Following a season marked by an early round playoff exit and an overall ninth place finish in Big Ten regular play, USC women’s basketball will have rebuilding to do.
While head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her staff are bringing in a highly ranked freshman class and are expecting the return of star junior guard JuJu Watkins, the Trojans have also suffered losses to the transfer portal.
Here’s a breakdown of who’s leaving, who’s staying and who’s coming in.
Entered transfer portal (5):
Dayana Mendes, sophomore guard and forward
Mendes was reportedly the first player from USC to have entered the transfer portal as it opened on Monday. The 6-foot-3 French native appeared in all 32 games in her sophomore campaign, averaging three points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Before transferring to USC, Mendes played her freshman season at Washington State.
Malia Samuels, junior guard
Samuels, a 5-foot-6 guard, will be transferring out of the program after playing three seasons as a Trojan. The 2025 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honoree averaged 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and shooting 31.3% from the field.
Samuels made 19 starts in 30 games played this season and has been with the Trojans in back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. She is also the only player amongst the four in the portal to have spent most of her career with USC.
Yakiya Milton, junior forward
Milton saw very little time on the court, only averaging 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in just 16 games. The 6-foot-5 junior transferred to USC from Auburn, where she missed the first 11 games of her sophomore season due to injury. Milton set new career-highs this season with the Trojans, including 12 rebounds and a matched career-high of two steals in the win over Portland.
Gerda Raulušaityte, junior forward
Amid the season-long forward battle, Raulušaityte made 10 starts and played in 29 games. The 2024-25 Lithuanian Women’s Basketball League MVP also transferred in during the previous offseason from LCC International University. This season, she averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 48.1% from the field.
Vivian Iwuchukwu, sophomore forward
Iwuchukwu is the latest player to hit the portal. She announced her decision on Instagram Wednesday afternoon. The forward played in 31 games with just 11 starts. Iwuchukwu averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while tallying a personal best six rebounds in USC’s game versus Michigan State.
Returners (7):
Jazzy Davidson, freshman guard
USC’s freshman phenom is expected to return this season. Davidson led the Trojans in every major statistical category this season with 17.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, two steals and two blocks per game. She also is the only Division I women’s basketball player to do so during the 2025-2026 season.
Davidson is no stranger to a decorated resume. She was named the WBCA NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She also was the only freshman to be selected for the All Big Ten First Team and tabbed seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week selections.
JuJu Watkins, junior guard
All eyes will be on Watkins once again since she is expected to return after sitting out the 2025-2026 season to recover from an ACL tear sustained during the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Watkins boasts a stacked resume during her career as a Trojan, becoming USC’s sixth First Team All-American and third Naismith Trophy winner.
In her sophomore season, Watkins started all 33 games and averaged 23.9 points and 3.4 assists per game. She was third in the nation in overall points, led the Trojans in 3-pointers with 63 and became the fastest player in USC history to eclipse 1,000 points.
Kennedy Smith, sophomore guard
Smith is also expected to return to the Trojans next season. The second leader in steals per game averaged 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. She became a defensive weapon for the Trojans, setting a season-high six blocks for USC in their matchup against Illinois.
During her freshman year, she was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and a selection on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Other returners for the Trojans include: Sophomore guard Rian Forestier, redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams, redshirt freshman forward and sophomore guard Brooklyn Shamblin.
Graduating (2):
Londynn Jones, Kara Dunn (tentative), senior guards
USC’s only two seniors were vital parts to the USC offense this season.
Dunn, a regular starter, had a seven-game stretch averaging over 20 points per game throughout January. The Georgia Tech transfer was named to the 2025-26 All-Big Ten Second Team. Jones, a transfer from UCLA, averaged 10.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Both players have the opportunity to declare for this year’s WNBA draft. Some analysts have Dunn projected as a second round pick. While Jones’ name was in draft talks during her last season at UCLA as a second round pick, some analysts predict that she could go undrafted.
High School Recruits (3):
Saniyah Hall, guard, Spire Academy
Hall is entering as USC’s third No.1 recruit to sign to the program within the last four years, following Watkins and Davidson. An overall five star recruit, Hall averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in high school.
The McDonald’s All American and MVP has tabbed multiple recognitions including the Cleveland Sports Female High School Athlete of the Year. Hall led Team USA to gold in 2025 where she led the team in scoring at 19.9 points per game. She will bring a two-way game scoring ability, defensive intensity and playmaking instincts.
Sitaya Fagan, forward, Centre of Excellence
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Fagan will bring a new level of defense to Gottlieb’s squad. She arrived early in January and has been training with the team since. The 2025 FIBA U17 Women’s Oceania Cup MVP and gold medalist averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds throughout the tournament.
Fagan and Team Australia earned silver in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, falling to Team USA and Hall. Fagan brings in the ability to handle the ball and defend multiple positions.
Sara Okeke, forward, DME Academy
Okeke is the most recent signee with the Trojans. Okeke is coming from Spain, after deciding to play her final year of high school in the United States. She currently averages seven points and seven rebounds while shooting around 70% from the field. According to analysts, Okeke will bring length, agility and instinct to the paint and to USC.
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The Trojans could be a strong contender for a national championship next season, as USA Today’s “Way Too Early” 2026-2027 season rankings have USC as the No.1 team overall. The Athletic has USC as No. 3 overall, while ESPN ranks them as No. 6.
With the transfer portal open, USC has yet to bring any transfers into the program. However, the Trojans still have time to make a move, as the portal is set to close on April 20.