When Eric Musselman was hired as USC's basketball coach a year ago, he'd end up starting basically from scratch with only little-used reserve Harrison Hornery hanging around through the coaching transition.

And while the hope would be for Musselman to build momentum from his first year heading into his second, well, the task hasn't gotten significantly easier from a roster rebuild standpoint.

Such is life in the transfer portal era ...

Musselman's Trojans were already losing half the roster due to graduation/exhausted eligibility with starters Chibuzo Agbo (11.8 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game), Josh Cohen (5.9 PPG) and reserves Matt Knowling, Clark Slajchert, Bryce Pope and Hornery all gone.

Add to that list now seven other departures to the transfer portal, headlined by stars Desmond Claude (team-high 15.8 points per game) and Wesley Yates III (14.1 PPG, second on the team), key role rotational pieces Rashaun Agee (9.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and Saint Thomas (9.5 PPG, 5.9 rebounds per game) along with promising young players Kevin Patton Jr., Isaiah Elohim and Jalen Shelley. Claude, Agee and Thomas hopped in the portal on the final day of this postseason window Tuesday.

So what's left might be the first question for those who haven't been keeping up with it ...

Only wing Terrance Williams II (10.6 PPG in seven games played before an injury).

The rest will once again be new.

As already stated -- welcome to the state of college basketball in 2025.

Earlier in the day Tuesday before Claude's transfer intentions were reported by On3.com, USC landed a high-profile transfer in Maryland guard Rodney Rice, who will now presumably take over the point guard duties from Claude even though that wasn't his role with the Terps, where he averaged 13.8 points and 2.1 assists per game.

Rice, who reportedly was seeking a significant financial investment in choosing his new school, is the headliner of a group of seven transfer additions that also includes 6-foot-8 forward Ezra Ausar (Utah), 7-foot-3 center Gabe Dynes (Youngstown State), 6-foot-10 forward Jacob Cofie (from Virginia), 6-foot-7 guard/forward Amarion Dickerson (Robert Morris), 6-foot-6 forward Keonte Jones (CSUN) and 6-foot-9 forward Jaden Brownell (Samford)

There's also the arrival of five-star incoming freshman shooting guard Alijah Arenas along with four-star freshman combo guard Jerry Easter.

We'll take a closer look at those transfer additions and how the puzzle fits together, but here's an overall breakdown of the roster movement ...

USC men's basketball offseason roster movement

GONE ...

Out of eligibility:

F Matt Knowling

C Josh Cohen

F Harrison Hornery

G Bryce Pope

G Chibuzo Agbo

G Clark Slajchert

Transfers:

G Wesley Yates III

G Kevin Patton Jr.

G Isaiah Elohim

G Jalen Shelley

F Saint Thomas

PG Desmond Claude

F Rashaun Agee

RETURNING ...

G Terrance Williams II

INCOMING ...

HS recruits:

Five-star G Alijah Arenas

Four-star G Jerry Easter

Transfer additions:

F Jacob Cofie (Virginia)

G/F Amarion Dickerson (Robert Morris)

F Keonte Jones (CSUN)

F Jaden Brownell (Samford)

C Gabe Dynes (Youngstown State)

F Ezra Ausar (Utah)

G Rodney Rice (Maryland)

Cofie started 16 of 32 games as a true freshman, averaging 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 24.4 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line. He scored a season-high 17 points along with six rebounds vs. Notre Dame.

Cofie gives the Trojans much-needed size and potentially a more athletic upgrade from Cohen.

Dickerson spent two years in JUCO at Mineral Area College in Missouri before playing last season at Robert Morris, where he averaged 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 35 games (31 starts) while being named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team all-league selection.

He had a career-high 27 points and 15 rebounds vs. Northern Kentucky and set the Robert Morris single-game record with 8 blocks vs. Detroit Mercy, but perhaps most notably he scored 25 points with 9 rebounds on 11-of-22 shooting in a NCAA tournament loss to Alabama.

The one flaw in his game was his perimeter shooting as he made just 21 of 76 3-pointers (27.6 percent), but the Trojans ideally won't need him taking those shots.

His eligibility clock will depend on a more formal ruling from the NCAA on how it regards JUCO years.

