“What a light and joy in our program”: HC Lindsay Gottlieb showers love on USC freshman Laura Williams on her special day
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb was one of the people to wish Trojans true freshman Laura Williams, who celebrated her 19th birthday on Thursday. The third-year coach took to her Instagram story and shared the Trojans' celebratory post for the 6-foot-1 forward, writing:
"What a light and joy in our program. HBD Laura Wiliams !! You deserve all the good stuff coming your way."
Laura Williams was set to join her teammates this year but was sidelined with a season-ending injury in October. While announcing her setback, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said:
"We are crushed for Laura, as you never want a young person to have to go through an injury. From the moment she stepped on campus this summer, Laura has impressed us with her work ethic, competitiveness and winning spirit.
"We will miss her on the court this year but are confident that she'll attack her rehab with those same traits, remain a huge part of our group this year, and be full strength in 2025-26."
Lindsay Gottlieb's USC enjoys a great start to the season
After the Elite Eight run from last season, Lindsay Gottlieb and the Trojans have been working hard to build momentum for the 2024-25 season. No. 7-ranked USC is placed first in the Big Ten with a 10-1 record. The team's only loss was against Notre Dame.
Lindsay Gottlieb is helping the Trojans build a good foundation for a deeper postseason run. At the same time, she is also helping her students navigate NIL and more. In an interview with the Orange County Registry, Gottlieb spoke on the importance of her doing this, saying:
“I feel like it’s my duty and responsibility, not to tell them that money’s everything … but for female athletes, to have their four college years – or however many years they’re in college – be a time where they can parlay their platform into money.
"It’s like, ‘Let’s help them do that in a responsible and smart way.' Now I’m saying, ‘Okay, here we are.' I don’t want to be, status-quo. I don’t want to be just, think this is good enough. How do we build it?”
The USC Trojans have one of their toughest games before Christmas break on Saturday when they take on the No. 4 UConn Huskies. The two teams are predicted to battle it out for the national championship with some other teams like South Carolina and Notre Dame.
Also read: USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb holds bold vision for JuJu Watkins apart from her playing in the pros