A year ago, the story leading up to the 2022-23 USC women’s basketball season was one of tumult, transition and unknowns.
Head coach Lindsey Gottlieb had just given birth to her second child and missed much of the team’s preseason.
Gottlieb added seven players from the transfer portal after losing his entire starting lineup from last season.
And guard Aaliyah Gales, the program’s top recruit, had a long road to recovery after being shot multiple times at a house party in Las Vegas in May of that year.
The atmosphere has definitely changed now. There is a renewed sense of confidence, stability and momentum in this program. Those three traits are something the Trojans haven’t had in years.
Let’s start with momentum.
Last season, Gottlieb led USC to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Trojans’ run quickly ended with a heartbreaking overtime loss to South Dakota State in the first round, but it was an important step in the program’s rebuilding efforts. The glory days of the 80’s. This was also slightly earlier than expected, as USC was selected in a preseason coaching and media poll to finish ninth in the conference, and the Trojans finished tied for fourth.
Now, Gottlieb and her team are ready to take another step forward.
“I think this group comes in with high goals already. We give a lot of credit to how hard it was to accomplish what we did last year,” Gottlieb said. “Now, the foundation has been laid to raise the bar. This team isn’t satisfied with just making it to the tournament. We want to win games.”
Last year’s team laid the foundation on the defensive side of the floor. The Trojans boasted a dominant defense, allowing just 55.1 points per game, leading the Pac-12 and ranking among the top 15 in the nation. Led by assistant coach Beth Burns’ solid defensive system, this group took great pride in disrupting games and allowing few easy shots anywhere on the floor.
Kaitlin Davis, a graduate student guard who transferred from Columbia in the offseason, probably describes the mentality of last year’s team as well as anyone.
“It was a tough team full of dogs,” she said, but that was the ultimate compliment. “Hard-working guys, guys who are willing to get the job done, and just the underdogs. They came in with an underdog mentality, and that’s what I really wanted to build on.”
Stability is important here. USC’s returning corps is some of its strongest defenders and should anchor the team next season.
Two players come to mind: junior forward Raya Marshall and senior guard Kayla Williams. The cantankerous Williams started all 31 games for the Trojans and led the team with 48 steals while tormenting opposing point guards for about 25 minutes each night. Meanwhile, the 6-foot-4 Marshall is establishing himself as one of the best two-way players after a season in which he averaged a double-double.
Despite finishing second in the nation in blocks per game (3.5), Marshall still has room to grow defensively. During Pac-12 media day, she highlighted offseason improvements in keeping blocks in play and forcing live-ball turnovers and transition opportunities.
Behind Marshall, USC will need the development of 6-foot-6 backup junior center Clarice Akunwafo to maintain its high defensive ambitions. Although her offensive game is still developing, Akunwafo showed signs of becoming a legitimate presence around the rim last season. There are several other talented centers in the conference, so Akunwafo is ready for the challenge.
“I’m going to accept what my coach is teaching me every day,” Akunwafo said. “My goal is to do everything I can for the team: rebound, talk and keep the energy up.”
Also keep an eye out for another versatile returning defender, redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby. After starting seven games last year and putting in some encouraging performances, Bigby will get some minutes on the wing with the incoming transfers, but more on that later.
Perhaps the most reassuring example of stability within the program comes in the form of Gaels’ progress over the past 18 months (by the way, I highly recommend this article on her recovery by Katie Burns).
Gales, the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2022 class according to ESPN, was miraculously cleared to play. She’s not 100% yet, but frankly USC will be happy with whatever production they get from her and her first few minutes of this season will be incredible to watch. right. Either way, Gaels clearly still has a big impact on the team off the floor. Her countless teammates, coaches and staff members rave about the joy she brings to her day and her positivity.
This brings us to the last tenet I mentioned earlier: confidence (and overall good vibes).
What else gives the team confidence? It’s certainly not a bad thing to bring in the No. 1 consensus recruit in the country.
USC’s high standards have already been established with a tenacious defense, but freshman guard JuJu Watkins could dramatically raise the program’s ceiling. The Trojans’ offensive shortcomings last season forced them to drag opponents into the mud. They slowed down until the match was stopped and tried to win the match in the 50s and even the 40s. For the most part, it worked, as evidenced by wins such as a 55-46 upset over No. 2 Stanford University in January. But more often than not, it wasn’t particularly fun to watch.
Now, Watkins’ dynamic playmaking potential should allow USC to change its offensive identity. The Trojans didn’t have much of a shooting threat from midrange last season, but Watkins should be able to fill that role right away. Additionally, a skilled passer could open up more space in the paint for Marshall, potentially making him more efficient as an inside scorer.
But the most notable change in USC’s style of play may be the result of Watkins’ ability as a ball handler.
“I think our identity is going to be a little faster on offense and better spacing,” Gottlieb said, contrasting with the Trojans’ fairly slow pace seen thus far.
And don’t worry, Watkins fits into the Trojans’ established defensive strength as well.
“I’ve been amazed at how much she’s improved defensively since the start of practice,” Gottlieb said. “There is no reason [Watkins] I can’t be the best two-way player in this country. ”
Other offseason additions will also contribute to this new offensive approach. Davis, for example, is one of four graduate transfers Gottlieb brought in and is used to playing at a fast pace since his time at Columbia. Last season, her Lions team averaged 73.6 possessions per 40 minutes, while the Trojans had 67.4 possessions.
“For me, it hasn’t been that big of an adjustment. Rather, it’s just finding out where I fit within this new system,” Davis said. “The other transfers and even the kids that came here have done a good job of adapting to it. … I like to run fast and I like to go out and push.”
Davis can do a little bit of everything, as evidenced by his triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals against Dartmouth in January. At 6-foot-2, she will be asked to support Marshall on the boards while increasing her tempo and spacing the floor.
Gottlieb, a former Brown player himself, brings in two more graduate transfers from the Ivy League who will improve the Trojans’ outside scoring. Guard Kayla Padilla set several program records for 3-pointers at Penn, including 210 career 3-pointers in three seasons with the Quakers. Mackenzie Forbes is also a dangerous threat on the wing. She made more than 40 percent from three her last season at Harvard.
Despite all three making the jump from the Ivy League to the Pac-12 (arguably the nation’s best conference), Gottlieb is confident Davis, Padilla and Forbes will fit right in and thrive.
“They don’t necessarily have to be the go-to players all the time because they have other good players around them,” Gottlieb said. “I think it was fun for them to figure out what was expected of them on a day-to-day basis.”
Behind Watkins, freshman point guard Malia Samuels, a four-star recruit, will serve as another distributor off the bench to the Trojans’ shooters. Redshirt sophomore guard Dominik Onu sat out the 2022-23 season after transferring from UCLA midseason, but is another interesting addition to the Trojans’ lineup in 2021 as a former top-30 recruit. He will be a player.
“It’s been fun. We’re all learning and growing together as a team,” Akunwafo said. “Every day we get better and better.”
USC debuted at No. 21 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, tied with five other Pac-12 teams. The Trojans open their season at 11 a.m. Monday against No. 7 Ohio State in Las Vegas.