Can USC challenge Stanford?

USC was 24-13 last season, going all the way to the Finals of the WNIT before losing. They were 10-8 in Pac 10 play, tying Arizona for 4th place.

Michael Cooper returns for his 3rd season as has had an overall record at USC of 43-25 with a 3rd place finish in the Pac 10 his first season. Expectations are high this year as most, including this writer, pick USC for 2nd behind Stanford.

Laura Beeman is in her 2nd year as an Assistant after being a local JC head Coach for 15 years.

Mary Wooley returns for her 3rd season as an Assistant and Michael Cooper Jr will be in his 2nd season as an Assistant.

Losses:

Post Kari LaPlante who scored 6 points and had 6 rebounds per game graduated. Guard Len’Nique Brown who scored 3 points per game, playing every game, did not return.


Returning Players:

USC returns an All Star line-up for the first Pac 12 season. Brianna Gilbreath is a 6-1 Sr Wing, who led the team in scoring, 14 per game, and rebounding 7 per game and steals, twice as many as the next player. She also takes care of the ball with a 1.25:1 assist to turnover ratio. Brianna was All Pac 10 for the second year in a row and named to the All Pac 10 defensive team for the 2nd year in a row, after being the Defensive Player of the Year as a Soph. She was also Honorable Mention All American, the first USC player named in 14 years. She was a McDonald’s All American in High School

Christina Marinacci is a 6-1 Jr Forward who averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds per game last season. Christina was also a McDonald’s All American in High School.

Stepanie Gilbreath is a 6-1 Wing and a Redshirt JR. Stepanie missed her first 3 seasons at USC with knee injuries, finally debuting as a true Sr. She could play another year after this season. She was only able to play 13 games last year, her first, but scored a point every other minute. A McDonald’s All American in High School, if healthy she will add a lot to the Trojans cause.

Cassie Harberts is a 6-2 Soph who is a natural power Forward but will probably play mostly in the Post. As a frosh Cassie averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game and was 2nd in total minutes. She was the # 11 recruit in the country out of High School.

Ashley Corral is a 5-9 Sr Point Guard. Ashley was the Trojans # 2 scorer last year at 13 points per game and sank 85 threes at a 37% rate. She also had a very good
1.3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. Ashley has made 223 threes in her career at USC, first in their record book. She was a McDonald’s All American in High School.

Jackie Gemelos is a 6-0 Guard and what a story. Jackie averaged 39 points per game as a High School Sr and was ranked the # 1 player in the country and a McDonald’s All American. Then she missed her first 3 years of college entirely to finally play Feb 4th of Sr year. She is now in her 6th year and pursuing her Masters in Gerontology. This is the study of the Social, Psychological and Biological aspects of aging. She has a 3.5 GPA in the Masters program. Last season her first full season and in the Masters program she averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds a game and hit 52 threes at 42%.

Desiree Bradley is a 6-1 Soph Forward who averaged 5 minutes per game. She was ranked # 35 out of High School.

Thaddesia Southall is a 6-4 Redshirt Frosh Post. She missed last season with a knee injury. Thaddesia was ranked # 99 out of High School.

Michelle Jenkins is a 6-3 Redshirt Jr post player who is expected to sit out this season with an injury. She missed most of last season and all of her Soph season with a knee injury. If she can come back later in the season it would really help the Trojans depth.

New Players:
Ariya Crook (formally Crook-Williams) is a 5-7 Frosh Point Guard who was a McDonald’s All American and ranked the # 2 Point Guard out of High School and # 16 overall.

Alexya Vaioletama is a 6-1 Frosh Forward. Still another McDonald’s All American, and ranked # 14 out of High School.

USC will have 3 new players sit out the season for various reasons. 6-4 Jr Kate Oliver is a transfer from Marist and must sit out this season then she will have 2 seasons to play. The Australian native started all but 9 games for Marist, ranked 21 last season, in her two years. Last season she averaged 8 points, 4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Deanna Calhoun is a 6-3 Frosh post player who will sit out the season recovering from a knee injury. She was the # 34 Forward out of High School.

Kiki Alofaituli is a 6-1 Frosh Wing who signed a Letter of Intent with ASU. She was released but must sit out this season. She was the # 26 player out of High School and a teammate of Vaioletema at famed Mater Dei High School.

The Schedule:

A very hard schedule. The Trojans host Fresno State, travel to Nebraska and Georgia, then to the Bahamas for a tournament facing Notre Dame and probably Duke. Then at Gonzaga and at Texas A&M. They could be a very good team and 5-5 when the league starts. They don’t travel to Oregon and Utah and Colorado doesn’t visit LA.

The Season:

USC has 7 McDonald’s All Americans and counting what we know already 5 players who have missed 10 seasons with knee injuries. If healthy and that’s a pretty big if, then could be very good with their best team in years.