The University of Southern California Trojans are coming off a season in which they secured their most wins since the 1985-1986 seasons, reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, saw JuJu Watkins earn multiple National Player of the Year awards, and won the regular season title in their inaugural Big Ten season.
Predicting the Trojans Starting 5 in 2025-26
With JuJu Watkins having suffered a torn ACL late in the year, the young star is likely set to miss the upcoming 2025-2026 season. On top of Watkin’s injury, the Trojans returners were almost all freshman last year who played relatively sparingly.
Thankfully, with a few transfers on the way and the number three overall recruit in the class of 2025 committed, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb will have some options at her disposal.
With the team’s incumbent players mostly serving in reserve roles, coach Gottlieb will likely opt for a lineup that heavily features transfers and relies on simply putting the most raw talent on the court.
In terms of returning players, Kennedy Smith and Malia Samuels should be primed to earn starting nods. Kennedy Smith, a six-foot-one rising sophomore, appeared and started in 28 games last year.
She was the team’s third leading scorer with 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. It seems likely, given her standing as the only player with significant starting experience from this past season, that she will be locked into Gottlieb’s lineup.
As a sophomore, Malia Samuels was a key reserve for the Trojans, appearing in 35 games.
While not much of a scoring threat, Samuels did have success as a facilitator with eight games of three or more assists last year. Her familiarity with the offense and ability to create for others will be key in helping the program’s newcomers transition smoothly.
Transfer Portal Reinforcements
Alongside the two returners, a pair of transfers likely will contend for starting jobs. Kara Dunn started her college career at Georgia Tech and has averaged over 15 points per game for the last two seasons. In her junior season, she also added 5.8 rebounds per game and 35% shooting from three for good measure.
Dayana Mendes is a West Coast player whose freshman season was spent with the Cougars of Washington State. Mendes, a native of France, stands 6’2″ and saw action in 30 games last season. Despite playing as a true freshman, she was a well-rounded player with 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and 37 combined steals and blocks.
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The last player who seems primed to start for the Trojans is Jasmine Davidson, the third-ranked prospect in the nation. Davidson will likely fill a role similar to Kennedy Smith, who was also a 6’1″ true freshman last year.
Smith joined Gottlieb’s roster without a ranking tied to her name, Davidson has the ability to be one of the best young players in the nation given her pedigree.
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