Lindsay Gottlieb drops 3-word reaction for former USC stars before WNBA practice feat. Kiki Iriafen

USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb gave a shoutout to her former players selected for the WNBA camp this weekend. The Trojans produced five players, including Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall, Kaitlyn Davis, McKenzie Forbes and Temi Fagbenle.

On Sunday, USC posted a photo collage of these five former players on Instagram, with the caption:

"USC women's basketball. GOODLUCK. Go time for our Projans."

Gottlieb shared the post on her Instagram story, with the caption:

"Go be great."

USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb sends shoutout to former players entering WNBA training camp. IG image via @coachlindsayg

Iriafen was one of the top picks of this year's WNBA draft, finishing fourth and selected by the Washington Mystics. The former Stanford guard is also USC's first top-10 WNBA draft selection since Ebony Hoffman, who was No. 9 in 2004. She is also the fourth top-10 pick and highest from the Trojans since Tina Thompson was No. 1 and Pam McGee was No. 2 in 1997.

Marshall was the 24th pick, selected by the Connecticut Sun. Both Iriafen and Marshall are two consecutive USC players who got drafted into the WNBA after Davis (New York Liberty) and Forbes (Los Angeles Sparks) were selected in the 2024 draft. Meanwhile, Fagbenle transferred from the Indiana Fever to the Golden State Valkyries in December 2024.

Lindsay Gottlieb welcomes former WNBA coach to USC coaching staff

USC women's basketball hired former Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Nikki Blue to the Trojans coaching staff. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb expressed her excitement for adding Blue to her coaching team as the Trojans prepare to rebuild their roster for the upcoming season.

"I'm thrilled for our team and the Trojan Family to be able to add someone of Nikki Blue's caliber to our coaching staff," Gottlieb said in a press release. "We have elite players who want to eventually become pros, so we wanted to add someone who has pro experience and who is also committed to pouring into young people on and off the court."

"Nikki also brings elite X and O experience and a winning character. Her life and basketball experiences will add immensely to the culture we've built and the direction we want to continue to go," she added.

Before coaching the Los Angeles Sparks, Blue coached Arizona State from 2019-2022. Then she became the interim head coach for the Phoenix Mercury, where she coached for 28 games in the 2023 season. As a player, she was a standout for UCLA, where she was named to the All-Pac 10 First Team all four years of her career with the Bruins.