Former Xavier G Desmond Claude joins Southern Cal

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March 14, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Desmond Claude (1) shoots past Connecticut Huskies guard Cam Spencer (12) during the second half at Madison Square Garden.

March 14, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Desmond Claude (1) shoots past Connecticut Huskies guard Cam Spencer (12) during the second half at Madison Square Garden.
Image: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Desmond Claude, the Big East’s Most Improved Player, has committed to Southern California.

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Claude, who appeared in 69 games (35 starts) in two seasons at Xavier, opted to join the Trojans under new head coach Eric Musselman after visiting their campus last weekend.

“It honestly felt like a perfect fit from the first call,” the 6-foot-4 guard told ESPN on Thursday. “The academic support, basketball resources and basketball vision all seemed tailor-made for me. Additionally, Coach Musselman has a proven track record in recent years of helping great senior guards make the leap to NBA-ready guards.”

Claude’s scoring average increased from 4.7 as a freshman to 16.6 as a sophomore.

Claude, who made just 23.9 percent of his three-point attempts last season, scored 30 points in his final game for the Musketeers in Georgia in an opening-round loss in the NIT.

He led the Big East in scoring in March with 22.8 points per game.

In addition to higher scores, Claude played 33.8 minutes per game and averaged 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists last season.

— Field-level media