The University of South California is about to welcome some major star power to its women’s basketball program.
Former Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen is transferring to USC ahead of her final collegiate season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday.
Iriafen, 21, had a breakout junior campaign alongside Cameron Brink (2024 second overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks), and is now projected to be the No. 1 choice for the 2025 WNBA draft.
Her decision to transfer likely came as a result of Brink heading to the professional ranks in conjunction with the retirement of longtime head coach Tara VanDerveer.
The 6-foot-3 forward spent three seasons at Stanford, where she averaged 19.4 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 assists. In her final season as a Cardinal, the squad went 30-6 en route to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance while Iriafen earned the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year award.
As she heads back to her hometown of Los Angeles, she now finds a new running mate in freshman standout Juju Watkins. In her first season, Watkins was the top freshman in Division I, averaging 27.1 points and 7.3 rebounds for a Trojans team that went 29-6.
Watkins led the Trojans to a No. 1 seed in the women’s March Madness tournament and an Elite Eight game in which they lost to UConn. Now she’ll get to run it back for a much anticipated sophomore season, as USC moves to the Big Ten, with the No. 2 ranked available player on the transfer list, according to ESPN.
