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Cohesion should be key 2027 strength for USC women's basketball
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- Cohesion should be key 2027 strength for USC women's basketball
Cohesion should be key 2027 strength for USC women's basketball
USC women's basketball will have star power this coming season with JuJu Watkins joining Jazzy Davidson and Kennedy Smith. More than that, USC should have cohesion on the court, as Cece Clay explains at her USC Women's Basketball Media Lab.
"This year's offseason feels different," Clay began. "Last year, USC had to move fast. This year, they got to move with purpose. When you look at this roster now, it's clear what the priority was: fit. They needed players who could balance out what was already on the team and address what the gaps/deficiencies were, from this past season, defensively and offensively. And when you look at the additions, that's exactly what they did.
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" Ryann Bennettbrings stability to the backcourt, but defensively, she also brings something USC wanted. She's a disruptor. She can guard on the ball. She has great hands. She can pressure, bother ball-handlers, and create problems without needing the offense to run through her. That matters because USC didn't just need another guard. They needed a guard who could fit, defend, connect possessions, and bring energy without forcing the game. That's Ryann Bennett.
" Pania Davisis exactly what USC needed inside. Size. Athleticism. Rim protection. Defensive disruption. USC needed an athletic big who could protect the paint, move her feet, run the floor, and bring a different level of physical presence inside. Pania gives them that. She's not just a big body. She's a defensive piece. She can alter shots, protect the rim, run and space the floor and give USC the kind of interior presence they were missing. And most importantly, she doesn't need touches to impact the game. That's what makes her such an important fit.
"With JuJu Watkins returning, and with the influx of talent USC has coming in, the biggest difference with this team is that a lot of these players already have some form of connection. This isn't just a group of strangers being thrown together in November. Jazzy Davidson has played with Saniyah Hall. Kennedy Smith has played with both Ryann Bennett and JuJu Watkins. JuJu has also been tutoring, helping, and mentoring Jazzy. Even while recovering, JuJu has still been active with the team, sitting on the sidelines, watching where players like to get the ball, studying how they move, watching film, and staying connected to the group.
"That matters. Sitaya Fagan has been around the program since January, which matters too. She's been able to practice, watch film, learn the system, hang out with the team, and build chemistry off the court. And that off-court chemistry is really important in today's basketball landscape. Just recently, Sitaya Fagan and Sarah Okeke also had a chance to play together in the USA vs. International game at the Nike Hoop Summit. So even with those two, there is already some familiarity there. They're not walking into USC as complete strangers trying to figure each other out from scratch."
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Cohesion should be key 2027 strength for USC women's basketball
