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The USC Trojans and coach Lindsay Gottlieb have filled one of the two openings in the coaching staff as former Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Nikki Blue has joined the Trojans’ coaching staff in the same role.
Blue spent the past season as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks, but prior to that was the interim head coach for Phoneix Mercury for the last 28 games of the 2023 season. Her last stint as a college coach was from 2019-2022, when she was at Arizona State.
In a press release, Gottlieb expressed her excitement for bringing a coach with professional experience into the fold.
“I’m thrilled for our team and the Trojan Family to be able to add someone of Nikki Blue’s caliber to our coaching staff,” Gottlieb said. “We have elite players who want to eventually become pros, so we wanted to add someone who has pro experience and who is also committed to pouring into young people on and off the court.”
Prior to becoming a coach, Blue spent five seasons in the WNBA and was a four-year standout at UCLA in college. Blue was named to the All-Pac 10 First Team all four years of her career at UCLA. Interestingly enough, Blue was 3-5 against USC during her time in Westwood.
“Nikki also brings elite X and O experience and a winning character. Her life and basketball experiences will add immensely to the culture we’ve built and the direction we want to continue to go,” Gottlieb said.
Blue said she is looking forward to working to working alongside Gottlieb and the Trojans’ coaching staff.
“USC has become the premier destination in women’s college basketball, and it’s truly an honor to be part of a program with such a rich tradition,” Blue said. “I’m incredibly excited to work alongside a staff I deeply respect and to help mentor and develop the next generation of great players. . . . There’s so much to look forward to, and I’m beyond excited to get to work.”
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Gottlieb has been active this offseason after a disappointing season-ending loss in the Elite Eight. The Trojans have reeled in three players from the transfer portal so far. On top of building the roster, Gottlieb has had to conduct interviews for multiple spots in her coaching staff after Chris Koclanes was named as the coach of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings and Wendale Farrow left for a similar role at South Carolina.
USC will have a lot of talent to work with next season and it all rides on the return of guard JuJu Watkins, who suffered a torn ACL during their second-round win over Mississippi State in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are also bringing back forward Kennedy Smith, who shined as a true freshman and signed ESPN’s No. 1 recruit, Jazzy Davidson.
