USC basketball: Trojans receive commitment from Santa Ana Mater Dei star guard

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USC beat Washington State, 60-56, Friday to earn its first Pacific 10 Conference win of the season.

But after the game, the Trojans were given a nice bonus as they head into the new year: a verbal commitment from Santa Ana Mater Dei star guard Katin Reinhardt, who is widely considered one of the top junior prospects on the West Coast.

‘It was a good fit,’ Reinhardt said by phone. ‘And after they offered, that just topped it off.’

Reinhardt said he was offered last week. He attended Friday’s game, and told the coaches afterward.

He said the other schools he considered included UCLA, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Washington State, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado, Boston College and California.

Reinhardt, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound combo guard who is ranked as the No. 19 shooting guard in the 2012 class by ESPN, said that playing close to home was a key factor, but he also said he liked his ability to play early at USC when he joins the team in 2012-13.

That season, USC will have three open guard positions, as current guards Jio Fontan (junior), Marcus Simmons (senior) and Donte Smith (senior) will all have exhausted their eligibility.

Reinhardt is averaging 17.5 points a game this season, according to maxpreps.com.

He received national attention for his play at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Meyers, Fla., on Wednesday when he scored 28 points in a game that featured Winter Park High (Fla.) guard Austin Rivers, the son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, who is considered the top overall recruit in the 2011 class.

-- Baxter Holmes