of anticipation about his debut for the Trojans. However, the lead-up to his freshman season has been a huge struggle. In April, Arenas was involved in a car crash where he lost control of his vehicle and struck a fire hydrant and a tree. This led to him being put into a medically induced coma.

Arenas was released from the hospital a week later. While he appeared to be in the clear, it was reported on Wednesday that Arenas suffered a torn meniscus. This knee injury required surgery and will force him to miss six to eight months. As a result, he is not expected to be available for much of this coming season.

While it is devastating for the Trojans to lose a young star like Arenas, the coaching staff is confident he will come back better than ever. On Wednesday night, USC coach Eric Musselman sent an inspiring message to Arenas on X.

"Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person," Musselman wrote. "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."

Eric Musselman

@EricPMusselman

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Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person. 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.

Alijah Arenas is the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert Arenas played in the NBA from 2001 to 2012 and was an All-Star three times. He also earned the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2003.

Eric Musselman and the USC Trojans will prepare for a season without Alijah Arenas

Eric Musselman is heading into his second season as the coach of the USC Trojans. In his first season, the Trojans had a difficult season, finishing 17-18 and losing in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown tournament.

The Trojans have struggled in recent years, missing the NCAA tournament for the past two seasons and not advancing past the first round since 2021, when they reached the Elite Eight.

Alijah Arenas was expected to be a big part of the Trojans this coming season, but Musselman and his coaching staff will need to adapt. They still likely have plans for Arenas to be a big piece of the future, but this season, the team will need to play without him.