Drew Peterson commits to transfer to USC basketball from Rice

Rice graduate transfer Drew Peterson committed to USC basketball on Monday.

USC basketball’s collection of transfers grew on Monday with the fresh pledge of Rice small forward Drew Peterson.

“After much consideration, I’m proud to announce I’ll be committing to the University of Southern California,” Peterson wrote on Twitter, including two graphics along with his message.

The 6-foot-7, 180-pound forward played for Rice for two seasons, starting 55 times. Last season, he led the Owls in rebounds (6.5) and assists (3.5) per game while averaging 11.1 points. He shot 4.1.1 percent from the field.

CHECK OUT: Clay Helton confirms potential conference-only schedule

That kind of production made Peterson a value target for teams in want of wing. As it turns out, USC was one of those teams.

Peterson, a three-star prospect who ranked No. 331 coming out of high school in 2018, had committed to Minnesota at the end of April, but within a week he re-opened his recruitment. The Trojans will benefit greatly from the reconsideration of his options.

Unfortunately, that benefit won’t come immediately. Peterson has two years of eligibility remaining, but he will have to sit out the coming year, taking a redshirt, as part of NCAA transfer rules.

Peterson is one of five transfers joining USC this offseason. Like center Joshua Morgan from Long Beach State and shooting guard Isaiah White from Utah Valley, he will have to wait to contribute. On the other hand, USC has two graduate transfers on deck in power forward Chevez Goodwin from Wofford and shooting guard Tahj Eaddy from Santa Clara.

The Trojans have also seen three players leave the program this offseason. Shooting guard Charles O’Bannon Jr. is on his way to TCU while point guard Kyle Sturdivant is heading to Georgia Tech. Elijah Weaver most recently added his name to the transfer portal but hasn’t yet named a destination.

USC’s scholarship math can get convoluted at this stage. The Trojans have five in and three out via transfer. They have also seen the graduation of Jonah Mathews, Daniel Utomi, Quinton Adlesh and Nick Rakocevic. Then there’s the NBA departure of Onyeka Okongwu and the arrival of Evan Mobley and Boubacar Coulibaly in the class of 2020. That leaves USC with 12 players on the roster and one more scholarship to use.