As she enters her fourth season at the helm of a program on the rise, USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season, USC athletic director Jen Cohen announced today (April 26).
“We couldn’t be more excited to extend Lindsay and keep her as a part of the Trojan Family for years to come,” Cohen said of Gottlieb. “She has built a program we are extremely proud of and one that has had an incredible impact on our University and entire community. Lindsay has led us back to national prominence at a time when the sport is as popular as it’s ever been. The future of USC Women’s Basketball is extremely bright and we can’t wait to support her and see where we go under her leadership.”
“I’m grateful to President Carol Folt and Jen Cohen, two inspiring leaders whose belief in me means everything,” Gottlieb said. “I’m honored to be the head coach at USC, representing both the incredible alumni of our program, and the young women I have the privilege to coach each and every day. We set out to restore USC to the highest echelon of women’s basketball, and the magic we experienced this season was a byproduct of the vision, belief and efforts of so many — our administration, fans, players past and present, and our entire coaching staff. But this is just the beginning. We have much more to accomplish. I’m thrilled to be here for a long time. Fight On!”
This past season, Gottlieb guided her Women of Troy a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Named a finalist for the Werner Ladder National Coach of the Year award, Gottlieb led USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title and to the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
By the close of USC’s first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years, Gottlieb’s team had posted a 29-6 overall record — marking the most wins since Linda Sharp’s 1985-86 team. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. USC had been picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12, but ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship.
USC’s 2023-24 season was also highlighted by a standing-room-only crowd at Galen Center to see the Trojans beat rival UCLA, McKenzie Forbes named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, a record-setting 51-point game by freshman JuJu Watkins in USC’s first win at Stanford since 2002-03 and the honor of hosting — and winning — the NCAA First and Second Rounds to earn a trip to the Sweet 16.
With 14 total seasons as a collegiate head coach, Gottlieb has collected a 297-159 overall record. With USC, Gottlieb has tallied a 62-31 record in three seasons of work with the Trojans to date. A former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach, Gottlieb also spent eight seasons at California, where she led the Golden Bear women to seven NCAA appearances with a trip to the Final Four. She is the first coach to ever lead two different Pac-12 programs to the conference title game — she led Cal to 2012 & 2015 title games before claiming the 2024 Pac-12 championship with USC this season.
Announced as the USC women’s head coach on May 10, 2021, Gottlieb will welcome the nation’s top-ranked class of incoming freshmen to Troy in the season to come.
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