USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman has added a Cinderella story to his collection of proven returners and heralded newcomers.
It involves Jadis Jones, a guard from Lindenwood in the relatively obscure Ohio Valley Conference.
Jones announced his commitment to the Trojans on Wednesday, posting a picture of himself in a USC jersey alongside the caption “let’s do it #FightOn.”
The 6-foot-5 guard brings an intriguing set of qualifications to the Big Ten as part of his attempt to level up.
While averaging 15.3 points as a sophomore last season, he made a conference-leading 57.4% of his shots. His average of 8.5 rebounds per game was remarkable for a guard and ranked second overall in the OVC.
As a result of his well-rounded game, Jones set a single-season record in the school’s Division I era with 10 double-doubles on the way to becoming a first-team all-conference selection.
He’ll join a crowded backcourt that will include Rodney Rice — the team’s leading scorer before suffering a season-ending injury after six games last season — as well as fellow transfers K.J. Lewis and Jalen Cox.
What appears to be Musselman’s best collection of players since his arrival at USC before the 2024-25 season also includes wing Alijah Arenas in addition to forward Jacob Cofie, center Eric Reibe and an intriguing trio of freshmen in forward Christian Collins and 7-foot twins Adonis and Darius Ratliff.
Jones is familiar with stardom after having been selected the Gatorade Player of the Year in Missouri before spending his first two college seasons at Lindenwood in his home state.
Now, he’s taking his talents to a much larger stage.
