Lindsay Gottlieb reacts with pride as USC HC shares snap with Kennedy Smith from Team USA camp

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb traveled to Santiago, Chile, to support her player Kennedy Smith as she participates in the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup. Smith is the only Trojan on the Team USA roster competing in the tournament, which started on Saturday.

Gottlieb, who just finished her fourth season coaching USC, attended Team USA's matchup against Columbia in their second game on Sunday. There, she met Smith, and the two posed for a photo. The coach posted the photo on X (formerly Twitter).

"Amazing to see this one on the world stage 🇺🇸✌🏻," she captioned the post, showing her pride and excitement for the sophomore guard.

Smith started the game at Centro de Deportes Colectivos against Colombia and recorded three points, four assists and five rebounds as Team USA won 80-43. In the first game of the tournament, Smith played 14 minutes in a 108-47 blowout victory over host Chile, scoring four points off the bench.

While USC's star player JuJu Watkins is recovering from injury this offseason, Smith's international experience with Team USA could make quite a difference for coach Lindsay Gottlieb and the Trojans. Heading into her sophomore year, she will be expected to take on a bigger role.

---

Lindsay Gottlieb emphasizes personal connections and growth heading into next season

One of the critical aspects of Lindsay Gottlieb's coaching philosophy is to establish personal connections with her players and foster their growth both on and off the court. It's simply her love of nurturing the careers of players that led her to make a visit to Chile for the AmeriCup in the interest of Kennedy Smith..

In a YouTube shorts uploaded by Let's Talk USC on Saturday, Gottlieb explained her plans on maximizing team talent.

"I know off the bat that every team challenges you to connect with individuals," she said. "No matter how much interaction you think you have, it's probably not enough — you can never get enough of that personal interaction.

"I think we've all continued to evolve with being able to play a winning brand of basketball with a lot of really, really good players — some of whom are the best player in the country and other people who are really good in their role or really good in their current status as a young person and developing."

The Trojans are coming off an Elite Eight appearance, falling to eventual champions UConn.