Southern California freshman Alijah Arenas has been diagnosed with a knee injury that will require surgery, the program announced on Wednesday.
Arenas, the son of former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, is expected to be sidelined for at least 6-8 months to rehabilitate the injury, which will likely keep him out for most of the upcoming season. He reportedly suffered a torn meniscus, according to Chris Haynes on X.
The 6-foot-6 guard was a five-star recruit and the No. 10 overall prospect out of Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles, according to 247Sports. He committed to the Trojans in January over Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA, among others.
The injury came after Arenas was hospitalized in April following a serious car crash. He was placed in a medically-induced coma following the accident due to the crash and smoke inhalation and was released less than one week later. He suffered no serious injuries.
Arenas finished as the all-time leading scorer in CIF LA City Section history, scoring 3,002 career points in three years after reclassifying to the 2025 class. He led Chatsworth High School to the 2024 State Regional Title and was a 2025 McDonald’s All-American selection.
