USC basketball rumors: Grad transfer possibly picking Trojans

USC basketball picked up a commitment from Santa Clara graduate transfer guard Tahj Eaddy, according to reports on Tuesday.

The rumor mill around USC basketball was buzzing on Tuesday with reports that Tahj Eaddy from Santa Clara committed to join the Trojans as a graduate transfer.

The 6-foot-3 shooting guard made his pledge to Andy Enfield, according to a report from Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com. Marc Kulkin of USC Scoop backed up the report. Eaddy himself has not confirmed the commitment.

Eaddy was a three-star prospect when he came out of Tennessee Preparatory Academy in 2016. He first landed at Southeast Missouri State. where he played one season for the Redhawks. After starting 12 games and averaging 13.5 points and 4.1 assists per 40 minutes, he transferred to Santa Clara.

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At Santa Clara, he went on to start every game in the 2018-19 season. He led the team with 15 points per game, adding 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He shot 40.1 percent from the field.

Despite the stellar debut year, Eaddy saw his minutes drop significantly in 2019-20. While he started the first 10 games of the season, his involvement dipped and he started coming off the bench in December. With Santa Clara on a five-game losing streak, the guard returned to the starting lineup against Saint Mary’s and put up 20 points in a loss. He went on to start the final four games of the campaign.

In all, Eaddy averaged 9.1 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds as a redshirt junior.

USC has to find a way to replace its four-leading scorers for next season. While Onyeka Okongwu is expected to depart for the NBA Draft, guards Jonah Mathews and Daniels Utomi, along with forward Nick Rakocevic, are graduating. The Trojans will also lose guard Quinton Adlesh to graduation.

The 2020 recruiting class is strong on big men with five-star center Evan Mobley already signed and three-star center Boubacar Coulibaly committed. Enfield is also hoping to pick up another five-star in Ziaire Williams, a small forward out of Sierra Canyon.

Even so, the Trojans can make use of the transfer portal with players like Eaddy, in much the same way they found success with Utomi. More help is on the way as well. Noah Baumann, a transfer from San Jose State, sat out in 2019-20 and will be eligible to play in the upcoming season.