University Southern California Trojans
USC Women's Basketball Assistant Coach Willnett Crockett Inducted Into Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame
December 06, 2025 | Women's Basketball
The third year assistant coach is one of 12 inductees in the 2026 class.
LOS ANGELES – Now in her third season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at USC, Willnett Crockett has been selected to the 2026 Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame induction class.
"I'm just truly grateful to have the opportunity to be inducted," said Crockett. "It just speaks to people seeing all the hard work that I put in over the years and just the teams that I had the opportunity to play with and the coaches I had the opportunity to play for. I'm truly honored and grateful and I know it's something that I'll remember for days to come."
Los Angeles native Crockett has built an accomplished career on both the court and the sidelines. Crockett arrived in August 2023 with more than a decade of coaching experience and a championship pedigree as a player.
A product of Narbonne High School in Los Angeles, Crockett led the Gauchos to back-to-back national championships, earning All-America honors and the title of California Gatorade Player of the Year. The LA product graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2006, helping the Huskies capture two NCAA championships, two BIG EAST regular-season crowns and two conference tournament titles while contributing to the program's historic 70-game winning streak.
"She was a national championship high school player at Narbonne and just an original star from the LA area," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "She was also a national champion at UConn so she has a winning pedigree everywhere she's been. She's an original SoCal legend and we are so excited that Will is now bringing that experience and that level of talent and success into our program every day."
Crockett was selected 22nd overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks and went on to play for the Phoenix Mercury as well as overseas in Africa, Latvia and Lithuania before transitioning into coaching. She spent 13 seasons as an assistant at Temple, where she helped guide the Owls to three NCAA Tournament berths, four WNITappearances and a 251-win era under head coach Tonya Cardoza. Known for her development of post players, Crockett also played key roles in recruiting, scouting, practice planning and player development during one of the most successful stretches in program history.
After returning to California as CSUN's director of women's basketball operations for the 2022-23 season, Crockett joined the Women of Troy, bringing a wealth of experience, strong recruiting acumen and a deep Los Angeles connection to USC's staff.
Trojans Tina Thompson, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and Cheryl Miller have all previously been inducted into the Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame.
This year's induction class will be honored alongside the 2027 HOF induction class in May or September of 2027 at a site to be determined.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Founded in 2019, The Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame (SCBBHOF) honors legendary local basketball players & coaches while supporting youth playing through charity donations. The non-profit covers SoCal areas from Los Angeles to Orange County to San Diego, Inland Empire and to Santa Barbara.
"I'm just truly grateful to have the opportunity to be inducted," said Crockett. "It just speaks to people seeing all the hard work that I put in over the years and just the teams that I had the opportunity to play with and the coaches I had the opportunity to play for. I'm truly honored and grateful and I know it's something that I'll remember for days to come."
Los Angeles native Crockett has built an accomplished career on both the court and the sidelines. Crockett arrived in August 2023 with more than a decade of coaching experience and a championship pedigree as a player.
A product of Narbonne High School in Los Angeles, Crockett led the Gauchos to back-to-back national championships, earning All-America honors and the title of California Gatorade Player of the Year. The LA product graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2006, helping the Huskies capture two NCAA championships, two BIG EAST regular-season crowns and two conference tournament titles while contributing to the program's historic 70-game winning streak.
"She was a national championship high school player at Narbonne and just an original star from the LA area," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "She was also a national champion at UConn so she has a winning pedigree everywhere she's been. She's an original SoCal legend and we are so excited that Will is now bringing that experience and that level of talent and success into our program every day."
Crockett was selected 22nd overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks and went on to play for the Phoenix Mercury as well as overseas in Africa, Latvia and Lithuania before transitioning into coaching. She spent 13 seasons as an assistant at Temple, where she helped guide the Owls to three NCAA Tournament berths, four WNITappearances and a 251-win era under head coach Tonya Cardoza. Known for her development of post players, Crockett also played key roles in recruiting, scouting, practice planning and player development during one of the most successful stretches in program history.
After returning to California as CSUN's director of women's basketball operations for the 2022-23 season, Crockett joined the Women of Troy, bringing a wealth of experience, strong recruiting acumen and a deep Los Angeles connection to USC's staff.
Trojans Tina Thompson, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and Cheryl Miller have all previously been inducted into the Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame.
This year's induction class will be honored alongside the 2027 HOF induction class in May or September of 2027 at a site to be determined.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Founded in 2019, The Southern California Basketball Hall of Fame (SCBBHOF) honors legendary local basketball players & coaches while supporting youth playing through charity donations. The non-profit covers SoCal areas from Los Angeles to Orange County to San Diego, Inland Empire and to Santa Barbara.
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