2020–21 USC Trojans women's basketball team

The 2020–21 USC Trojans women's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Trojans play their home games at the Galen Center and are members of the Pac-12 Conference. The squad was led by head coach Mark Trakh, who was in the 4th year of his 2nd stint (9th year overall). This year, the season was shortened to accommodate safety measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] As such, no fans were permitted at any of the games.

2020–21 USC Trojans women's basketball
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record11–12 (8–10 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jason Glover (4th season)
  • Aarika Hughes (4th season)
  • Erin Grant (2nd season)
Home arenaGalen Center
Seasons
2020–21 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Stanford 19 2   .905 31 2   .939
No. 11 Arizona 13 4   .765 21 6   .778
No. 9 UCLA 12 4   .750 17 6   .739
No. 23 Oregon 10 7   .588 15 9   .625
Oregon State 7 6   .538 12 8   .600
Colorado 8 8   .500 12 11   .522
Washington State 9 10   .474 12 12   .500
USC 8 10   .444 11 12   .478
Arizona State 6 9   .400 11 12   .478
Utah 4 15   .211 5 16   .238
Washington 3 13   .188 7 14   .333
California 1 12   .077 1 16   .059
2021 Pac-12 Tournament winner
As of March 29, 2021
Rankings from AP poll

USC finished the regular season 10–11 (8–10) and earned the 8th seed in the 2020 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament.

Previous season

edit

The 2019–20 Women of Troy finished unranked with an overall record of 17–14. In Pac-12 play, their record was 8–10, and they finished in seventh place. Because of the pandemic, the previous season ended abruptly after the Pac-12 Tournament, at which the Women of Troy reached the quarterfinals.

Offseason changes

edit

Departures

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Kayla Overbeck 1 F 6'1" Senior Newbury Park, CA Graduated
Stephanie Watts 5 G 5'11" Graduate Student Wesley Chapel, NC Transferred to North Carolina
Aliyah Jeune 11 G 6'1" Graduate Student Westampton, NJ Graduated

Incoming transfers

edit
Name Num Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous School
Jordan Sanders 5 F 5'11" Graduate Student Springfield, MO UC Irvine
Shemera Williams 11 G 5'8" Sophomore Milwaukee, WI Virginia

2020 recruiting class

edit
Name Overall Rank Position Position Rank Hometown High School Height ESPN Stars ESPN Grade
Jordyn Jenkins 41 F 10 Kent, WA Kentridge High School 6'2" 5 97
Zayla Tinner G 10 Amarillo, TX Amarillo High School 6'2" 3 90
Amaya Oliver G 30 Stockton, CA St. Mary's High School (Stockton, California) 6'2" 3 89

[2]

Current roster

edit
2020–21 USC Trojans women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Shalexxus Aaron (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS So Martin Luther King HS Apple Valley, CA
G 3 Zayla Tinner 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Amarillo High School Amarillo, TX
G 4 Endyia Rogers 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) So Bishop Lynch HS Dallas, TX
F 5 Jordan Sanders 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) GS UC Irvine Springfield, MO
G 10 Amaya Oliver 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr St. Mary's HS Stockton, CA
G 11 Shemera Williams 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) So Virginia Milwaukee, WI
C 15 Angel Jackson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) So Salesian HS Richmond, CA
G 22 Kyra White 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) So Converse Judson HS Converse, TX
G 23 Madison Campbell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) RS Fr Clovis West HS Fresno, CA
G 24 Desiree Caldwell (C) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Jr Byron P. Steel II HS San Antonio, TX
G 25 Alyson Miura 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) So La Salle Prep Clackamas, OR
G 30 India Otto (W) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) So Windward HS Los Angeles, CA
F 32 Jordyn Jenkins 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Kentridge HS Kent, WA
F 35 Alissa Pili (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So Dimond HS Anchorage, AK
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 9, 2020

[3]

