USC women's basketball has been on the rise the past two seasons, and its future continues to look bright with the commitment of Jasmine "Jazzy" Davidson, the No. 3 recruit of the class of 2025.
Davidson still has to get through her senior year of high school, but once she does, she will join a talented Trojans roster that includes JuJu Watkins, who is fresh off the highest-scoring freshman season in NCAA Division I women's college basketball history.
"[Watkins] was my host for the visit and she was awesome," Davidson told CBS Sports. "She was very welcoming. I'm naturally kind of more of a shy, reserved person, and she was very welcoming. We got to talk a lot, which was really cool."
Davidson's commitment means USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb has landed a five-star recruit for the third consecutive year. USC was a program stuck in the shadows for a while, but it has picked up a lot of momentum since Gottlieb took over in 2021.
The Trojans made their first NCAA Tournament in almost a decade in 2022-23. They built on that experience and made it to the Elite Eight last season, their deepest run since 1994.
"For me, the most important thing is development," Davidson said. "I want to eventually play in the WNBA, so just making sure that I get the most that I can out of my development in those four years. Just a coach that kind of has a track record for doing that with their players, and obviously culture is really important."
Davidson picked the Trojans over UCLA, TCU, Texas, Duke and UConn. Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks -- the 2024 national champions -- were also in the mix, but Geno Auriemma's Huskies came in "really strong at the end." Davidson described Auriemma as "probably one of the best, if not the best coach to ever do it in college women's basketball" and added that it was an honor he wanted her to play for him.
However, Davidson loved Los Angeles and ultimately chose to play for Gottlieb.
USC will be without three starters heading into 2024-25, but the return of Watkins and Rayah Marshall still puts the squad in a strong position to succeed. Gottlieb is not one to set the bar low, and last year she already declared her team had championships aspirations. They will get a boost with the addition of former Stanford star Kiki Iriafen, the 2024 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year.
Other top players Gottlieb is adding include Kennedy Smith, the No. 6 recruit of the class of 2024, as well as Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell, who are ranked No. 13 and 16, respectively. Davidson joined Smith and Heckel as part of the Team USA's U18 roster that took gold at the 2024 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup in Brazil this summer.
It's not her time yet, but Davidson will be ready when she finally starts her college basketball career. During her junior year at Clackamas High School, she averaged 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
"I think I just bring a good amount of versatility to any team I play for," Davidson said. "I play both ends of the ball, offense and defense. And just being a good teammate too. I like to share the ball and get the team the best shot we can."
Aside from her AmeriCup gold medal, Davidson earned another one when she hit the game-winning shot to get the U18 3x3 FIBA World Cup gold medal for Team USA in August.
Jazzy delivers the dagger!
— USA Basketball 3x3 (@usab3x3) August 30, 2024
🇺🇸 #3x3WU18 are World Champions again 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TGAM48Z6Qv
Earlier this month, Davidson made it to the championship weekend of Overtime Select, a new high school women's basketball league. OT Select features some of the best players in the country -- including Aaliyah Chavez and Sienna Betts, the No. 1 and No. 2 recruits of the class of 2025.
Davidson said playing in the same league as other top recruits is helping her prepare for her high school senior year, as well as her college career.
"It's the best of the best high school basketball players," Davidson said. "It's always really fun to compete against really good players and with really good players you normally wouldn't get to play with. It's been a really cool opportunity."
Chavez has not committed yet, but Texas appears to be one of her top choices along with Oklahoma, Texas Tech, South Carolina, and UCLA. LSU is reportedly out of the running. Meanwhile, Betts has already chosen UCLA, where her older sister Lauren Betts plays for Cori Close.
