USC’s recruiting dominance just got deeper. Coach Willnett Crockett attends Charis Rainey’s church, and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s son regularly attends camps at her high school. Those deep local roots helped the Trojans land the four-star recruit, joining a powerhouse core that already features top-five 2026 commits Saniyah Hall and Sara Okeke.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
ESPN’s No. 22 overall recruit, Rainey, is considered among the nation’s top prospects in the 2027 class. She named her finalists Tuesday in a Rivals interview before locking in her pledge on Nov. 2, eight days ahead of the early signing period.
“I really just wanted to stay home,” Rainey said, per Rivals. “I love how they’re a winning program, and people are going there to win, not just to shine or make themselves look good. Everybody wants to win, and that’s a big thing for me. I want to win. I’m connected to LA. It’s my home.”
Seeing USC management at the institutions Rainey has frequented over the years also added to her decision.
“Coach Willnett [Crockett] goes to my church, so that was the craziest thing,” Rainey added. “And then Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb], her son goes to some of the basketball camps at my high school. They live super close to my high school, so we see them a lot. It was really just like, okay, this is comfortable, this is familiar. I can rock with this.”
Standing 6-foot-0, the Windward School combo guard brings elite perimeter versatility and defensive instincts to Southern California. Rainey adds long-term depth to Gottlieb’s backcourt, giving USC a homegrown scorer capable of playing on or off the ball alongside the team’s incoming star talent.
The attention now shifts to USC’s opening game of the campaign, which will mark the return of JuJu Watkins to the squad after a period of 588 days. Watkins was named an AP Preseason All-American for the second time. She previously earned a unanimous AP All-America First Team selection in 2024-25, joining Courtney Paris and Maya Moore.
Expectations are high for both Watkins and USC this season, with Watkins widely projected to go as the No. 1 pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft class.
USC makes a winning start to the season
The highly anticipated debut of USC’s newest Big Three lived up to the hype. Kicking off their 2026-27 campaign, the Trojans dismantled the UNLV Lady Rebels 100-68, unleashing the trio of JuJu Watkins, Jazzy Davidson, and Saniyah Hall, each pouring in 20-plus points to fuel the opening-day blowout.
USC took a 29-15 lead after the first quarter, shooting 65% from the field (11-for-17) and 4-for-6 from the three-point range. Saniyah Hall scored nine points in the period, including a buzzer-beating three. UNLV increased its intensity early in the second quarter, but the Trojans maintained their offensive pace.
The second quarter belonged entirely to Jazzy Davidson. She headed into the locker room as the Trojans’ leading scorer, boasting a near-flawless 13-point first half on 6-of-7 shooting, adding a pair of rebounds and a steal. Davidson was quite happy to see JuJu Watkins back in the fold.
“Just seeing all the hard work she put in all throughout last season to get healthy and to get better, and on top of that, just the way that she was there for all of us,” Davidson said. “She was a great mentor to me.”
JuJu Watkins also delivered a strong comeback performance. In 24 minutes, she tallied 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. However, she struggled to convert her shots from beyond the arc, going 0-for-5 from the deep.
In 2025, USC lost to UConn in the Elite Eight, this time without the injured Watkins. Before suffering a season-ending injury just five minutes into the NCAA Tournament’s second round against Mississippi State, Watkins was averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game, and had just posted 22 points and eight rebounds in the opening round.
With a healthy JuJu Watkins, No. 3 USC is a top national championship contender. While crosstown rival UCLA won the 2025-26 national title, Watkins’ return gives USC a strong chance to end its own championship drought dating back to the early 1980s. The Trojans are 1-0 this season and will take on Utah State next on Sunday.