USC’s Big Ten Awards Story: Jazzy Davidson’s Historic Freshman Season and More

I’ve been thinking about these Big Ten awards, and the first thing that jumps out to me is that the numbers and the eye test are telling the same story. Jazzy Davidson winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, and making the All-Defensive Team wasn’t something that came out of nowhere. If you’ve actually been watching USC this season — not just checking a box score after the game — then the recognition makes perfect sense. What Jazzy did this year wasn’t just a “good freshman season.” It was a freshman season with star-level responsibility, and that distinction matters.

When you start with the analytics, the story becomes even clearer. Jazzy operated with a 29.3% usage rate, which sits in the 97th percentile nationally. In simple terms, nearly a third of USC’s offensive possessions run through a freshman guard. That kind of responsibility usually overwhelms young players, but Jazzy never looked like she was drowning under the workload. Instead of forcing things, she played with control. Her assist rate of 27.8% — a number sitting in the 96th percentile — shows that she wasn’t just taking on more shots; she was creating offense for everyone around her. Defenses bent toward her, and she consistently made the right reads when the help came.

What makes that even more impressive is the discipline she maintained while carrying that offensive burden. Her turnover rate was just 14%, placing her in the 83rd percentile. That’s remarkable for a freshman handling that much usage, because the typical story with young players in that role is that they get sped up. They get trapped, baited into rushed passes, or pushed into forcing the action. Jazzy never looked panicked. She played with pace rather than panic, and that distinction shows up in every possession.

But the reason this award conversation went beyond just “Freshman of the Year” is because Jazzy’s impact didn’t stop on the offensive side of the ball. Defense is where the conversation changes entirely. Her steal percentage sits at 3.3%, which places her in the 85th percentile, and her block percentage is an even more surprising 5.7%, good for the 95th percentile. For a guard, those numbers are borderline absurd. And then there’s the metric that really tells the story of her defensive discipline: her Hakeem percentage of 9.0%, which lands in the 97th percentile. That stat essentially measures stocks — steals plus blocks — relative to fouls committed. In other words, it shows how often a player disrupts possessions without putting herself in foul trouble. Jazzy isn’t just active defensively; she’s controlled, calculated, and disciplined.

That’s why the awards stacked up the way they did. Jazzy wasn’t simply a freshman scorer who had a few big nights. She was a full-court presence whose impact stretched from offensive creation to defensive disruption. And then you arrive at the statistical detail that quietly makes her season historic: Jazzy Davidson led USC in all five major statistical categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Every single one.

That almost never happens. It’s rare for any player, regardless of class. But for a freshman guard, it’s borderline unheard of. Since steals and blocks began being officially tracked in the 1985–86 season, very few Division I players at any class level have led their team in all five categories during the same year. The last widely cited major-conference freshman to accomplish that was Ben Simmons at LSU in the 2015–16 season. Nearly a decade later, Jazzy Davidson did it again — and she did it in the Big Ten. Not four categories. All five.

Watching her play, the numbers begin to feel less surprising. Jazzy carries herself like someone who already understands the pace of the college game. She doesn’t look like she’s waiting for permission to lead; she looks comfortable controlling possessions. You can see the processing speed when she reads the floor, adjusts mid-possession, and manipulates defensive rotations. Offensively, she isn’t a one-move scorer. She collapses defenses and opens space for teammates, which is exactly what that elite assist rate reflects. Defensively, her activity is more than just quick hands. She rotates from the weak side, times blocks like a help defender, and disrupts actions without gambling herself out of position.

Her impact also shows up in transition. Jazzy ranks in the 99th percentile in fast break points per 40 minutes at 5.2, which means she isn’t just benefiting from USC’s pace — she’s driving it. Defensive stops become sprints down the floor, and those sprints become points. She creates possessions, ends possessions, and converts possessions. That’s the definition of a complete player, and the fact that she did it as a freshman explains why the award conversation felt almost inevitable.

This kind of immediate responsibility isn’t unusual at USC. The program has a long history of freshmen stepping into major roles. Lisa Leslie did it. Tina Thompson did it. Breanna Gilbreath did it. Alyssa Pili did it. JuJu Watkins did it. Different eras, different systems, but the expectation has always been the same: if you’re ready, you lead. Jazzy’s season fits right into that tradition, though what separates her is how complete her role became so quickly.

Of course, Jazzy wasn’t the only USC player whose impact showed up in the awards. Kennedy Smith’s place on the All-Defensive Team reflects the kind of defensive presence coaches notice immediately. When Kennedy is on the floor, USC’s defensive rating drops to 87.5. When she’s off the floor, it climbs to 92.6 — a 5.1-point defensive swing. That alone tells you how her presence changes possessions. But her influence extends beyond defense. With Kennedy on the court, USC’s net rating jumps to +13.8 compared to +3.2 when she sits. That’s a 10.6-point net swing that reflects lineup stability and two-way impact.

Individually, the advanced numbers reinforce what the film shows. Kennedy ranks in the 84th percentile in steal rate and the 86th percentile in block rate. Her Hakeem percentage sits in the 90th percentile, and her blocks-per-foul rate reaches the 98th percentile. For a 6’1 guard, that level of vertical discipline is elite. She contests shots without hacking, rotates into help positions, and alters plays in ways that show up clearly on scouting reports. Coaches don’t vote someone onto the All-Defensive Team based on highlights; they vote based on the problems that player creates for their offense.

Kara Dunn’s recognition adds another layer to USC’s presence in the awards conversation. Kara earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors, and anyone who has watched her career knows that recognition didn’t start in Los Angeles. Before arriving at USC, Kara was already an All-ACC First Team selection at Georgia Tech, where she served as a primary offensive option in one of the toughest conferences in the country. What makes Kara’s game stand out is the strength she brings from the wing position. She rebounds like a forward, seals defenders in the post, attacks downhill through contact, and still stretches defenses by shooting 37.4% from three. Her true shooting percentage of 59.1% and effective field goal percentage of 56.7% show how efficient that offensive versatility has been. Kara’s ability to rebound from the perimeter and convert mismatches inside adds another dimension to USC’s lineup, and that kind of positional strength is exactly why she continues to draw respect across multiple conferences.

Another recognition that shouldn’t get lost in the bigger award headlines is Brooklyn Shamblin being named USC’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree. Each program in the conference selects one player who represents the values of sportsmanship, integrity, leadership, and respect for the game. It’s the kind of recognition that isn’t about box scores or percentiles, but about how a player carries herself within the program and within competition.

And honestly, if you’ve spent any time around the team, that choice makes a lot of sense. Brooklyn Shamblin just seems like one of those genuinely cool people to be around. I’ve talked with her before, she’s even been on one of my videos, and every time I see her around the Galen Center — before games, after games, just moving through the arena — she’s always the same: smiling, upbeat, and supportive of everyone around her. She carries herself like a great teammate, the kind of presence that lifts the energy of a locker room even when the spotlight isn’t on her.

Awards like All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year measure production, but the Sportsmanship Award reflects something just as important inside a program: character. And Brooklyn Shamblin representing USC in that way says a lot about the culture this team is building.

And then, of course, there’s the player whose season defined the top of the conference. Lauren Betts earning both Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year reflects a statistical résumé that is difficult to argue with. Betts carried nearly a 30% usage rate while ranking in the 99th percentile in scoring per 40 minutes. She dominated the offensive glass with a 99th percentile offensive rebound rate and protected the rim with a block percentage in the 98th percentile. Nearly 78% of her scoring came in the paint, where she consistently controlled the interior and forced opponents to adjust their entire defensive structure.

If there is any projection conversation around Betts moving forward, it centers on defensive coverage range. At the college level, her drop coverage dominance is overwhelming. In the professional game, spacing becomes more aggressive and bigs are often required to extend further into space. To her credit, Betts has begun extending more this season, and you can see the adjustments in real time. But even with that development still evolving, her performance within the Big Ten was unquestionably dominant. This year’s awards simply confirmed what the film and numbers already showed.

Taken together, the results of the Big Ten awards reveal something larger than individual recognition. They show a program establishing standards again. Jazzy Davidson controlling responsibility on both ends of the floor, Kennedy Smith setting the defensive tone, and Kara Dunn providing strength and efficiency from the wing all point to a roster where impact is distributed across multiple roles. At USC, freshman leadership has never been an accident, and this season reinforced that tradition in a new conference environment.

If anything, these awards feel less like a conclusion and more like a signal of where the program is headed. USC’s presence in the Big Ten awards conversation isn’t just about individual accomplishments. It’s about the return of expectations — the idea that if you wear that jersey and you’re ready to lead, you don’t wait your turn. Click the link below to see full video breakdown>