Seven minutes was all that separated the USC ladies’s basketball from Last 4 this previous season.
The Trojans have been led there by ladies’s basketball’s latest sensation: freshman guard JuJu Watkins. She’d damaged the nationwide freshman scoring document with 920 factors and was second within the nation in scoring with 27.1 factors per sport.
By means of offered out gyms, a large season opening win over Ohio State and the ultimate season of Pac-12 ladies’s basketball as we knew it, Watkins led the Trojans to an Elite Eight berth to face a No. 3 seed.
But it surely wasn’t simply any 3-seed. It was UConn.
Final season’s Elite Eight was billed as a conflict of titans. A title sport rematch between Iowa and LSU captured a lot of the eye, however UConn and USC drew its personal fair proportion with a viewership of 6.7 million.
On one aspect have been the upstart Trojans and Watkins. On the opposite was UConn, as blue as blood will get, led by their very own star lead guard in Paige Bueckers. The game’s future up in opposition to an icon of the previous and current.
However all that have mattered in the long run when the Huskies took these seven minutes to grab and develop on a lead that bought them over the end line. It’s a second that stands out for USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who started working getting ready for the subsequent season as quickly as she may.
“As a lot gratitude as you could have for that season and the issues we did, instantly you flip the web page and say the bar has been raised,” Gottlieb stated. “The usual has been raised.”
The Trojans have expertise, they bought to the Elite Eight in spite of everything. JuJu Watkins’ means speaks for itself, however gamers like Rayah Marshall could be coming again. However with second main scorer McKenzie Forbes out of eligibility and off to the WNBA, there have been holes to fill.
To that finish, USC’s workers turned to the switch portal. Not as a rebuilding software, as some groups have used it, however to complement the expertise on the roster. In stepped Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen.
Iriafen’s resume speaks for itself, having been on a Stanford workforce that gained the Pac-12 thrice, being named an AP All-American honorable point out and successful the Katrina McClain Award as the very best energy ahead within the NCAA.
“She’s gonna be a prime three decide within the WNBA Draft,” Gottlieb stated. “She’s that good.”
One thing that issues to Iriafen is honoring the legends of girls’s basketball who got here earlier than her. She’s felt the affect of that historical past. When she dedicated to USC out of the portal, she acquired a congratulatory message from Trojan alum Lisa Leslie and usually sees program legend Cheryl Miller at practices.
“You don’t actually get that anyplace else,” Iriafen stated. “I feel that’s such a blessing to have all these nice individuals and legends in our nook.”
The Trojans’ different switch, von Oelhoffen, got here from a profitable Oregon State program with a robust basketball IQ, positional versatility and a robust defensive status.
“She’s very savvy, can play any place,” Gottlieb stated. “She’s bought a thoughts that simply helps the youthful gamers, make all of it match collectively.”
A part of what drew Gottlieb to every participant was event expertise. Iriafen had simply reached the Candy Sixteen with Stanford and von Oelhoffen’s Oregon State workforce was proper there within the Elite Eight with USC.
It’s not simply the transfers both. USC is welcoming seven freshman into this system this season with a number of being rated as amongst ESPN’s prime gamers within the class of 2024. Gottlieb stated she expects speedy contributions as effectively.
She praised three totally different incoming freshmen who will be a part of the squad this season. Kennedy Smith’s defensive prowess and skill to play on that finish immediately on the faculty stage, Kayleigh Heckel’s quickness at level guard and stated stated Avery Howell may find yourself being the Trojans’ greatest three level shooter.
“All of the freshmen actually have a precedence affect for us however I feel you’ll see a few them actually, actually get main minutes,” Gottlieb stated.
Between Watkins, different returning stars, an skilled switch class and a platoon of proficient freshmen, USC will look to construct on final yr’s success and attain even increased.