Jones spent three seasons in JUCO -- two at the aforementioned Mineral Area College and one at Midland College in Texas -- before moving onto CSUN, where he averaged 13.1 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 50.6 percent from the field last season.

Jones appeared in 34 games for CSUN while starting 31 times, leading the team in rebounding, blocks (50) and steals (55) while he was third on the team in points per game. He registered a team-high five doubles-doubles, scored in double figures 19 times and reached double figures in rebounds eight times. He finished first in the Big West in blocks per game (1.5), fourth in rebounds per game and field goal percentage and sixth in steals per game (1.6).

Again, his remaining eligibility will hinge on the NCAA's ruling on JUCO years moving forward.

Brownell was second on the team in scoring for Samford this season, averaging 14 points per game along with 4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward shot 51.3 percent from the field overall and was a weapon from the perimeter, making 39.7 percent of his 3-pointers (58 of 146).

He scored a season-high 27 points vs. George Mason, hitting 6 of 10 3-pointers, while adding 7 rebounds. It was one of eight 20-point games for Brownell, who had 25 points vs. Furman and 24 vs. North Alabama among other standout performances.

Brownell spent three years at Illinois-Chicago, including a redshirt season, and has one year of eligibility remaining with the Trojans.

Dynes played in 34 games last season as a sophomore, starting 7, while averaging 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with 104 blocks overall. He shot a robust 69.9 percent from the field but struggled at the foul line, making just 47.8 percent of his free throws. He made the Horizon League All-Defensive team each of his first two seasons.

His best game against Division I competition last season was 19 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting vs. Green Bay. He scored in double figures in 10 games overall.

Dynes has two years of eligibility remaining.

Ausar, a 6-foot-8, 242-pound forward with one year of eligibility left, averaged 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season for the Utes while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.

Ausar gives the Trojans a much-needed additional scorer capable of taking over games for stretches. He had six 20-point games, including 26 against BYU on 11-of-15 shooting and 25 against Arizona State on 7-of-10 shooting.

Rice, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 13.8 points per game as a sophomore for a Terrapins team that reached the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion Florida.

Rice was a capable sharp-shooter for the Terps, knocking down 37.4 percent of his 3-pointers (80 of 214) while piling up six 20-point games on a loaded and balanced Maryland roster.

His best performances included 28 points vs. Mount St. Mary's, 26 vs. Illinois, 23 vs. Indiana, 22 vs. USC in a game that might have registered in Musselman's memory, 21 vs. Minnesota and 20 vs. Michigan State. Rice scored at least 14 points in 13 Big Ten games. He scored 16 points in Maryland's NCAA tournament win over Colorado State and 12 points in the loss to Florida.

There are still spots to fill here after Claude, Thomas and Agee hit the portal on Tuesday.

As it stands, unless a high-profile point guard addition is still to come or if Claude changes his mind on leaving, USC is going to need Rice to replace Claude as the primary ball-handler, even though that wasn't his role at Maryland. There is some thought that Jones could also handle the ball, but he's already making the jump from CSUN to the Big Ten, so he has to first prove his game transfers up a couple levels.

If Arenas is as good as advertised as a true freshman, one would expect him to become an immediate focal point of the offense, which would help a ton. In Rice, Arenas, Williams and Audra, the Trojans should have five dependable scorers in the rotation -- all guys who have either proven at this level or come with considerable expectations in the case of Arenas.

The frontcourt transfer additions are intriguing, and the tandem of Cofie and Dynes would seem to give USC at least a little more upside (and straight-up size) on the interior than it had last season, but both have plenty to prove in their development still. Brownell's 3-point shooting could be an asset, but as the Trojans saw last season it can be hit and miss with players making the leap up to a higher level of college basketball, so he'll have to prove he can carryover his production to the Big Ten.

There's no reason to think the Trojans are worse off than they were going through a total roster rebuild on the fly last year. There's plenty of upside here, but it would have been more reassuring to retain Claude, Thomas and Agee (assuming the latter two get the extra year of eligibility they’re seeking from the NCAA) on top of the new additions.

Again, Musselman still has room to maneuver and may be able to add some significant final pieces to the puzzle.