USC basketball: 5-star recruit Shabazz Muhammad visits today

It's a big Saturday -- and weekend -- for the USC men's basketball team.

First, Shabazz Muhammad, the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2012 and an explosive 6-foot-6 forward from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High, is on an official visit to USC and will have red-shirt sophomore Dewayne Dedmon be his host on campus this weekend, a source close to the situation said.

(Apparently Muhammad is already enjoying Los Angeles traffic.)

Muhammad made an unofficial visit to USC in early August and enjoyed it enough, sources close to him said then, that he wanted to take an official visit.

This weekend was a perfect choice, at least from USC's perspective. The football team plays host to No. 4 Stanford with ESPN GameDay on site and a national television audience tuning in.

Then, on Sunday,the Trojans will hold "Salute To Troy," a preseason promotional meet-and-greet for USC's basketball teams and fans. Former players, including NBA players Nick Young and Taj Gibson, are expected to attend.

Muhammad's father, Ron Holmes, played for the USC men's basketball team from 1981 to 1985.

Aside from Muhammad, several other basketball recruits will be on campus too, including Rashad Muhammad, a guard who is Shabazz's younger brother by a year and a teammate at Bishop Gorman.

Along with those two are Noah Robotham, a 5-foot-9 guard from Las Vegas who's a Class of 2014 prospect, and Maverick Morgan, a 6-foot-10 center from Ohio who's a Class of 2013 prospect. 

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-- Baxter Holmes

Photo: Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High rises for a dunk against Long Beach Poly at the Nike Extravaganza last spring. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times