WATCH: USC's KiKi Iriafen and others shower confetti on Lindsay Gottlieb for her 300th career D-1 win
Lindsay Gottlieb has accomplished a lot throughout her head coaching career since her first opportunity in 2008. 16 years later, she reached another milestone as the head coach at USC, with KiKi Iriafen and other players celebrated the moment.
On Nov. 12, the Lady Trojans overwhelmed CSUN 124-39 as they improved to 3-0 on the season. Not only have they beaten opponents by 142 points combined, but they also awarded Gottlieb the 300th victory of her head coaching career.
After the game, USC players showered Gottlieb with plenty of confetti, enjoying the moment as they got to be a part of history for their coach. As for Iriafen, she made sure to post the video of the team's commemoration of Gottlieb on social media.
"Coach just got her 300th dub!!!"
Gottlieb's time as head coach, expectations at USC
Gottlieb began her coaching career in 1999 as an assistant at Syracuse. She made stops at New Hampshire, Richmond, and California before finally getting her first head coaching stint at UC-Santa Barbara.
She had a decent record after three seasons, going 56-39 overall while performing even better against conference opponents with a 36-12 showing. The Gauchos made the NCAA tournament in her first season and the Women's National Invitational Tournament two years later.
Gottlieb moved on to the California Golden Bears, where she found more success. She led the team to seven NCAA tournaments in her eight seasons there, with one Final Four appearance in 2013. Despite never getting that far since, Gottlieb still finished her tenure with a convincing 179-89 record.
She came to USC in 2021, improving the quality of the team as it went from a 12-16 record in 2022 to an Elite Eight appearance in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. A lot of this rise is thanks to JuJu Watkins, who averaged 27.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game as Gottlieb successfully recruited her to elevate the program to new heights.
The Trojans look to build on the immense progress they made last year, looking to not only return to the NCAA Tournament but to reach the championship game. With a core of Watkins, Iriafen, Kennedy Smith, and Kayleigh Heckel, the potential is there for USC to win the national title.