ESPN

ESPNU No. 2 recruit Shabazz Muhammad has officially ruled out USC as his college choice, a school source told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Thursday.

He told reporters at the McDonald's All-American Game in Chicago on Wednesday that he had narrowed his options down to a final three of Kentucky, UCLA and Duke, in no particular order.

Most observers believed Muhammad had eliminated the Trojans from his top schools some time ago, but the Trojans continued to recruit him until as recently as earlier this week. He never officially visited USC but came to campus for unofficial visits multiple times during the recruiting process, once even sitting for a presentation from athletic director Pat Haden on how he could maximize his marketing potential going to school in Los Angeles.

His father, Ron Holmes, played for USC in the 1980's and was one reason the highly-ranked left-handed scorer was considering the Trojans.

Of course, the NCAA is investigating Muhammad for potential eligibility issues relating to who paid for his many unofficial visits across the country. A high-ranking athletic department source told ESPNLosAngeles.com earlier this month that the school was operating as if it was a possibility he would miss a limited number of games due to violations, not an entire season.

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Only one team USC played in 2011-2012 is still around in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament: second-seeded Kansas.

The Trojans played a few other eventual NCAA tourney teams this season, including No. 12-seeded Cal, No. 11-seeded Colorado, No. 5-seeded New Mexico and No. 6-seeded UNLV and San Diego State. They lost to all of them, with the closest thing to a win coming in the third game of the season against SDSU.

But enough about the tournament, which resumes Thursday. Let's take a look at where the Trojans could be next season and, more specifically, let's take a look at the makings of the next USC recruiting class.

Two players already signed in November, during the early signing period: guard J.T. Terrell and forward Strahinja Gavrilovic. Terrell is a junior-college transfer from Wake Forest who's expected to start right away next November. Gavrilovic, from the San Diego area, stands to be a non-factor in his first season with the Trojans.

The third spot is where things start to get interesting. USC had a commitment from Arizona prep point guard Dewayne Russell until a few weeks ago, when he de-committed shortly after the Trojans got another commitment from Woodland Hills Taft guard Brendyn Taylor.

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ESPNU Top 100 No. 1 recruit Shabazz Muhammad officially visited USC this weekend, touring the campus, attending the Trojans' football game against Stanford and receiving a specifically-tailored marketing presentation by athletic director Pat Haden.

He came away pleased with what he saw.

"I think he has a huge interest in USC," his father, Ron Holmes, said in a telephone interview Sunday night upon returning to Las Vegas, where they live. "He loves the school."

Muhammad visited alongside Holmes and his younger brother Rashad Muhammad, a class of 2013 recruit. Holmes, a four-year basketball letterman at USC from 1981 to '85, has played a big role in Muhammad's continued interest in USC, but he says he doesn't have to convince his son to keep the Trojans in the running.

Haden met with Muhammad and his family Sunday before the Salute to Troy event at the Galen Center and presented him with a number of different ways the Trojans planned to showcase him at USC, beginning next November with the 2012-2013 season. Holmes characterized it as a "great marketing presentation."

"I think they're really trying to change the atmosphere in the basketball program," he said of Haden and USC head coach Kevin O'Neill.

A big part of O'Neill's pitch, Holmes said, is what he expects his team to be like during Muhammad's freshman season. The Trojans will have a ton of talent returning in the backcourt, and Muhammad would appear to fit right in at small forward.

"Well, he likes the guys that he brought in," Holmes said of O'Neill, mentioning Wake Forest transfers J.T. Terrell and Ari Stewart and Jio Fontan, out for the year because of a torn ACL but expected to return next season. "He thinks he has a formidable team."

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For the second time in a month, USC will visit the Las Vegas home of 2012 No. 1 recruit Shabazz Muhammad, a source close to the program said.

USC head coach Kevin O'Neill and associate head coach Bob Cantu will make the visit with Muhammad and family late Tuesday, the second-to-last day of the NCAA-allowed contact period, which began on Sept. 9. O'Neill and Cantu also visited with Muhammad and his family on the first day of the period.

Muhammad is the son of former USC forward Ron Holmes, who some say is the driving force behind Muhammad's interest in the Trojans. But his interest appears to be growing in recent weeks, with a surprise visit in August to the USC campus and then the Trojans' in-home visit with him last month.

The 6-6, 215-pound Muhammad is the No. 1 overall player in the ESPNU 100. He's defensively adept and well-built for a 17-year-old, capable of dominating most high-schoolers and many AAU opponents with a polished left-handed mid-range game. He's considered a likely bet to start right away as a freshman, whether he chooses USC or any of the other schools he's considering, including Kentucky, UCLA, UNLV, Duke or Kansas.

