SPOKANE, WA. — It’s the day before USC’s Sweet Sixteen matchup with Kansas State, and the Trojans are practicing at a local community college. Associate head coach Beth Burns takes the team through their defensive actions and watches as freshmen Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell execute perfectly. Suddenly, she has a flashback.
“Back in December I was losing my mind,” she said with a laugh. “Because you drill it and you drill it, and then they would go out there and both go the wrong way. And now they’re doing it right.”
It’s moments like this that make Burns confident that the USC freshmen are prepared for the Sweet Sixteen. Smith, Howell and Kayleigh Heckel have all played important roles for the Trojans throughout the season, and on Saturday against Kansas State, those roles will be even bigger. Without JuJu Watkins, who suffered a season-ending ALC tear in the round of 32, the freshmen trio will be counted on more than ever before. They’re ready.
“It’s not that I think they’re ready. I know they are,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. Our growth as a team has been dependent on a lot of things, not the least of which is that our freshmen have played incredibly important roles and have made big plays and big defensive stops and big shots throughout the year.”
Since Gottlieb took over at USC in 2021, her teams have been relatively experienced. Last season, three Ivy League grad transfers started alongside Watkins, with then-junior Rayah Marshall playing in the fifth spot. This year, they brought in two more senior transfers in Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen, but overall, the Trojans are young. There are seven freshmen on the roster.
“They bring an enthusiasm and joy that you just can’t replicate,” Burns said. “I think they are galvanized by each other and they all just want to hoop.”
Smith has been in the starting five all season, with a short gap from November 15 to December 21 when she suffered a minor injury. The 6-1 guard came to USC from just down the road, in Chino, California, and was instantly ready to compete.
“In 40 years of coaching, I’ve never had a freshman have the defensive IQ that Kennedy has,” Burns said. “A lot of freshmen can look like Kennedy: big, strong, quick, powerful. But they have so much to learn. She is three frames ahead.”
Howell and Heckel were also college-basketball-ready when they stepped on campus, but their development was accelerated in November when Smith got hurt. Smith was out for seven games, and in that span, Burns saw Howell and Heckel make major strides.
“With an injury like that, if you can live through it, you’re always better for it in March, because then people have more opportunities,” she said.
During Smith’s first game back, a 72-70 win over UConn, Burns saw that idea come to fruition. Smith knocked down three three-pointers. Heckel subbed in and provided an energy lift in the first half with five points, two assists and a steal. Howell hit a corner three to stop a UConn run in the fourth quarter, extending the lead from five points to eight. Against one of the biggest brands in basketball, the USC freshmen thrived.
“That was like a ‘Welcome to College Basketball,” moment for us,” Heckel said. “We have watched the game for so long and they are an iconic program, so to go up against them, have a really good game and leave with a win was huge for us.”
In their win over Mississippi State on Monday, all three freshmen stepped up in a similar way. Howell came off the bench to score 18 points, the second-most for a Trojan behind Iriafen. She went 5 of 10 for the field, making four three-pointers. When Howell shoots, every one on USC’s bench expects it to go in.
“She’s just a killer,” Burns said. “If she was playing checkers with her grandmother and a dollar was on the line, she’d say ‘Sorry, grandma,’ and take the dollar.”
Smith had 10 points in that game, but once again, it was her defense that stood out as the guard snagged five steals. Against Kansas State in the Sweet Sixteen, Smith will be tasked with guarding 6-foot-2 point guard Serena Sundell. Her length has been an issue for opponents all year, but Burns doesn’t anticipate Smith having the same problem.
“A lot of people are scared of Kansas State because of their 6-2 point guard,” Burns said. “But we aren’t because we have Kennedy. But it’s not just her defense or her athleticism. She has an entire offense package that’s really, really good.”
Like Howell, Heckel came off the bench against Mississippi State for an efficient shooting night, scoring 13 points and making 5 of 7 attempts. The back-up point guard also had six assists and two steals. Heckel, who Burns calls “Grease Lighting” says she felt a switch flip during that game. Over her last few contests, Heckel said her shot had been off, and she hadn’t felt like herself on the court. It’s something she and Smith discussed after the win.
“She’d also had a rough patch,” Heckel said. “So after that game it was like ‘Oh, we are back to our old selves. Because we are both very hard on ourselves, so when we talk like that we are able to give each other confidence.”
That’s been the case for USC’s freshmen class all season, but particularly for the three who see significant court time.
“Not every day is good,” Howell said. “You have tough games and you have good games. It’s nice that we can rely on each other and get anything off of our chest. It’s really comforting.”
Now the three are hoping their Sweet Sixteen contest is one of the good days.
