USC Women's Basketball: Impending Transfer Arrival Expected To Demote 5-Star Freshman

Former Oregon State Beavers guard Talia von Oelhoffen is soon slated to be dishing out dimes and locking down perimeter players for the USC Trojans.

As Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire notes, by adding the 5-foot-11 guard, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is expected to demote one of the club's top freshman recruits, five-star prospect Kayleigh Heckel. Really, the addition of the two-time All-Pac-12 selection von Oelhoffen speaks to the depth of talent on hand for Lindsay Gottlieb's club, which is looking to build on its Elite Eight finish last year behind returning stars JuJu Watkins and Rayah Marshall.

"We mentioned earlier that von Oelhoffen’s arrival likely pushes an incoming freshman (Kayleigh Heckel) to the bench," Zemek writes. "Last season, JuJu Watkins consistently played 34 or more minutes per game and did not take extended breaks just because the Trojans weren’t very good without her on the floor. This coming season, USC will have lineup combinations it can put on the floor which will enable the Trojans to handle non-JuJu minutes. One of either von Oelhoffen or [fellow transfer Kiki] Iriafen — possibly both — will be on the floor when JuJu is resting. This, in many ways, will be Lindsay Gottlieb’s central challenge: allocating minutes to everyone in a way that works and keeps the stars fresh for March Madness."

"With USC having such a loaded starting five — JuJu, Kiki, TVO, Marshall — the freshmen will have reserve roles. This is how — and why — USC will have such a deep bench. These freshmen can all come off the pine and play 15 to 20 minutes," Zemek continues. "Gottlieb will be able to use a 10-player rotation if she wants all of her high-profile freshmen to get minutes. With most of the starting five being occupied by veterans, the freshmen can learn and study and slowly integrate themselves into the rotation as they get used to college basketball. Gottlieb can call upon these freshmen when starters get into foul trouble. She can also use one particular freshman if she thinks there’s a matchup they can exploit."

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