Women's Fastbreak On SI

USC Trojans Coach Has One Emoji Reaction to Massive Recruit Commitment

USC Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb only needed one emoji to commemorate landing the country's top recruit.
Grant Young|
Dec 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb reacts in the first half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Galen Center. USC defeated Fresno State 89-40. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb reacts in the first half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Galen Center. USC defeated Fresno State 89-40. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans women's basketball team will be entering the 2025-26 season without their biggest superstar (and arguably the biggest star in women's college basketball), as guard JuJu Watkins is still recovering from a torn ACL she suffered during the 2025 NCAA tournament.

It remains to be seen how long Watkins still has in her recovery process. But there seems little question that she's going to be sidelined until at least 2026, considering the torn ACL occurred on March 24.

However, Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb still has a stacked roster that includes several impact players who can more than hold the fort while Watkins is away. And they just secured another superstar, which was announced on July 25.

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb on February 13, 2025
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

No. 1 Recruit Saniyah Hall Commits to USC

On July 25, Saniyah Hall, who is the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 college recruiting class, according to ESPN, announced her commitment to USC.

While Hall won't join the team for this upcoming season, the fact that she'll join a hopefully fully healthy Watkins for the 2026-27 season is massive, and suggests that the Trojans will have a formidable amount of firepower for that campaign.

Lindsay Gottlieb made an X post in the wake Hall's announcement, which simply read, "✌🏻".

Of course, this emoji has nothing to do with the number two. It's USC's iconic "Fight On" sign, which is a rallying and battle cry for the Trojans.

While Trojans fans are surely excited for this upcoming 2025-26 season, the future after that is looking brighter than ever right now.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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