Lindsay Gottlieb reacts with pride while the USC HC shares a snap with Kennedy Smith of Team USA Camp

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb went to Santiago, Chile, to support her player Kennedy Smith while participating in the Fiba Americup 2025. Smith is the only Trojan horse on the United States team in competition in the tournament, which started on Saturday.

Gottlieb, who has just finished her fourth season of USC coach, attended the Team USA match against Columbia in his second match on Sunday. There she met Smith and the two posed for a photo. The coach published the photo on X (formerly Twitter).

“Incredible to see this one on the world scene 🇺🇸✌🏻,” she legend the post, showing his pride and his excitement for the second year guard.

Smith began the match in Centro de Deporte Coletivos against Colombia and recorded three points, four assists and five rebounds while the American team won 80-43. In the first game of the tournament, Smith played 14 minutes in a 108-47 victory on the host of Chile, scoring four points on the bench.

While the star player of the USC, Juju Watkins, recovers from an injury during the offseason, Smith’s international experience with Team USA could make a difference for coach Lindsay Gottlieb and the Trojan horses. Before her second year, she will have to play a more important role.

Lindsay Gottlieb emphasizes personal connections and growth before next season

One of the critical aspects of the Lindsay Gottlieb coaching philosophy is to establish personal links with its players and to promote their growth on and off the field. It is simply his love to nourish the careers of the players who led him to go to Chile for the americup in the interest of Kennedy Smith.

In a YouTube shorts downloaded by Let’s Talk USC on Saturday, Gottlieb explained her plans to maximize the talents of the team.

“I know of the beat that each team challenges you to connect with individuals,” she said. “Regardless of the amount of interaction you think you have, this is probably not enough – you can never have enough of this personal interaction.

“I think we have all continued to evolve with the possibility of playing a winning basketball brand with many very, very good players – some of whom are the best player in the country and other people who are really good in their role or really well in their current status as young and development.”

Trojan horses come out of an Elite Eight appearance, falling to the UCONN champions.