Eric Reibe Rejected Uconn To Solve Usc's Recurring Problem: Finding A Real Big Man

Earlier this month, days aft Connecticut mislaid to Michigan successful nan nationalist title game, Eric Reibe said Huskies coach Dan Hurley came to him pinch an offer. Hurley wanted nan 7-foot-1 German large man to enactment successful Storrs and anchor nan Connecticut frontcourt adjacent fall.

It was a tempting connection astatine specified a prestigious hoops powerhouse. Especially aft spending his full freshman play scrapping for minutes down All-Big East large man Tarris Reed.

But Reibe turned Hurley down.

“I conscionable decided to research a amended fit, for maine and my game,” Reibe told The Times.

That exploration yet led him to USC, wherever Eric Musselman and his unit position nan 7-footer arsenic a centerpiece of their 3rd portal haul successful L.A. Reibe is joined truthful acold by Georgetown transportation KJ Lewis and erstwhile Colgate constituent defender Jalen Cox successful a people that’s sought to straight reside nan misses of Musselman’s first 2 forays into nan transportation portal.

The astir glaring of those, to date, has been successful nan middle. In his first May arsenic coach, pinch constricted clip to build his roster, Musselman and his unit hung their hopes connected Massachusetts halfway Josh Cohen, who proved to beryllium a liability connected some ends. Last season, nan scheme was to get bigger and amended protect nan rim pinch a 7-5 elephantine successful Gabe Dynes alongside Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie. But that pairing produced mixed results.

Reibe, though, comes to USC arsenic a different caliber of prospect. A erstwhile McDonald’s All-American, he was nan 36th-ranked imaginable of nan 2025 class. Early successful his freshman play astatine Connecticut, pinch Reed sidelined, Reibe started for nan Huskies successful captious non-conference matchups against Arizona, Illinois and Kansas. Over those 3 games, Reibe averaged 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

“Eric was a worker and a warrior for us,” Hurley told reporters earlier this week. “He saved america successful nan non-conference. He played great.”

Reibe didn’t play astir arsenic overmuch down nan agelong of his freshman play astatine Connecticut. After Reed returned, Reibe scored successful double figures conscionable 3 much times complete 3 months. He played conscionable 40 mixed minutes and scored six full points during nan Huskies’ six-game NCAA tourney run.

Reibe entered nan transportation portal 4 days later — and stepped into a booming marketplace for large men. According to analytics tract EvanMiya.com, centers successful this transportation rhythm person been weighted connected mean astatine $1.3 cardinal successful nan portal.

Within 48 hours, Michigan called Reibe. So did Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisville and a big of different top-tier hoops programs.

But Reibe says he clicked instantly pinch Musselman, whose acquisition processing NBA prospects was peculiarly convincing to nan 7-footer.

He expects he’ll beryllium capable to “play a small spot much freely” astatine USC. That includes, he says, “facilitating disconnected nan dribble” and “showing disconnected my three-pointer a small spot more.”

Eric Reibe is assured he tin beryllium a valuable contributor for nan Trojans adjacent season.

(Jessica Hill / Associated Press)

That would beryllium a overmuch much important publication connected discourtesy than USC has gotten retired its large men nan past 2 seasons. But Musselman has yet to person arsenic overmuch talent successful nan frontcourt arsenic he’ll beryllium moving pinch this fall. Reibe will commencement adjacent to Cofie, while nan Trojans will person 3 top-25 prospects successful Christian Collins and Adonis and Darius Ratliff to fresh successful location alongside.

The backcourt should besides beryllium successful a amended place, pinch Cox, a erstwhile Loyola High standout, stepping successful pinch acquisition orchestrating an offense. He averaged 17.9 points and 5.2 assists per crippled past play arsenic Colgate’s level general.

He’ll springiness nan Trojans security astatine constituent guard, pending a determination from Alijah Arenas, who’s still mulling complete whether to participate nan NBA draft, return to USC aliases transfer.

But astatine nan 1 position that’s fixed USC nan astir problem successful nan transportation portal, nan Trojans are successful a amended spot this outpouring than nan past two. That’s connected relationship of Reibe, who said “a large part” of his determination to travel to USC was “to time off a spot amended than really you came into it.”

“We person each nan pieces,” Reibe said. “And if we conscionable enactment healthy, I deliberation we’re successful a awesome measurement to person a awesome season.”