USC's Kayleigh Heckel shares 3-word reaction to former teammate Kiki Iriafen's media day snaps

Kayleigh Heckel showed love to former USC teammate Kiki Iriafen after the latter posted her WNBA media day snaps with the Washington Mystics on Wednesday. Heckel dropped a three-word reaction to Iriafen's photos on her Instagram story.

Iriafen, who wore her No. 44 Washington jersey, included a short caption for her Instagram post as she embarks on the next step in her basketball career.

"Rook!" Iriafen wrote.

Kayleigh Heckel shared the former USC star's photos on her social media account. She included a three-word message for Iriafen on her Instagram story.

"I love her," Heckel wrote with a heart emoji.

Kayleigh Heckel shared Kiki Iriafen's WNBA media day snaps on her Instagram story. Source: Instagram/@heckel_kayleigh

Iriafen and Heckel played together for the USC Trojans during the 2024-25 season. Iriafen, who spent three seasons with Stanford before transferring to USC, posted impressive numbers in her senior year with the Trojans. She averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 boards and 1.8 dimes through 35 games.

How Kiki Iriafen and Kayleigh Heckel fared for USC in the 2025 NCAA Tournament

The USC Trojans qualified for this year's March Madness after posting a 28-3 overall record during the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament. The Trojans secured the No. 1 seed in the Regional 4 bracket and faced No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro in the first round.

USC Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen (#44) celebrates with Kayleigh Heckel (#9) and Malia Samuels (#10) during their NCAA Tournament game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 24, 2025, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Getty

The Trojans impressed in their NCAA Tournament opener, recording a 71-25 victory over the Spartans. Kiki Iriafen posted a double-double in that contest with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Kayleigh Heckel added eight points off the bench.

Disaster struck the Trojans in their next game against No. 9 seed Mississippi State as JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Iriafen stepped up in Watkins' absence, scoring 36 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Heckel scored 13 points and dished out six assists in USC's 96-59 win.

USC followed that up with a 67-61 victory over Kansas State in the Sweet 16. Iriafen and Heckel combined for 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Trojans' title dreams ended in the Elite Eight after losing 78-64 to eventual champions UConn. Iriafen scored 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting in her final college basketball game while Heckel dropped five points.