What USC Trojans' Lindsay Gottlieb Said After Winning Big Ten Coach of the Year

USC Trojans women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 2024-2025 season. The Trojans, led by superstar guard JuJu Watkins, went 26-2 in the regular season and 17-1 in the Big Ten, winning the conference regular season title outright in their first year as a member. It was the first conference title of any kind for USC in 30 years.

Lindsay Gottlieb has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

In her fourth season at USC — and first in the conference — USC won 16 of its 17 Big Ten games in 2024-25.

Tremendous work by Gottlieb.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) March 4, 2025

This is now the 2nd straight year where Gottlieb has engineered the Trojans to 26 plus wins. This has not happened for the program dating back to the 1982-1983 and 1983-1984 seasons. In each of those years, USC won the National Championship.

Gottlieb “Humbled” By Winning Big Ten Coach of the Year

Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Lindsay Gottlieb spoke on the Big Ten Network Tuesday morning shortly after being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

“It’s truly humbling,” Gottlieb said. “We have an 18 team league, with 13 NCAA tournament teams and so many great coaches, so to be singled out by my peers and the media is really something I'm grateful for.

Gottlieb gave major props to the rest of her staff and the players for putting her in a position to win this award.

“It’s a staff award, a team award,” Gottlieb said. “None of this happens unless the team wins a championship. Unless the staff I have comes to work very day with the right mindset. I’m really grateful.”

Gottlieb got her start in coaching right after her playing career at Brown University ended in 1999. Months later, she was an assistant at Syracuse and further progressed through the ranks to being a coach at UC Santa Barbara from 2008-2011, California from 2011-2019, and now USC starting in 2021.

"This is the profession for me." 🗣️

B1G Coach of the Year Lindsay Gottlieb joined us on #B1GToday to discuss her passion for coaching 👇#B1GWBBall x @USCWBB pic.twitter.com/ai56k5VLC0
— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 4, 2025

“I always loved sports…I was a big X’s and O’s nerd…and at the same time felt like, there was an opportunity to have an impact on people.” Gottlieb said. “This is the profession for me….I’ve been very lucky to have a job that I feel so passionate about.

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"Sky's the Limit" For Trojans This Postseason

Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her players celebrate defeating the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. The Bruins came into the game ranked #1 in the country. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

USC will be the No. 1 seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament. The Trojans are also in line to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gottlieb knows that when her team plays to the best of their abilities, they can go a long way.

“When we do it our way and we dial into our identity of what we can be, then really the sky is the limit for this program,” Gottlieb said.

USC was knocking on the door of the Final Four last season, but fell just short in the Elite Eight to the UConn Huskies. Gottlieb has made the Final Four one time in her career; in 2013 when she was coaching Cal.