USC lands 7-footers Adonis & Darius Ratliff
By ADAM ZAGORIA
USC head coach Eric Musselman has landed a pair of 7-foot twins for his 2026 recruiting class.
Adonis & Darius Ratliff, the 7-foot twins from Archbishop Stepinac High School (N.Y.) and the PSA Cardinals AAU program, committed to USC on Wednesday after visiting the school last week.
The four-star brothers chose the Trojans over Alabama, Arkansas and Texas.
“We would like to finish our academic and athletic career at University of Southern California,” Darius announced on the CBS Sports College Basketball Channel.
The twins have a connection because “Muss” was an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks in the early 2000s when their father Theo Ratliff played in Atlanta. Theo was the No. 18 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft out of Wyoming.
“We felt like they wanted us the most out of all the schools,” Adonis said. “They kept in contact every day, asked us who we want to play with, showed us how they want to play and showed us how they want to play on defense and offense and we just felt the love for him, so we decided to commit to USC.”
Unlike their father, a rugged big man known for his rebounding and blocked shots, Adonis and Darius Ratliff are modern-day big men who have more of an all-court game.
After the twins battled injuries this past summer, Adonis recently hit nine 3-pointers and went for 32 points in a Border League game.
“You definitely can’t back up off him,” Theo said of Adonis’s shooting range.
Darius is more of an inside player who is comfortable in the paint.
“[USC] is getting a center that knows how to play the game correctly,” Adonis said of his twin. “High basketball IQ, knows how to play 1 through 5 and just knows how to win.”
As for Darius’ take on Adonis’ game?
“They are getting a skilled 7-footer [who resembles] KD,” he said.
Darius is ranked as the No. 43 overall recruit and Adonis is ranked as the No. 52 overall recruit in the class of 2026, according to 247Sports. The twins trained with several people, including former NBA sharpshooter Chuck Person.
“Their upside is as big as any big men in the country,” Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports said.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
The post USC lands 7-footers Adonis & Darius Ratliff appeared first on Zagsblog.