Muhammad still plans to visit USC the weekend of Oct. 28, which would fall on the same weekend as the USC-Stanford football game. His other known scheduled visit is at Kentucky on Oct. 14 for the Wildcats' Big Blue Madness practice-kickoff event.

The Trojans have two players committed in the Class of 2012: Phoenix guard Larry Lewis, a 6-3 slasher who verbally committed to USC in March 2010, and 6-8 Strahinja Gavrilovic, a Serbian forward spending his senior season at La Jolla Prep near San Diego.

Shabazz Muhammad, the top basketball recruit in the class of 2012, plans to officially visit USC the weekend of Oct. 28., a source said Sunday night, after the Trojans made an in-home visit with Muhammad in Las Vegas on the first day of the new NCAA-allowed contact period Friday.

Muhammad, the No. 1 overall player in the ESPNU 100, is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound left-hander who plays on the wing for Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. His father is former USC forward Ron Holmes.

The Trojans have been recruiting him since his freshman year of high school but have only recently put somewhat in the spotlight on his recruitment. Recruits can take only five official visits, so Muhammad scheduling a visit with USC would indicate he has the school firmly in his top five.

Other schools believed to be high on Muhammad include Kentucky, UCLA and UNLV. Kansas and Duke are also in the running, among others. UNLV's first-year head coach, Dave Rice, is the older brother of Muhammad's high school coach Grant Rice.

USC head coach Kevin O'Neill and associate head coach Bob Cantu visited with Muhammad and his family early Friday morning before coach Ben Howland and UCLA did so later that day.

Muhammad, 17, has proven capable of dominating opponents at the high school level with his wide variety of moves near the basket and arsenal of offensive options. His defense is college-ready and he has been described as a much better player, makeup-wise, than most top recruits in recent years.

Of note: A new NCAA rule instituted this year allows college coaches to call all recruits an unlimited amount of times between now and Oct. 5, the end of the current contact period.

USC will visit the Las Vegas home of top Class of 2012 recruit Shabazz Muhammad on Friday, the first day of the next NCAA-allowed contact period, a source said Wednesday.

Head coach Kevin O'Neill and associate head coach Bob Cantu will make the in-home visit with Muhammad and his family Friday morning as the first set of coaches to make a visit. Expected to be present at the meeting are Muhammad's father, former USC basketball player Ron Holmes, and his mother, former Long Beach State basketball player Faye Muhammad.

USC was not thought to be particularly high on Muhammad's extensive list of potential suitors until the 6-6, 215-pound left-hander showed up on campus for a surprise visit last month. The Trojans are still not believed to be leading the race to sign him,, but it's clear they at least have somewhat of a shot.

Muhammad, the No. 1 overall player in the ESPNU 100, is well-built for a 17-year-old, capable of manhandling high-schoolers and many AAU opponents with a variety of moves within 15 feet of the basket. His defensive skills are also better than most top recruits at his age.

The contact period beginning Friday ends October 5, after which begins a so-called evaluation period, when in-home visits are not allowed. 2012 recruits can sign letters of intent with colleges between November 9-November 16 or wait until the other signing period in April.

The Trojans currently have one player committed in the Class of 2012: Phoenix, Az. guard Larry Lewis, a 6-3 slasher who verbally committed to USC in March 2010.

2012 recruits Zena Edosomwan (North Hollywood, Calif./Harvard Westlake) and Joe Rahon (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines) will also officially visit the school this weekend. Edosomwan, a 6-8, 220-pound forward, has been a top target of the Trojans for quite some time.

Las Vegas prep forward Shabazz Muhammad visited a USC basketball practice Sunday night alongside his father, former USC forward Ron Holmes.

Muhammad, a 6-6, 215-pound left-handed forward from Bishop Gorman High, is considered one of the top high school players in the nation in the Class of 2012. ESPNU has him ranked as the No. 1 small forward in his class and No. 3 prospect overall.

He had not been known to be seriously considering USC until the surprise visit, but sources close to the team believe he could end up making the school one of the five he officially visits come the fall and wintertime. He and his father have said previously they are high on UCLA, Kentucky, Duke and Texas, among a host of other schools, including hometown UNLV.

Holmes, who lettered at USC from 1981-1985, still keeps in fairly constant contact with his alma mater. Muhammad's mother, Faye Muhammad, and younger brother also visited the school Sunday.

Per NCAA regulations, Muhammad can sign with a school beginning in November during the early period, which lasts one week. If he doesn't choose then, the next signing period lasts roughly a month and begins in mid-April.

The Trojans currently have one player committed in the Class of 2012: Phoenix, Az. guard Larry Lewis, a 6-3 slasher who verbally committed to USC in March 2010.