LOS ANGELES — If newly minted USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman wants to reel Trent Perry back into the mix for the Trojans, he’ll have his work cut out for him.
After the Harvard-Westlake star announced his decommitment from USC in the wake of Andy Enfield’s departure for SMU, Perry, who was largely recruited by Enfield and assistant Chris Capko, has heard from Alabama, Virginia, UCLA, Oregon, Stanford and Villanova this week, his father Troy told the Southern California News Group.
It will be a key early point in Musselman’s tenure as he attempts to rebuild USC. The Razorbacks didn’t recruit Perry out of high school, as Musselman hadn’t established much of a presence in Southern California beyond snagging the commitment of Sierra Canyon’s Isaiah Elohim. Perry’s stock has never been higher, a 6-foot-4 four-star guard coming off back-to-back state championship runs with Harvard-Westlake and a spot in the McDonald’s All-American game.
Troy said the family hadn’t heard from Musselman yet, since his hire was officially announced at USC on Thursday afternoon. They will wait to see how Musselman views Perry and who he would be bringing in, either in transfers from Arkansas or elsewhere, in making a commitment decision, Troy said.
Another possible outcome is SMU, depending on the coaching staff and infrastructure that follows Enfield, could look to flip Perry.
“Trent’s still his guy,” Troy said of Enfield.
If Musselman is interested in retaining Perry, and fights off other suitors, he would be a key part of USC’s Big Ten roster rebuild, a fluid combo guard with a leader’s pedigree who averaged 18.7 points a game, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in being named Gatorade’s California Player of the Year for boys basketball.