USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury and will be out 6 to 8 months

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alijah Arenas ‘ college basketball career is on hold before the highly touted freshman has played his first game.

He was diagnosed with a knee injury that will require surgery and rehab is expected to take at least six to eight months, the school said Wednesday.

“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.”

Arenas, whose father Gilbert played in the NBA, was involved in a car crash that left him in an induced coma in April.

He crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree, smoke filled the front cabin and the doors wouldn’t open. He spent nearly 10 minutes in the burning vehicle before bystanders helped pull him to safety.

Arenas was in the hospital for six days but did not suffer major injuries.

He is a five-star recruit and 2025 McDonald’s All-American. The 2024 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year is also the top scorer in CIF LA City Section history, accumulating 3,002 points in three years of high school.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball