HC Lindsay Gottlieb hypes up USC’s Kennedy Smith after USA’s FIBA AmeriCup win

USC Trojans guard Kennedy Smith stepped up to the plate during the 2025 NCAA Tournament when star JuJu Watkins got injured, leading her team to the Elite Eight before they were eliminated by eventual champions, the UConn Huskies. A few weeks later, Smith was named to the 12-person Team USA roster for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in Chile.

As part of a talented roster that included Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo, Smith averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 2.0 steals per game during the tournament as Team USA won Gold after defeating Brazil 92-84 in the championship game on Sunday.

Smith's USC coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, traveled to Chile to support her during the tournament and on Monday evening, the Trojans' coach hyped her up on her Instagram story. Gottlieb posted a picture of the USC star hoisting the AmeriCup trophy.

"This will never get old! You did that, @k3nnedynicole!" Gottlieb captioned the story.

Gottlieb's IG stories (Credits: @coachlindsayg)

The AmeriCup win on Sunday was Kennedy Smith's second gold medal with Team USA after the U18 AmeriCup win last year.

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When Kennedy Smith was tabbed as the best freshman defender

Kennedy Smith averaged significant minutes as a freshman and was often coach Lindsay Gottlieb's go-to player to mark the opposition's most talented players, including marking UCLA Bruins star Kiki Rice out of the game both times that the USC Trojans beat them last season.

In a news conference during March Madness, Gottlieb made a huge claim about Smith's defensive nous as a freshman.

“She’s (Smith) an incredible defender. I’ve said before that I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better defender coming in as a freshman,” Gottlieb said. “Just her mind, her understanding of defensive schemes, and her physical ability. Being switchable and putting some pressure on the point of attack, she gets it started for us, and it’s a really important part of what we do defensively.”

During a news conference at the Big Dance, Smith who averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists last season also spoke about how her defensive awareness came about.

“I kind of grew up just playing with boys, and that’s kind of where I got my tough mentality from and stuff of that nature,” Kennedy Smith said. “I take pride in defense. I don’t like anybody to score on me, I guess you could say.”

With JuJu Watkins expected to be sidelined for a significant portion of next season, Kennedy Smith is poised to play a huge part in Lindsay Gottlieb's team next season as the Trojans attempt to get over the Elite Eight hump at the NCAA Tournament and regain their Big Ten crown.