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2019-20 USC Women's Basketball Season Outlook
October 29, 2019 | Women's Basketball, Features
The new-look Women of Troy officially kick off a new season on Nov. 5.
When your longest tenured Trojan is a redshirt sophomore, you know you have a powerful youth movement on your hands. Guard Shalexxus Aaron started her USC women's basketball career at the same time that USC head coach Mark Trakh took over at the helm. Now, Aaron, Trakh and associate head coaches Jason Glover and Aarika Hughes enter their third season together as the leaders of an exciting, new-look group of Women of Troy.
"We're really excited about our upcoming year," Trakh said. "We've got a lot of new faces. We just have to mix our youth and experience together, and I think we've got something good down on the floor. Right now our kids are really working hard in practice, are coming together and are doing a lot of good things. So we're very excited about this year and moving forward for our program."
Of USC's three seniors on the roster, only post Kayla Overbeck has logged minutes in Cardinal and Gold. Overbeck joined the Trojans as a transfer from Vanderbilt last season. Now, she's flanked by two other transfers — guards Stephanie Watts and Aliyah Jeune — who are playing out their remaining eligibility as Trojans. Overbeck, Aaron and sophomore guard Desiree Caldwell are USC's three returners from the 2018-19 season that saw the Trojans come up just shy of a postseason push with a 17-13 overall record. Team captains for 2019-20, that Trojan trio are the veterans of the bunch, and they are hungry to lead their new teammates into a successful season to come.
"They've improved so much and have worked really hard," Trakh said of captains Aaron, Caldwell and Overbeck. "They set kind of a standard that when new kids came in in the summer they saw how hard Desi, Shalexxus and Kayla worked, and that became their expectations. The older kids role-modeled that kind of work ethic to the younger kids and it's really played out well because everybody's working that hard right now. We've got three seniors and they're they've really done well on the court as far as leading the younger kids, but we're just kind of combining the youth and experience right now and it's going well."
Nine new faces are on the roster for 2019-20. In addition to grad transfers Jeune (from Morehead State) and Watts (from North Carolina), USC has seven true freshmen in the mix — all wildly talented and all ready to hit the floor for their first minutes as Women of Troy. They include two state Gatorade Players of the Year in forward Alissa Pili (Alaska) and guard Endyia Rogers (Texas), as well as McDonald's All-American center Angel Jackson. Watts, too, was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school in North Carolina before signing on with the Tar Heels. A bevy of talented freshmen guards are also locked in, with Madison Campbell, Alyson Miura, India Otto and Kyra White bringing extra punch to the USC backcourt as true freshmen.
"We've got a freshman class that was ranked highly last year, and we've got two graduate transfers, and we're excited about the year," Trakh said. "It's been great because they've just been so coachable. They're just eager and they work hard. It's a good group of kids. They all got great grades in high school, so it's been more than just basketball for them. They're really a responsible group who brought a lot of energy and even at their young age, a lot of responsibility and that's what I really love about those kids."
As for the gameplan for a gelling group in a conference as competitive as the Pac-12, Trakh believes that chemistry and commitment are the key building blocks to success. The chemistry has come quickly for these Women of Troy. The commitment to hard work and to each other. Now it's just a matter of converting it all into great basketball. Fortunately, that is something that Trakh has a keen eye for.
In 24 years as a head coach, he's guided his teams to 20-win seasons 11 times and made eight NCAA appearances. He's posted a 127-88 record across his two stints as head coach at USC (2005-09; 2018-present) to boast the second most USC victories of all coaches — trailing only the great Linda Sharp. Trakh also has amassed a career coaching record of 430-291.
With the perspective of 24 years as a head coach, Trakh sees great potential in this 2019-20 group of Women of Troy. The backcourt is deep and dangerous, girded by pesky defenders and bolstered by an arsenal of sharpshooters. And with powerful options down low in Jackson, Overbeck and Pili, USC has crucial balance to help contend with any opponent. Above all, Trakh believes his Trojan blend of youth and experience is a recipe for success this season.
