USC Women's Basketball: Ex-Trojan Goes International for Semi-Pro Debut

She's heading south of the equator.

Mar 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Kaitlyn Davis (24), center Clarice Akunwafo (34), guard Kayla Padilla (45), guard JuJu Watkins (12) and guard McKenzie Forbes (25) react in the first half against the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Tournament women's championship game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former USC women's basketball star McKenzie Forbes is heading south of equator to play semi-professional basketball in Australia with the Waverley Falcons. The Falcons are part of NBL1 in Australia, and is partnered with the nation's professional basketball league, the Women's National Basketball League.

Headed Down Under!@Kenzie4bs has signed with the @WaverleyFalcons in Australia 🇦🇺✌️ pic.twitter.com/S6AbCUgX8h

— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) June 5, 2024

Forbes heads to Australia after she was initially drafted in the third round of the WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Forbes was waived just three days before the regular season began, and is now looking for another opportunity to play ball in Australia.

She joins a team that is strong in the NBL1 South, after advancing to the league's Grand Final in 2023. They fell short of the championship though, losing to the Bendigo Braves.

Forbes finished up her final year of women's college basketball at USC, where she averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game as she helped USC advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in three decades. She also made the All-Pac-12 team, along with teammate JuJu Watkins, in 2024.

Prior to joining the Trojans last season, Forbes spent four years at Harvard and one year at Cal. She finished her college career averaging 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.

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