USC Women's Basketball: Women Of Troy Hire WNBA Vet As New Assistant Coach

As the season nears, Lindsay Gottlieb is shoring up her bench.

Your USC Women of Troy are continuing to make roster moves beyond the hardwood even as the 2023-24 NCAA season continues to grow closer.

According to a team press release, the Trojans' latest hire is 13-year coaching veteran (and Los Angeles native) Willnett Crockett, who will be joining third-year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

"It's a huge day for our program to be able to add Willnett Crockett to our coaching staff," Gottlieb remarked in the statement. "Coach Will is a winner. She won two national titles right here in LA as a top high school player. She was an All-American and Gatorade State Player of the Year in California, and then went on to win two national titles in college. She has literally walked in the shoes that our players aspire to, and she will be a terrific mentor and leader for them. She has also built a tremendous reputation as a college coach. At Temple, she had a hand in all aspects of a winning program and helped develop pros. I am most excited to add Coach Will for the quality of human being she is. A woman of high character and work ethic, we are thrilled she has come home to LA to help USC Women's Basketball achieve our goals."

The Narbonne High School alum took her talents to the University of Connecticut for her collegiate career. The 6'2" forward was then selected by her hometown Los Angeles Sparks with the 22nd overall pick in the 2006 WNBA draft's second round. She played in just one NBA season, 2008, suiting up sparingly in five contests.

Crockett served as an assistant coach behind Temple University's all-time most successful women's head basketball coach, Tonya Cardoza, for 13 seasons before taking this leap. They went to three NCAA tournaments in that time.

"It's not every day that you have the chance to come HOME in front of family and friends to do what you love!," Crockett exclaimed in the statement. "I am beyond ecstatic and grateful to God for the opportunity to join such an enriched history of success and tradition here at the prestigious University of Southern California. I am thankful that Lindsay thought enough of me to become a part of the Trojan Family. I can not wait to work alongside her and this incredible staff, to support her mission of encouraging, developing and mentoring student-athletes to strive for excellence on and off the court. I truly believe my experience from working alongside some of the best coaches and individuals in the business for so long has helped shaped who I am today, and will be a huge asset in helping to guide these exceptional young women to achieve their highest potential both academically and athletically." 

Crockett will be joining incumbent assistant coaches Beth Burn, Wendale Farrow and Courtney Jaco on Gottlieb's bench.