"So many young kids are going to have to play and play right away. They know that, and that motivates them to work even harder because there's playing time that we have in our system right now." Trakh said. "I know that they're together. I know that they genuinely support each other on the floor. Seeing the communication and the love they have for one another. I think that's really going to go a long way. And that's what I'm really excited about."
"We're really excited about our upcoming year," Trakh said. "We've got a lot of new faces. We just have to mix our youth and experience together, and I think we've got something good down on the floor. Right now our kids are really working hard in practice, are coming together and are doing a lot of good things. So we're very excited about this year and moving forward for our program."
Of USC's three seniors on the roster, only post Kayla Overbeck has logged minutes in Cardinal and Gold. Overbeck joined the Trojans as a transfer from Vanderbilt last season. Now, she's flanked by two other transfers — guards Stephanie Watts and Aliyah Jeune — who are playing out their remaining eligibility as Trojans. Overbeck, Aaron and sophomore guard Desiree Caldwell are USC's three returners from the 2018-19 season that saw the Trojans come up just shy of a postseason push with a 17-13 overall record. Team captains for 2019-20, that Trojan trio are the veterans of the bunch, and they are hungry to lead their new teammates into a successful season to come.
"They've improved so much and have worked really hard," Trakh said of captains Aaron, Caldwell and Overbeck. "They set kind of a standard that when new kids came in in the summer they saw how hard Desi, Shalexxus and Kayla worked, and that became their expectations. The older kids role-modeled that kind of work ethic to the younger kids and it's really played out well because everybody's working that hard right now. We've got three seniors and they're they've really done well on the court as far as leading the younger kids, but we're just kind of combining the youth and experience right now and it's going well."
Nine new faces are on the roster for 2019-20. In addition to grad transfers Jeune (from Morehead State) and Watts (from North Carolina), USC has seven true freshmen in the mix — all wildly talented and all ready to hit the floor for their first minutes as Women of Troy. They include two state Gatorade Players of the Year in forward Alissa Pili (Alaska) and guard Endyia Rogers (Texas), as well as McDonald's All-American center Angel Jackson. Watts, too, was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school in North Carolina before signing on with the Tar Heels. A bevy of talented freshmen guards are also locked in, with Madison Campbell, Alyson Miura, India Otto and Kyra White bringing extra punch to the USC backcourt as true freshmen.
"We've got a freshman class that was ranked highly last year, and we've got two graduate transfers, and we're excited about the year," Trakh said. "It's been great because they've just been so coachable. They're just eager and they work hard. It's a good group of kids. They all got great grades in high school, so it's been more than just basketball for them. They're really a responsible group who brought a lot of energy and even at their young age, a lot of responsibility and that's what I really love about those kids."
As for the gameplan for a gelling group in a conference as competitive as the Pac-12, Trakh believes that chemistry and commitment are the key building blocks to success. The chemistry has come quickly for these Women of Troy. The commitment to hard work and to each other. Now it's just a matter of converting it all into great basketball. Fortunately, that is something that Trakh has a keen eye for.
In 24 years as a head coach, he's guided his teams to 20-win seasons 11 times and made eight NCAA appearances. He's posted a 127-88 record across his two stints as head coach at USC (2005-09; 2018-present) to boast the second most USC victories of all coaches — trailing only the great Linda Sharp. Trakh also has amassed a career coaching record of 430-291.
With the perspective of 24 years as a head coach, Trakh sees great potential in this 2019-20 group of Women of Troy. The backcourt is deep and dangerous, girded by pesky defenders and bolstered by an arsenal of sharpshooters. And with powerful options down low in Jackson, Overbeck and Pili, USC has crucial balance to help contend with any opponent. Above all, Trakh believes his Trojan blend of youth and experience is a recipe for success this season.
"So many young kids are going to have to play and play right away. They know that, and that motivates them to work even harder because there's playing time that we have in our system right now." Trakh said. "I know that they're together. I know that they genuinely support each other on the floor. Seeing the communication and the love they have for one another. I think that's really going to go a long way. And that's what I'm really excited about."
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