USC Commit Alijah Arenas makes remarkable recovery from car accident

Last Thursday, news was reported of Alijah Arenas being in a car accident. He was placed in a medically induced coma during his hospital visit. A day later, the USC commit was alert and able to communicate through writing. Monday afternoon saw further signs of his improved well-being as well as a personal honor of recognition for his play on the basketball court.

During Gil's Arena, co-host Josiah Johnson shared that Arenas is 'doing better, walking, talking, progressing very well, should be released from the hospital very soon.' Johnson also mentioned that in his discussion with the guard's father, Gilbert Arenas, there had not been any major injuries sustained.

They asked for continued prayers and support for the USC commit; however, from the tone and message, there was a lot of optimism following last week's incident. LA Times writer Ryan Kartje also disclosed in a post on X that Arenas 'should be discharged from the hospital soon.'

Thankfully for the athlete and the family, the 18-year-old has continued to recover at a steady rate. The news of avoiding anything potentially serious or long-term also adds to the positive updates. A full recovery seems to be the case for Arenas after the incident that caused a collective gasp and outpouring from the USC community.

5-star status for Arenas with another outlet

On the basketball side of things, Arenas received a solidified status to his talent evaluation. On3 Recruits officially listed him as the seventh-best player in the class of 2025 and ranked him as a five-star talent.

In his analysis, On3's Jamie Shaw wrote:

"The Chatsworth (CA) High guard has a developed scoring acumen with the requisite positional size as he continues to move forward in level."

It will be a little bit of time before Arenas can return to the court. When that happens, and he's able to work himself back into shape, it's clear that he offers a lot from the backcourt position. The Trojan family continues to look forward to hearing further encouraging updates from the USC commit in the meantime.