This week, USC women’s basketball rising sophomore Kennedy Smith is in Santiago, Chile, for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup. Smith was one of a handful of the top women’s college basketball players in the country selected to the U.S. team.
Over the weekend, Smith and Team USA played their first games of the tournament. Cheering her on on Sunday in Chile was a familiar face: USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb.
“Amazing to see this one on the world stage,” Gottlieb wrote on social media after the game, accompanied by a picture of her and Smith.
With Gottlieb in attendance, Team USA dominated Colombia 80-43. Smith finished the game with three points, five rebounds, and four assists. Kennedy Smith is getting a chance to play international ball and learn from other elite players on the Team USA roster. This could be a valuable building block for her 2025-2026 USC season, in which the JuJu Watkins injury will require Smith to carry a large workload for the Trojans.
The Americans are back in action on Monday when they take on Puerto Rico. Tipoff is set for 5:10 p.m. Pacific time.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lindsay Gottlieb travels to Chile to watch Kennedy Smith play in FIBA AmeriCup
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
