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Paul Biancardi
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Paul Biancardi
Basketball Recruiting
- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
ESPN 100 senior Jerry Easter, one of the top five uncommitted guards in the 2025 class, has announced his commitment to USC, giving Eric Musselman his first top-50 recruit since taking over the program last spring.
Easter chose the Trojans over Vanderbilt, Ohio State and SMU. He took visits to all four of those schools, as well as Michigan State and Georgia Tech.
“I have a good relationship with Coach Muss and the staff,” Easter told ESPN. “Coach was recruiting me when he was at Arkansas. I really enjoyed my visit. I went over to Coach’s house, and that was special. He made me feel like family. Also, he included me when they prepared for their scrimmage against Gonzaga. I got to see how detailed he is and I thought that was great.”
“Coach Muss lights up a room,” he added. “He’s got great energy and is a really hard worker. I like the way he pushes his players; that’s what I need.”
Easter is USC’s first commitment in the 2025 class. Given the Trojans have nine seniors on this season’s roster, Easter will have every opportunity to make an impact as a freshman.
“They need my position, and I feel like it’s a great fit,” Easter said. “I know I must work to start and earn my playing time. I have no problem with that. Nothing is guaranteed.”
A 6-foot-3 guard capable of playing both backcourt positions, Easter is ranked No. 31 in the ESPN 100 for the 2025 class. He’s an Ohio native who attends Link Academy (Missouri).
Easter is a productive guard who can both score effectively or run an offense and create for his teammates. As a ball-handler, he pushes the ball in the open floor with good vision and speed. His strength is to drive to the rim, where he can finish or find his teammates. In ball-screens, he navigates well to pick apart the defense, especially when it comes to turning the corner and slicing into the paint. Off the ball, he spaces the floor and moves well to find gaps in the defense. The next step for Easter will come as a perimeter shooter. He can get points in the mid-range, but needs to improve his consistency as a spot-up 3-point shooter.
He averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists on the Nike EYBL circuit with the Team Final program last spring and summer, and was even better as a scorer during the summer. At the Peach Invitational in July, Easter averaged 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds, including two 30-point efforts.