Player recognition

edit
  • Alyson Miura
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Amaya Oliver
    • All Pac-12 Freshman Team Honorable Mention
  • India Otto
    • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
  • Alissa Pili
    • Last year, Pili was selected as Pac-12 Freshman of the Year for the previous season. She was also a member of the All Pac-12 Team and the Freshman All Pac-12 Team.[4]
    • Pili was recognized with preseason awards as a member of the 2020–21 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Preseason Media All-Conference Team.[5]
    • Just before the season started, Pili was added to the watchlists for both the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award and the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy.[6]
    • Honored as Pac-12 Player of the Week on February 8, 2021.
    • All Pac-12 Honorable Mention
  • Endiya Rogers
    • The Pac-12 recognized Rogers with a preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention.[7]
    • On February 1, 2021, Rogers was recognized as the Pac-12 Player of the Week.[8]
    • All Pac-12 Team
  • Jordan Sanders
    • On December 28, 2020, Sanders was announced as the Pac-12 Player of the Week.[9]
    • Two days later, she was recognized again, this time as a member of the NCAA's Starting Five for Week 5.[10]
    • All Pac-12 Honorable Mention

Injuries

edit
  • Tinner's (knee) debut as a Trojan took place on December 13, 2020 against UCLA.
  • Jenkins (foot) debuted against Utah on January 8, 2021.
  • Campbell was out from January 8, 2021 until February 5, 2021.
  • Pili (ankle) returned to play against Washington State on January 15, 2021.
  • Aaron (ankle) made her return to the court against UCR on January 17, 2021. She had been out for nearly two years.
  • Jackson missed the Long Beach State game. She was then absent for the away games against Washington and Washington State.
  • Miura (knee) made her first appearance this season on February 5, 2021 against Washington.
  • Sanders was injured on January 31, 2021 against ASU. She returned to play on February 12, 2021 against Colorado.

