University Southern California Trojans
USC Women’s Basketball Welcomes Grad Transfer Kayla Padilla
June 02, 2023 | Women's Basketball
The Torrance native joins the Trojans for 2023-34.
USC women's basketball has picked up a talented addition to the Trojan backcourt with the signing on of Kayla Padilla — a grad transfer coming to Troy from Penn. The Torrance native makes her return to her home state after a strong showing in the Ivy League as a Quaker.
"To say Kayla Padilla is a special player and person is an understatement," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "Adding someone of her caliber to our team is critical as we continue to aim towards a championship. Kayla is a combo guard with a lot of flair to her game that USC fans will love. She is a proven shooter and scorer at the college level with great efficiency, and can also run a team from the point guard position."
A 5-9 guard, Padilla was a three-time All-Ivy League First Team honoree in three seasons of work while setting Penn program records for career 3-pointers made (210), season 3-pointers made (81) and single-game 3-pointers made (nine). In 76 games played with the Quakers, she scored 1,355 points to rank No. 7 all-time at Penn. It took her just 58 games to break the 1,000-point mark, recording the third-fastest such accomplishment at Penn.
"In Kayla we are also getting a highly accomplished Penn graduate, who has already begun to impact the world off the court," Gottlieb added. "We are thrilled that the next step in her basketball and academic career will be at USC. Trojan fans, please help me in welcoming Kayla home to Southern California."
The Torrance native prepped at Bishop Montgomery, where she was named league MVP and was an All-State and All-CIF Southern Section First Team honoree.
Padilla earned a bachelor's degree in business at Penn and will be pursuing a master's in entrepreneurship and innovation at USC.
"To say Kayla Padilla is a special player and person is an understatement," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "Adding someone of her caliber to our team is critical as we continue to aim towards a championship. Kayla is a combo guard with a lot of flair to her game that USC fans will love. She is a proven shooter and scorer at the college level with great efficiency, and can also run a team from the point guard position."
A 5-9 guard, Padilla was a three-time All-Ivy League First Team honoree in three seasons of work while setting Penn program records for career 3-pointers made (210), season 3-pointers made (81) and single-game 3-pointers made (nine). In 76 games played with the Quakers, she scored 1,355 points to rank No. 7 all-time at Penn. It took her just 58 games to break the 1,000-point mark, recording the third-fastest such accomplishment at Penn.
"In Kayla we are also getting a highly accomplished Penn graduate, who has already begun to impact the world off the court," Gottlieb added. "We are thrilled that the next step in her basketball and academic career will be at USC. Trojan fans, please help me in welcoming Kayla home to Southern California."
Padilla averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in her three seasons at Penn (the 2020-21 season was canceled due to to COVID pandemic). She shot .411 from the floor and was .385 from beyond the arc in her record-setting 3-point efforts as a Quaker. In her senior season, Padilla was a unanimous All-Ivy First Team selection and was named to the Ivy Madness All-Tournament team. She was the league's leading scorer with 17.7 points per game and led Penn in going .855 from the free-throw line. She was also the Ivy League's top scorer as a junior with her 18.6 points per game in the 2021-22 season. A a freshman in 2019-20, she was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. With 17.4 points per game, she ranked sixth in scoring among freshmen in the nation.Welcome to the #TrojanFamily, Kayla Padilla!@kaylacp_ joins us from Penn, where she was a three-time All-Ivy League First Team honoree! pic.twitter.com/sEygkaoBMQ
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) June 2, 2023
The Torrance native prepped at Bishop Montgomery, where she was named league MVP and was an All-State and All-CIF Southern Section First Team honoree.
Padilla earned a bachelor's degree in business at Penn and will be pursuing a master's in entrepreneurship and innovation at USC.
Kayla you are special! Thank you being an amazing teammate, leader and role model. You elevated everyone around you. You're incredible talent uplifted our program. It was an absolute honor to Coach you everyday. ❤️💙 https://t.co/VdRiNCPyIT
— Mike McLaughlin (@MikeMcLaughli) April 24, 2023
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