Gilbert Arenas’ son Alijah is back at USC for his sophomore season.
Fans of Agent Zero from his Washington Wizards days all the way down to fans of the Trojans themselves will be hoping that this one is a lot smoother than year one on campus for Alijah.
USC’s regular season will get rolling on Nov. 2 when they take on Milwaukee. The Trojans are opening the season ranked No. 21 in the country, thanks in large part to Alijah Arenas as well as Rodney Rice.
This is a team expected to compete for the NCAA Tournament and potentially put together a deep run.
The signs in the lead-up to the season have been good from Arenas.
Alijah Arenas Rebounds From Crash
Alijah Arenas got his freshman season off to a scary start when he was involved in a single-car crash and had to be placed in a medically induced coma. He suffered from severe smoke inhalation.
Arenas spent six days in the hospital but didn’t have any major structural damage.
It didn’t help Arenas get his college hoops season started on time. He ended up appearing in 14 games for USC and showing some of his potential.
New Season Ahead
Arenas has a chance to be a special talent this season. The Trojans played three exhibition games in which the lanky perimeter threat made that clear.
USC began against North Carolina, and Arenas scored 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting (2-5 3FG, 1-3 FT) with two rebounds and a steal.
Then against UC-San Diego, Arenas went for 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block. He shot 9-for-15 from the floor, including 1-for-3 from 3, while making 3-of-4 free throws.
The last exhibition game was against San Diego State. Arenas dropped 22 points with 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals. He shot 9-for-16 from the floor, including 2-for-6 from 3, with 2-of-2 at the foul line.
“He should be one of the best rebounding guards in college basketball,” USC coach Eric Musselman said via Field Level Media. “His performance thus far, through three exhibition games, has been incredible.”
Rice led USC in points in all three exhibition games. Arenas was second in all three exhibition games.
He certainly looks ready for the season to begin.
A Special Number
If you’re wondering — Alijah Arenas also wears the No. 0, just like his dad.
He’s bigger than Gilbert but has a great skillset, and this year could be the chance for Alijah to show it and push himself into contention to be an NBA lottery pick.
Gilbert Arenas’ Son Alijah Puts Country on Notice at USC After Crash