USC lands former San Diego star Kevin Patton as Trojans finalize roster for 2024-25

The final player who has committed to USC and new coach Eric Musselman is former San Diego star Kevin Patton. Musselman arrived as the new coach of the USC Trojans after his time at Arkansas.

Since his arrival, he has been a busy man after six USC players entered the transfer portal. Despite many vacancies, Musselman has finalized USC's roster for the upcoming season.

Kevin Patton was a key player for the Toreros last season, as he averaged 9. 8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Patton made his commitment announcement via his social media handle:

Patton started his collegiate career with San Diego and signed as On3's No. 139 overall recruit in the class of 2023. In his first season, he made it to the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team and won the WCC Freshman of the Week four times.

Moving forward, Patton can become a key defender for USC due to his ability to slide into the passing lanes to create steals and important deflections.

Patton is also a good shot. In the 2023-24 season, he made 43.4 percent of his shots from the field and was able to convert 33.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Starting in 16 out of 30 games, Patton played for 26 minutes per game last season. A solid 6-foot-10, 220-pound defender who averaged 1.3 blocks per game last season, Patton will be looking for a similar or more time under Musselman by providing his best at the end of the court.

For the Torerors, he was tied for the team lead in maximum steals with 42 last season, second in the WCC. In high school, he went to Rancho Christian School in Temecula, California, where he scored over 1,700 points.

Patton will be the 13th scholarship addition for Musselman and also the last. With the roster completed now, the first part of Musselman's new job at USC seems to be behind him.

Who was the major signing for Musselman other than Kevin Patton?

NCAA Basketball: St. Francis at Miami

Arkansas' first and only addition in this offseason transfer portal was Josh Cohen from UMass. He made his official visit to Notre Dame but chose the Razorbacks.

However, after Musselman was hired at USC, Cohen de-committed and followed the coach who signed him at Arkansas. He is another major commitment for Musselman in his new program.

The former UMass player was the No. 103 overall player in the portal and ranked as the No.16 power forward. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 15.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He also bagged 54.4 percent shots from the field and 34.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.