2025 was not good for Alijah Arenas. The son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was involved in a serious car crash in April. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any broken bones in the crash, but it was a massive setback for the guard headed to USC.
The USC freshman suffered a torn meniscus in July. He had to undergo surgery for the same and was slated to miss six to eight months due to recovery.
He made his long-awaited return in January 2026. Since then, he has been trying to catch up and get into the rhythm for the rest of the season. While Arenas tries to regain control of his game with the Trojans, he has plenty of support behind him.
His mother, Laura Govan, recently posted a picture of the USC guard on her Instagram story.
“I’LL FOREVER HAVE YOUR BACK SON,” she wrote.
Govan is a hands-on mother. She has been by his side throughout his basketball journey. Govan is frequently spotted at his games and then shows love to the USC freshman on her social media accounts as well.
At the time of his injury in July, head coach Eric Musselman said that his health would be their number one priority. The program was committed to not rushing Arenas from his injury and allowed him to fully recover.
“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman said. “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 played his first game of the season against Northwestern.
Alijah Arenas Struggled in His USC Debut
The Trojans lost the game 68-74. Arenas only had eight points in the game in 29 minutes. He went 3 of 15 from the field and 0 of 6 from the three-point line. He also shot just 2 of six free throws.
Although his performance wasn’t up to expectations, the head coach stated that it was good to have Arenas back with the team. After his first practice with the team, he said:
“It was great to have him back with the rest of the guys. He’s got such a great basketball IQ and brings a tremendous amount of energy. It looked like he had been a part of practice for quite some time.”
In four games, he is averaging 7.5 points, two rebounds, and an assist. He is shooting just 28.6% from the field. The good thing is that USC is committed to working on his game and helping him realize his full potential.
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