USC commit named California Max Preps Player of the Year

USC’s women’s basketball recruiting class continues to load up on end-of-season awards.

USC five-star commit Kennedy Smith was recently named the 2023-24 California MaxPreps and Gatorade Player of the Year. The 6-foot-1 senior forward led the Etiwanda Eagles to a 32-3 record, No. 2 national ranking, and second straight state championship.

For the season, Smith averaged 20.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game. A MaxPreps and Gatorade National Player of the Year finalist, she shot 59 percent from the field with six games of 29 points.

Kennedy Smith is a five-star recruit and the No. 6 overall prospect in the HoopGurlz/EspnW rankings. Smith committed to USC over South Carolina, Louisville, North Carolina, UCLA, Duke, and Texas, among others.

Lindsay Gottlieb and USC have the No. 1-ranked recruiting class for 2024. They are poised to build on what they have established this season. The current USC roster required several transfer portal additions to supplement the arrival of JuJu Watkins. Gottlieb’s incoming recruiting class could mean that USC will need to do less building through the portal and can do more roster construction through recruiting and bringing in players who are coached by Gottlieb and her staff from start to finish.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.