Trojans coach has most talented team yet

USC ought to reach March with the return of three top players: Rice, Arenas, Cofie.

- By RYAN KARTJE

While the college sports calendar remains dormant for the moment, summer basketball practice is in full swing at USC.

The Times was at Galen Center recently to get an idea of where the Trojans stand heading into a critical third season for Eric Musselman as coach. And I came away feeling like this is the most talented team the Trojans have had in quite some time.

What that will mean come March, I wouldn’t even attempt to speculate at this point. This team has been together only a couple of weeks. Plans are bound to change. And injuries are bound to happen.

I feel safe in assuming whatever ancient curse or voodoo hex was cast long ago on USC basketball can’t possibly derail another season like it did the last one.

OK, so transfer center Eric Reibe aggravating an injury in June and sitting out the summer isn't.... ideal. And sure, neither is the fact that transfer guard KJ Lewis won't be cleared from the ankle injury he suffered in February until ‘‘hopefully mid-to-late September,’’ per Musselman. But still no freak car accidents, sudden cardiac incidents or bizarre player dismissals to date...

But Musselman has all the makings of a roster that should — read: must — make it to March.

The difference isn’t so much in what USC added to its roster, but rather in who Musselman and his staff managed to retain from the previous one. That was USC's primary focus coming into the offseason.

Instead of having to rebuild an entire team from scratch like in Musselman’s first two seasons, which proved much more difficult than expected, the Trojans brought back their three top returning players: Rodney Rice, Alijah Arenas and Jacob Cofie.