USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb celebrates Kiki Iriafen's 'for the culture' graduation snaps: "She hoops a lil too"

Days after Stanford Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer announced her retirement, forward Kiki Iriafen announced her decision to enter the transfer portal. The forward has long been touted as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and her signature was much sought after in the portal.

She committed to playing for the USC Trojans alongside stars like JuJu Watkins and Rayah Marshall, forming a triumvirate of superstars under coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

The USC coach congratulated Iriafen on her Instagram stories for her graduation from Stanford, reposting her 'for the culture' snap and captioning it:

"And she hoops a lil too. Congrats @kikiiriafen," Gottlieb wrote.

Gottlieb's IG stories

After USC battled for Kiki Iriafen in the transfer portal and managed to snag her commitment, coach Gottlieb was full of praise for the former Stanford star. She stated in a press release:

“Kiki is a next-level talent,” Gottlieb said. “An established star in women’s college basketball already, she comes to USC looking to help us win at the highest level and to continue to expand her capabilities.

"She’s a dynamic scorer and rebounder who will flourish in our style and with those around her. She is a magnetic personality who gets to come home and be special. The Galen Center crowd will want to have a front-row seat to support her in doing that.”

Kiki Iriafen joins superteam after coming out season

Kiki Iriafen averaged 19.4 points on 54.6 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, 11 rebounds, and 2.3 assists last season. It was a coming-out season for her alongside Stanford Cardinal star Cameron Brink, who was picked No. 2 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

For her efforts, Iriafen was named the Pac-12's Most Improved Player of the Year, sealing her status as one of the top remaining stars in college basketball.

New Stanford coach Kate Paye could not hide her disappointment at losing the services of the forward.

“We are disappointed … but if that’s a choice that she (Iriafen) feels like she has to make, we respect it,” Paye said. “She told me that she’s made the decision to enter the portal for personal, family reasons.”

Iriafen would be joined in the USC Trojans by Oregon State Beavers combo guard Talia Von Oelhoffen. Their arrival has improved the team's odds of winning the national championship next season from +1000 to +450.

The pressure will be on Kiki Iriafen to prove her pedigree in a championship-chasing team that has already been branded as a superteam by both fans and analysts alike.