Y’all Still Doubt Lindsay Gottlieb? Sitaya Fagan Just Closed That Conversation.
Hey y’all — you already know I had to write about this.
Because when Sitaya Fagan (6’4”), the phenom from Australia, committed to USC over South Carolina and Texas, this wasn’t just another recruiting win.
This was a power shift.
This was another step in what Lindsay Gottlieb is quietly — and quickly — building in Los Angeles.
Over the past three years, Gottlieb has landed JuJu Watkins (2023), Jazzy Davidson (2025), Saniyah Hall (2026), and now Fagan (2026) — all five-star recruits, all No. 1-ranked players in their respective classes or regions. Together, they represent the clearest direction yet for USC women’s basketball: a program transitioning toward a five-out, interchangeable system built on size, athleticism, and versatility.
A System Still Built Around JuJu Watkins
At USC, everything still runs through JuJu Watkins (6’2”), the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school in 2023. She’s the foundation — the player who reignited USC’s national relevance and redefined its standard.
The evolution of this system isn’t about moving away from JuJu. It’s about building around her brilliance — surrounding her with long, dynamic players who can space the floor, defend everywhere, and keep the offense unpredictable. That’s the vision Gottlieb is executing: a roster designed for modern basketball — fast, fluid, and fearless.
Sitaya Fagan: The Piece That Expands the Vision
Fagan is a five-star forward, the No. 1 international recruit in her class, and one of the most complete Australian prospects in years. She’s long, fluid, and instinctive — the kind of player who elevates a team without forcing her presence.
When I broke down her film on YouTube, I said she reminded me of a young Satou Sabally when Sabally was at Oregon — same stride, same versatility, same quiet dominance. That comparison still holds.
“She reminded me of a young Satou Sabally — and by the time she’s a senior, she’s going to be better.”
Fagan can stretch the floor, attack off the bounce, and guard multiple positions. She doesn’t need to be the focal point — she enhances the system around JuJu, expanding what USC can run on both ends of the floor.
This Year’s Team Deserves Its Flowers
While USC doesn’t run a full five-out yet, the direction is clear — and this year’s team might give us the first real glimpse of it.
As exciting as the future looks, the present is loaded with talent. This year’s Trojans are deep, balanced, and flying well under the radar. They’re not waiting for 2026 — they’re ready to compete right now.
The guard corps is experienced and electric:
Malia Samuels (5’6”) — the steady floor general who controls tempo and leads vocally.
Kara Dunn (5’11”) — the Georgia Tech transfer with length, scoring ability, and composure.
London Jones (5’4”) — fast, fearless, and confident in transition.
Jazzy Davidson (6’3”) — the No. 1 recruit in the nation and five-star from 2025; elite length, shot creation, and defensive instincts.
Kennedy Smith (6’1”) — athletic, tough, and able to guard 1-through-4.
And the frontcourt? Quietly one of the most athletic in the Big Ten.
Gerda Raulusaitytė (6’3½”), Viv Iwuchukwu (6’4”), Laura Williams (6’2”), and Yakiya “Kai” Milton (6’5”) give USC a front line that’s big, mobile, and modern.
Add Dayana Méndez (6’3”), a former All-Freshman selection at Washington State, and you’ve got a potential X-factor — a physical, stretch-forward type who can rebound, defend, and hit open looks in rhythm.
They’re not traditional, back-to-the-basket posts — they’re long, active, and interchangeable. That’s why we may already see flashes of five-out principles this season: drive-and-kick spacing, high-post touches, and bigs who can defend the perimeter.
People are sleeping on this team. With this much size, balance, and athleticism, USC is going to surprise some people — maybe even shock them.
Why the Future Looks Even Bigger — Literally
Next year, when Sitaya Fagan (6’4”) joins Watkins (6’2”), Davidson (6’3”), Hall (6’1”–6’2”), and Smith (6’1”), USC will feature one of the tallest and most positionless rotations in the country.
That kind of height and agility across the board lets Gottlieb fully commit to a five-out system — five players who can all handle, shoot, and switch. It’s the direction women’s basketball is headed, and USC is poised to lead it.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Other key pieces like Gerda Raulusaitytė (6’3½”), Yakiya “Kai” Milton (6’5”), Malia Samuels (5’6”), Viv Iwuchukwu (6’4”), and Laura Williams (6’2”) can’t be forgotten. They give USC not only leadership and experience, but also one of the longest, tallest, and most athletic rosters in all of college basketball.
