Apparently there will be no rest for Lindsay Gottlieb.
The USC women’s basketball coach has her work cut out for her and soon as freshman guard Kayleigh Heckel is the latest Trojan to announce her intention to enter the transfer portal.
Heckel’s announcement comes on the heels of fellow freshman Avery Howell declaring a similar move just two days after a season-ending loss to UConn in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
The duo, both McDonald’s All-Americans coming out of high school a year ago, were expected to be crucial returners for USC.
The Trojans are already losing significant size with forward Kiki Irafen and center Rayah Marshall, both having exhausted their college eligibility, and facing the potential season-long loss of national player of the year JuJu Watkins in 2025-26 after she tore her ACL in an NCAA Tournament second-round game March 24.
The 5-foot-9 Heckel, out of Long Island Lutheran High in Brookville, New York, averaged 16.9 minutes and 6.1 points per game while playing in 34 of 35 games and making seven starts.
Howell, a 6-foot forward from Boise High in Idaho, played in all 35 games and started three. She averaged 20.9 minutes and 7.5 points per game and became one of USC’s most reliable outside weapons. She sank 59 3-pointers — second only to Watkins’ 63 — at a 39.9% clip, which exceeded Watkins’ 32.5% accuracy from 3-point range.
Aaliyah Gayles, a 5-foot-9 redshirt sophomore guard from Las Vegas who survived a shooting before coming to play for USC, has also announced she will enter the transfer portal. Gayles averaged 4.6 minutes in 15 games.
The Trojans are coming off a historic season, winning the Big Ten regular-season championship in their inaugural year after departing the Pac-12. They finished 31-4 overall, going 16-1 at the Galen Center, and 16-1 in conference play.
USC is also bringing in five-star recruit Jasmine “Jazzy” Davidson, a 6-foot-1 guard from Clackamas High in Oregon who is regarded as one of the top players in the 2025 class.
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