USC Trojans Arenas' Named to Preseason Jerry West Award Watchlist

USC Trojans Men's basketball sophomore guard Alijah Arenas has been named to the 2027 Preseason Jerry West Award Watchlist. 

The honor was announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame early Tuesday afternoon, and the award is given to the best shooting guard in Division I men’s college basketball since its inception back in 2015.

Arenas is returning for his sophomore year at USC after playing just 14 games during the 2025-26 season. He suffered a tear in his meniscus back in July 2025 and was sidelined until he made his collegiate debut on Jan. 22 against the Northwestern Wildcats. 

The former McDonald's All-American averaged 14.1 points, 2.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game in his first go-round. The former five-star recruit earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors during an early stretch in February when he scored a career-high 29 points against the Indiana Hoosiers. 

Arenas is slated to make an impact for the Trojans during the 2026-27 season. A flurry of new names are joining alongside him, such as Darius and Adonis Ratliff, and returning Trojans like Rodeny Rice and Jacob Cofie. 

Thus far, USC has played three exhibition games in preparation for the season. In those three games, Arenas, alongside Rice, were the leading scorers in all three of those games. 

Against the UNC Tar Heels on Oct. 9, Arenas played 35 minutes in the 88-70 loss and scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He added a steal and two rebounds to his stat line. 

On Oct. 17, the Trojans outlasted the UC San Diego Tritons 80-74, and Arenas increased his minutes to 37. In that time, he scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, two assists, and one block. 

In USC's last exhibition against the San Diego State Aztecs, Arenas recorded a double-double with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 12 boards. 

USC went 2-1 in their exhibitions and now look ahead to kicking off their season on Nov. 2 against the Milwaukee Panthers at the Galen Center. The Trojans are entering the 2026-27 campaign with the No. 1 recruiting class and have their eyes set on even more recruits as the season gets underway. 

Following their matchup with Milwaukee, the Trojans will stay home on Nov. 8 to play the Wichita State Shockers before heading on the road for their first away game of the season against the Cal Golden Bears.