Schedule

edit
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site
city, state
Regular Season
11/25/2020*
1:00 pm, USC Live Stream
Loyola Marymount W 85–55  1–0
 19  Campbell   16  Oliver   7  Caldwell  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
12/04/2020
4:00 pm, P12N
at Arizona State L 58–63  1–1
(0–1)
 15  Rogers   9  Oliver   6  Rogers  Desert Financial Arena 
Tempe, AZ
12/06/2020
12:00 pm, Arizona Live Stream
at No. 7 Arizona L 77–78  1–2
(0–2)
 18  2 Tied   8  Rogers   7  Rogers  McKale Center 
Tucson, AZ
12/13/2020
12:00 pm, P12N
No. 11 UCLA
Rivalry
L 52–73  1–3
(0–3)
 12  Sanders   8  Jackson   5  Caldwell  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
12/19/2020
6:00 pm, P12N
No. 1 Stanford L 60–80  1–4
(0–4)
 26  Rogers   5  Jackson   4  White  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
12/21/2020
2:00 pm, P12N
California W 77–54  2–4
(1–4)
 22  Sanders   9  Oliver   7  Caldwell  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
12/23/2020*
4:00 pm, USC Live Stream
Long Beach State W 71–65  3–4
 23  Sanders   8  Sanders   8  White  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
01/01/2021
6:00 pm, P12N
No. 8 Oregon L 69–92  3–5
(1–5)
 20  Rogers   8  Jackson   4  White  Matthew Knight Arena 
Eugene, OR
1/3/21
Oregon State
Canceled
Gill Coliseum 
Corvallis, OR
01/08/2021
6:00 pm, P12N
Utah W 60–59  4–5
(2–5)
 17  Rogers   6  3 Tied   5  Caldwell  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
01/11/2021
12:00 pm, P12N
Colorado W 56–52  5–5
(3–5)
 16  Sanders   13  Jackson   5  Rogers  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
01/15/2021
4:30 pm, P12N
No. 25 Washington State W 81–77 OT 6–5
(4–5)
 24  Sanders   9  Jenkins   4  White  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
Originally 1/17/21
3:00 pm
Washington
Canceled
Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
1/17/2021*
3:00 pm, USC Live Stream
UC Riverside L 52–54  6–6
(4–5)
 14  Rogers   6  Jackson   2  2 Tied  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
1/22/21
4:00 pm
California
Canceled
Haas Pavilion 
Berkeley, CA
01/24/2021
4:00 pm, P12N
No. 5 Stanford
Moved to UCSC due to COVID-19 precautions
L 59–86  6–7
(4–6)
 19  Rogers   4  Rogers   2  2 Tied  Kaiser Permanente Arena 
Santa Cruz, CA
1/29/21
4:00 pm
No. 10 Arizona
Canceled
Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
01/31/2021
1:00 pm, USC Live Stream
Arizona State W 65–57  7–7
(5–6)
 30  Rogers   6  Rogers   5  Rogers  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
02/05/2021
7:00 pm, Washington Live Stream
Washington W 63–54  8–7
(6–6)
 17  Pili   9  Jenkins   2  2 Tied  Alaska Airlines Arena 
Seattle, WA
02/07/2021
12:00 pm, WSU Live Stream
Washington State W 81–71  9–7
(7–6)
 22  Rogers   8  Rogers   5  Rogers  Beasley Coliseum 
Pullman, WA
02/12/2021
5:00 pm, Colorado Live Stream
Colorado L 56–66  9–8
(7–7)
 12  Pili   7  Pili   7  Caldwell  CU Events Center 
Boulder, CO
02/14/2021
3:00 pm, Utah Live Stream
Utah W 66–49  10–8
(8–7)
 17  Rogers   7  Rogers   7  Rogers  Jon M. Huntsman Center 
Salt Lake City, UT
02/19/2021
2:30 pm, P12N
Oregon State L 52–77  10–9
(8–8)
 13  Pili   5  Pili   4  Rogers  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
02/21/2021
12:00 pm, P12N
No. 13 Oregon L 48–72  10–10
(8–9)
 14  Pili   7  Rogers   5  Rogers  Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
02/28/2021
1:00 pm, P12N
UCLA
Rivalry
L 51–93  10–11
(8–10)
 18  Pili   5  Pili   7  Rogers  Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Women's Tournament
03/3/2021
2:00 pm, P12N
(8) (9) Arizona State
First Round
W 71–65  11–11
 16  Jenkins   6  Jenkins   11  Rogers  Mandalay Bay Events Center 
Paradise, NV
03/4/2021
2:00 pm, P12N
(8) (1) No. 4 Stanford
Quarterfinals
L 53–92  11–12
 9  2 Tied   11  Jenkins   2  2 Tied  Mandalay Bay Events Center 
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

[11]

Rankings

edit

2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Regular Season Polls
Poll Pre-
Season
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
Week
9
Week
10
Week
11
Week
12
Week
13
Week
14
Week
15
Week
16
Week
17
Week
18
Week
19
Final
AP NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
Coaches NR ^ NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR RV NR NR NR
Legend
  Increase in ranking
  Decrease in ranking
  Not Ranked Previous Week
(RV)   Received Votes
(NR)   Not Ranked
^   No Poll

References

edit
  1. ^ "Pac-12 announces 22-game women's basketball league schedule for 2020-21". Pac-12.com. November 16, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "USC Trojans 2020 Recruits". espn.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  3. ^ "2020-21 USC Trojans Women's Basketball Roster". Usctrojans.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "2019-20 Annual Pac-12 Women's Basketball Conference Honors Announced". Pac-12.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "Media selects preseason 2020-21 Pac-12 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team". Pac-12.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  6. ^ "Alissa Pili Named to Katrina McClain Award Watch List". Pac-12.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  7. ^ "Preseason Honors Keep Rolling In For Women Of Troy". Pac-12.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Preseason Honors Keep Rolling In For Women Of Troy". Pac-12.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  9. ^ "Pac-12 announces Women's Basketball Players of the Week, presented by Nextiva - Feb. 1, 2021". Pac-12.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark leads this week's Starting Five in women's basketball". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "2020-2021 USC Women's Basketball Schedule". USCTrojans.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.