Kennedy Smith
| No. 11 – USC Trojans | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 21, 2006 Fullerton, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | USC (2024–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Kennedy Smith (born January 21, 2006) is an American college basketball player for the USC Trojans of the Big Ten Conference.
High school career
[edit]Smith attended Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where she was a three-time All-CIF selection. She helped Etiwanda win the 2023 Open Division State Championship and the 2022 Southern Section title, along with being a Naismith Award semifinalist and McDonald's All-American in 2024.[1] Smith averaged 20.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks as a senior, winning the 2024 Open Division State Championship game and was named the 2023-24 Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year.[2][3] As the nation's No. 6 recruit in the class of 2024, she committed to play college basketball at USC.[4][5]
College career
[edit]During the 2024–25 season, in her freshman year, she appeared and started in 28 games, and averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.[6][1] She led the team in steals with 2.2 per game even after missing seven games due to injury.[7] Smith was also named to the regional all-tournament team, setting a career high in points with 19 against Kansas State.[8][9]
National team career
[edit]On May 18, 2024, Smith was named to the United States under-18 national team for the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women's AmeriCup.[10] During the tournament she averaged 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in six games.[11] She helped the United States win a gold medal and had 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the final against Canada.[12]
On June 20, 2025, she was named to team USA's roster for the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.[13] During the tournament she averaged 4.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game and won a gold medal.[14]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | USC | 28 | 28 | 29.1 | 41.2 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 9.5 |
| Career | 28 | 28 | 29.1 | 41.2 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 9.5 | |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Kennedy Smith - Women's Basketball". USC Athletics. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ Sondheimer, Eric (March 10, 2024). "Girls' basketball roundup: Etiwanda dominates to win state Open Division title again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "ETIWANDA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE CALIFORNIA GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR" (PDF). playeroftheyear.gatorade.com. March 14, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ "2024 SportsCenter NEXT 100 - ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ James, Donovan (November 21, 2023). "USC women's basketball is setting a recruiting standard USC football should aspire to". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "2024-25 ALL-BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS & HONORS" (PDF). nextgen.bigten.org. March 4, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ "No. 3 USC loses Kennedy Smith indefinitely after starting guard has surgery". AP News. November 23, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ "Top-Seeded USC Women's Basketball Upended By UConn In NCAA Elite Eight". USC Athletics. March 31, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ Kartje, Ryan (March 30, 2025). "Freshman duo of Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell lift USC into Elite Eight rematch with UConn". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "USA Basketball Announces 2024 USA Women's U18 National Team". USA Basketball. May 18, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ "Kennedy Smith". USA Basketball. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ Laflin, Shane (July 10, 2024). "Girls' basketball recruiting watch: The U17 and U18 Team USA summer rosters". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Pappas, Cory (June 20, 2025). "USC Trojans' Kennedy Smith Selected By USA Basketball For FIBA AmeriCup". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ "USC's Kennedy Smith Wins Gold With Team USA At FIBA AmeriCup". USC Athletics. July 7, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.