Women's Basketball signs trio of Ivy League transfers

Lindsay Gottlieb must have taken a page out of Lincoln Riley’s book, as she and her staff are off to a blistering start on the recruiting trail in June.

In the last two weeks, the Trojans announced forward Kaitlyn Davis, guard Kayla Padilla and guard McKenzie Forbes have all signed to play for USC from the transfer portal. All three are graduate transfers and last played in the Ivy League, with Davis coming from Columbia, Padilla from Penn and Forbes from Harvard. 

These three help reload a roster depleted by graduations, with the Trojans losing three of their top four scorers. Padilla and Forbes will look to replace the production of guards Destiny Littleton and Okako Adika, while Davis will be tasked with filling the shoes of WNBA forward Kadi Sissoko. Littleton, Adika and Sissoko similarly were also USC transfers.

Scoring Punch

The trio of Ivy League transfers all pack a scoring punch, with three of them finishing among the top eight scorers in the conference. Padilla averaged 17.7 points per game, which was second best in the conference. Forbes was seventh best with 13.7 PPG, while Davis finished eighth by averaging 13.6 PPG. 

For the second straight year, Gottlieb has built her program through the transfer portal, after leading USC to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014. Eight players on the 15 woman roster for 2022-2023 transferred to USC from a different school.

As the Trojans try to reach March Madness again this upcoming season, these transfers are bringing postseason experience with them. All three competed in the WNIT this past season with their respective teams. Davis helped bring Columbia to the championship, averaging 14.2 points in the tournament. But the Lions ended up losing to Kansas in the final game.

How Each Fit in with the Trojans

Forbes is no stranger to Gottlieb or the Pac-12. The guard played for Cal as a freshman when Gottlieb was still the head coach for the Golden Bears. At Cal, Forbes earned Pac-12 All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention before transferring to Harvard, where she instantly made an impact. Although her sophomore season was canceled due to the pandemic, she was named to the All-Ivy Second Team as a junior and served as team captain as a senior. While she will likely fit in as a vocal leader, it might be hard to find minutes in a suddenly-crowded Trojan backcourt.

Padilla has a much easier path to the court than Forbes. Although the Trojans bring back Kayla Williams and added Juju Watkins, the No. 1 high school recruit in the country, there is no denying Padilla’s talent. She was First Team All-Ivy in all three seasons she played for the Quakers and along with her scoring pedigree, she averaged 3.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game in her senior season. Padilla, who stands at 5’9”, will likely not be on the floor at the same time as 5’7” Williams much, as opposing teams would be able to find ways to exploit their lack of height.

Two or Three Guards?

It will be interesting to see what combination of guards Gottlieb puts on the floor this upcoming season. Last season, the starting lineup usually featured three guards and two forwards. The current roster has a similar makeup as this past season, so Gottlieb will likely turn towards that lineup again. If she does, guards will have an easier time getting onto the court. 

There is now a clear distinction on the roster between proven collegiate talent and highly rated high school prospects, who’ve spent most of their career on the bench or injured. This is particularly true amongst the guards. Watkins will only be a freshman and Aaliyah Gayles, a McDonald’s High School All American in 2022, sat out her freshman year recovering from getting shot 10 times at a house party on April 16, 2022.

Davis, the lone forward of the trio, might prove to be the biggest addition of this group. She averaged 8.3 rebounds per game in each of her last two seasons for the Lions. That would’ve been second best in rebounding for USC this past season behind Rayah Marshall. The 6’2” transfer will pair well with Marshall in the front court as USC looks to be more consistent on the boards this next season.