USC Trojans, Lindsay Gottlieb Land Elite Washington State Transfer Dayana Mendes

The USC Trojans added some size via the transfer portal, landing former Washington State freshman forward Dayana Mendes, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb announced on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-3 transfer from France will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. In her lone season in Pullman, Mendes averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in 30 appearances with the Cougars, earning WCC All-Freshman Team honor.

Mendes continued to show an upward trajectory in her first season at the collegiate level, reaching double figures in nine of her last 11. Gottlieb will have the opportunity to keep developing a budding star in college basketball.

"Dayana is a unique talent who will thrive in our system and at USC," Gottlieb said. "One of the best young players out of France - whose development program is elite - Dayana has length, athleticism and a versatile skill set. She is a tireless worker who loves the game and brings an incredible mindset to LA. Dayana had a really productive freshman season at Washington State, and we believe her ceiling is limitless. Our Trojan fans will love her ability to score, defend and bring boundless energy to Galen Center."

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USC will have new-look to its squad next season. The Washington Mystics selected forward Kiki Iriafen with the No. 4 overall pick and the Connecticut Sun selected center Rayah Marshall with the No. 25 overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft.

Guard Talia von Oelhoffen is out of eligibility and superstar sophomore guard Juju Watkins is likely to miss the entire 2025-26 after suffering a torn ACL in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Freshman guard Kennedy Smith is the only returning starter from this past season.

Freshman guard Avery Howell transferred to Washington. Howell had stepped into the starting lineup after Watkins’ injury. Freshman guard Kayleigh Heckel, junior guard Aaliyah Gayles and senior Dominique Darius are still in the portal.

USC has been active in the portal, landing former Georgia Tech guard Kara Dunn and former UCLA guard Londynn Jones.

Clackamas (Oregon) five-star guard Jazzy Davidson, who finished as the No. 1 ranked player in the country, according to the final ESPN rankings will join the team next season as well. The 6-foot-1 combo guard had a decorated high school career, being named Gatorade Oregon Girls Basketball Player of the Year for all four years.

Davidson shined at the Nike Hoop Summit on April 12. She displayed her vast skillset, finishing with a game-high 17 points, Davidson also added six assists, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks, leading Team USA to a 90-78 win over the World Team.

USC has established themselves as one of the premier teams in college basketball over the last couple of seasons. The Trojans claimed the Big Ten regular season title this past season, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

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