The USC men's basketball team has added a new transfer portal addition in Desmond Claude. Claude was a standout at Xavier University and was the Big East's Most Improved Player in 2024.
The 6-foot-6 guard showed significant improvement in both his on-court time and performance during the 2023-2024 season. As a freshman, Claude averaged 20.8 minutes, 4.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, which has improved to 33.6 minutes, 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
Claude will now move to the West Coast and play under new head coach Eric Musselman.
“Honestly, from the first phone call, I felt like it was a perfect fit,” Claude said, via ESPN's Jeff Borzello. “The academic support, basketball resources, and basketball vision were all like tailor-made for me. I also owe Coach Musselman over the past few years the ability to help big lead guards make the leap into NBA-ready guards. We have a proven track record of supporting
Claude will have an almost completely different roster than the 2023-24 season, with players such as Boogie Ellis, DJ Rodman, Ojia Sellers, Bronny James, Isaiah Collier and Coby Johnson leaving the program. This will provide another long-awaited addition to USC.
Claude will be joined by Boise State's Chibuzo Agbo, Massachusetts Amherst's Josh Cohen, Michigan State's Terrence Williams II, Northern Colorado's St. Thomas, Yale's Matt Knowling, and Bowling. He joins a transfer class at the University of Southern California that includes LaShawn Agee of Greene, Bryce Pope of the University of California, San Diego, and Clark Sreichert of the University of Pennsylvania. .
These players will be tasked with helping USC bounce back from a disappointing 2023-24 season in which the team finished just 15-18 while missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.
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