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USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Add Commitments From 2 5-Star Prospects In 2024 Class

The Trojans are on fire...
Jason Fray|
USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Add Commitments From 2 5-Star Prospects In 2024 Class
USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Add Commitments From 2 5-Star Prospects In 2024 Class

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USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is on a roll right now. 

To start the year, the Women of Troy knocked off a top-10 team in Ohio State (in a rather convincing fashion). The phenomenon that is wing JuJu Watkins has taken the sport by storm. A plethora of celebrities flocked to USC's first home game, and the program has been enjoying some considerable hype as a consequence. 

On Wednesday, Gottlieb announced the signing of three recruits for the class of 2024: five-star guard Avery Howell, four-star guard Rian Forestier, and four-star forward Laura Williams. All top-100 prospects nationally, this class alone would've been a major deal for the program. 

On Saturday afternoon, things got even better for Gottlieb and the Trojans. 

Long Island guard Kayleigh Heckel announced her pledge to USC. A 5'9" sharpshooter with terrific facilitator skills, Heckel -- a five-star prospect -- is ranked No. 28 overall in her class.

Not to be outdone, USC also outlasted the likes of UCLA and South Carolina for local prospect Kennedy Smith. Smith is a combo guard/wing from nearby Etiwanda High School. 

Considered the best prospect on the West Coast, Smith is the No. 6 prospect nationally in ESPN's 2024 HoopGurlz recruiting rankings. 

With crosstown rival UCLA garnering much of the press clippings in recent years, USC is making more than a strong push to be relevant. The talent Gottlieb is bringing into the program is quite impressive. 

In this class alone, the Trojans will welcome five top-100 prospects to its roster next year. Three of them are of the 5-star variety. 

Being able to win head-to-head recruiting battles versus UCLA only speaks to the buzz this program is fielding at the moment. 

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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