And if Jhai Johnson (6’4”) decides to join USC, that adds yet another layer of size, rebounding, and physicality to a roster that’s already built to overwhelm opponents in every phase.
This isn’t just about star power anymore. It’s about structure, size, and synergy.
Three Years of Recruiting Mastery
Lindsay Gottlieb’s recruiting résumé reads like a blueprint for sustained dominance:
2023 — JuJu Watkins (6’2”): No. 1 recruit in the nation, five-star guard; foundation of the program.
2025 — Jazzy Davidson (6’3”): No. 1 recruit in the nation, five-star guard-forward; elite size and instincts.
2026 — Saniyah Hall (6’1”–6’2”): No. 1 recruit in the nation, five-star wing; strength, creativity, and toughness.
2026 — Sitaya Fagan (6’4”): No. 1 international recruit, five-star forward; global talent with pro-ready versatility.
Three consecutive No. 1 national five-stars and one No. 1 international five-star — all between 6’1” and 6’4”. That’s not coincidence — that’s Lindsay Gottlieb’s vision realized.
The Speed of the Rebuild
I don’t think people fully realize how fast Lindsay Gottlieb has turned this program around.
In just her first five seasons, she’s taken USC from rebuilding to reloading — stacking top-five recruiting classes, restoring national relevance, and doing it with an identity that blends toughness, intelligence, and culture.
It all started with landing JuJu Watkins, the foundational five-star who became the face of the program — and make no mistake, that was all Lindsay Gottlieb. People often overlook that part. If there had been a different coach in charge, JuJu Watkins probably wouldn’t have come to USC. She chose Lindsay — her honesty, her leadership, her ability to connect. That decision changed everything.
The following year, the nation’s top prospect Sarah Strong committed to UConn, but Gottlieb kept building — and since then, she’s gone on a historic streak. Over the next three recruiting cycles, she signed the No. 1 recruit in the country three years in a row, including the No. 1 recruiting class overall, and then added the No. 1 international recruit in Sitaya Fagan.
And for those who say, “Sure, she can recruit — but can she coach?” the résumé speaks for itself. Gottlieb has won everywhere she’s been. At UC Santa Barbara, she led the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament in her first season as head coach. At Cal, she took a program that hadn’t reached the Final Four in 30 years and got them there in just her second season — earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, a 34-win campaign, and multiple NCAA appearances. Then she made history as the first female college head coach hired to an NBA staff when the Cleveland Cavaliers brought her in for player development and culture-building.
Since returning to college basketball, she’s elevated USC to national elite status — getting the Trojans back to the NCAA Tournament in her second season, and in years three and four, earning back-to-back No. 1 seeds and advancing to consecutive Elite Eights. Even after JuJu Watkins went down with injury in the Round of 32, Gottlieb coached USC to a Sweet 16 win and an Elite Eight appearance — where they faced UConn tougher than any other team that entire season, including throughout the tournament.
Can you imagine that? You’re in the middle of the NCAA Tournament, you lose your best foundational player, and within days you have to retool your offense, reframe your rotations, and adjust your entire game plan — and still win. That’s not luck. That’s coaching. The ability to adapt that quickly — to keep a group believing, responding, and executing at that level — takes intelligence, composure, and leadership.
If that’s not coaching, I don’t know what is. - So, to the naysayers — y’all can kiss my ass.
A deep-tournament team making consecutive Elite Eight runs under those circumstances — that’s not just fast, that’s historic.
And as a point of reference, Dawn Staley, who has built a winning program at South Carolina, took over there in 2008. It took her four years to get the Gamecocks back to the NCAA Tournament, where they reached the Sweet 16 in 2011, and nine years to capture her first national championship in 2017.
By comparison, Lindsay Gottlieb had USC back in the NCAA Tournament by year two, and in years three and four, had the Trojans competing as a No. 1 seed and advancing to the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons — even after losing their star player. That’s not just fast — that’s historic.
So yes — she can coach. She has coached. And she’s proven it across every level of the game.
And yes, personnel and players matter — but you still have to coach those players. Lindsay Gottlieb has shown she can do both.
While programs like South Carolina and UConn have championship resumes built over decades, what Lindsay Gottlieb has done at USC in such a short span is something entirely different: she’s accelerated a rebuild that was supposed to take years and turned it into a legitimate national contender in half the time.
USC’s rise under Gottlieb isn’t just impressive — it’s proof that she’s one of the brightest basketball minds in the country. And the best part? She’s only getting started.
