Freshman Alijah Arenas to withdraw from 2026 NBA draft, return to USC

Southern California guard Alijah Arenas is withdrawing from the 2026 NBA draft and returning to the program for his sophomore season, the school announced on Tuesday.

The news was first reported by Jordan Richard of Swish Cultures.

Arenas averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 34.1% from the field this past season with the Trojans. He registered four 20-point games, including a 29-point, six-point performance on Feb. 3 in a win over Indiana.

The 19-year-old missed the first 18 games of the season after undergoing surgery to address a knee injury in July 2025. He debuted for coach Eric Musselman on Jan. 21, recording eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes.

Arenas joined the program as a five-star recruit and a likely first-round pick this year as the No. 10 overall prospect in the country. He instead endured a tumultuous freshman campaign following surgery, which came just weeks after he was hospitalized from a car crash.

The son of three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas was among the 71 players who declared as early entry candidates for the draft ahead of the deadline on Friday. He will now withdraw and look to play another season following a completely healthy summer of workouts and training.

Arenas returns to a team adding top-25 recruits in Christian Collins (No. 9 overall), Adonis Ratliff (No. 17) and Darius Ratliff (No. 23). Musselman also secured commitments via the transfer portal from Eric Reibe (UConn) and KJ Lewis (Georgetown).

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: USC news: Alijah Arenas to withdraw from NBA draft, return to Trojans