USC freshman guard Kennedy Smith is out indefinitely after having a surgical procedure, the program announced on Saturday. Smith was not available against Notre Dame on Saturday, but the Trojans expect her to return at some point this season. No additional details have been released regarding what kind of procedure Smith underwent.
The Trojans are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, and having the top recruiting class in the nation has been a key part of that. Smith, a California native, arrived to USC as the No. 6 recruit in the class of 2024. She earned a spot in the starting lineup right away and was averaging 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in her first four games.
With Smith unavailable against the No. 6 team in the country, freshman Kayleigh Heckel made her debut as a starter. Heckel played for Long Island Lutheran High School in New York and was the No. 13 player in the class of 2024. She has been averaging 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
While Smith has been a valuable piece for the team, there is still plenty of talent in Lindsay Gottlieb's roster. JuJu Watkins is fresh of a historic year in which she broke the all-time scoring record by a freshman. She carried over that momentum into her sophomore season and is leading the USC offense with 21.5 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds. The team also got stronger during the summer with the addition of Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen, who gives USC 17.3 points per contest and a team-high 7.5 rebounds.