After two years in the NBA, Lindsay Gottlieb is returning to the world of women’s college basketball and, more specifically, the Pac-12.
On Monday, USC announced that it had hired Gottlieb as its new women’s basketball head coach. Gottlieb spent the previous two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hired her in 2019 as the first NCAA women’s head coach to make the jump to the NBA.
“It is an honor and a thrill to become the women’s basketball coach at USC,” Gottlieb said in a statement. “I am inspired by the incredible history of this program and excited about the opportunity to do special things with the young women I will have the privilege to coach.”
Gottlieb, 43, comes to USC with strong ties to the state of California. Her first head coaching job came at UC Santa Barbara, where she won two Big West Coach of the Year awards in three seasons and made the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
Following the 2011 season, Gottlieb was hired by Cal to lead the program which she once served as associate head coach. In eight seasons with the Golden Bears, Gottlieb’s teams reached the NCAA Tournament and won 20 games seven times. In 2013, Gottlied led to Cal to its first-ever Final Four.
Gottlieb’s players were named to 10 All-American teams, while the program produced six WNBA draft picks during her tenure.
Following the 2018-19 season, Gottlieb left Cal for a role as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers under head coach John Beilein.
At USC, Gottlieb will be tasked with restoring the program to its former glory. The Trojans are two-time national championship winners but have not made the Final Four since 1986 nor the Sweet 16 since 1994. USC has appeared in the NCAA Tournament just once since 2006.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that USC committed to “a massive upgrade in program salary and resources” to convince Gottlieb to return to the college ranks.
“I went to the NBA to challenge myself at the highest levels of the game of basketball and was fully invested in that journey,” Gottlieb stated. “However, the commitment of President Carol Folt and athletic director Mike Bohn to women’s basketball at USC, and to my vision of success, made it clear that NOW is the right time to come here.”
Added Bohn in a statement, “A trailblazer who smashed through the glass ceiling of men’s professional sports, I cannot think of a better coach, leader, and role model for our young women. Lindsay has a proven record of success in the country’s premier women’s basketball conference, and her commitment to student-athletes aligns perfectly with our vision and values. … [W]e have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead the Women of Troy back to national prominence.”
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