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USC Trojans

Reigning National Player of the Year JuJu Watkins and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb are typically at the center of the conversation when looking at the revival of USC. However, another key figure in the Trojans' resurgence is assistant coach Courtney Jaco.

The Compton, Calif. native graduated from USC in 2017 as the program's second-leading 3-point shooter and now she's coaching at her alma mater. Her current responsibilities include the development of the point guards, scouting other teams and recruiting -- the latter of which she describes as "The Beast" due to the craziness of the transfer portal.

One of her biggest recruitment wins was helping the Trojans land former Stanford star and current Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen from the transfer portal last offseason. At the time, 247Sports ranked Iriafen as the No. 2 player in the women's college basketball transfer portal. Jaco was humble when asked about the recruitment process, saying that it was "equal parts" her recruiting skills and Iriafen's desire to return to her hometown and play in front of her family.

While the Trojans were in the middle of their Elite Eight run in this year's NCAA tournament, the 29-year-old was named a Women's Basketball Coaching Association Thirty Under 30 honoree which recognizes up-and-coming women's basketball coaches. When this was announced, Gottlieb described Jaco as a "rising star" in the field. A serious compliment coming from a person who made history as one of the first female NBA assistant coaches.

"Lindsay's been a great mentor to me, even when she was in the NBA," Jaco said. "I always kept in touch with her. Just reaching out to her and picking her brain on being able to level up and build connections that way. She's been great."

Before being promoted to her current position in 2023, Jaco spent a few years as the Trojans' director of player development and video coordinator. Before that, Jaco got to learn from former Stanford legend Tara VanDerveer, one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history.

After graduating from USC, Jaco played overseas. During this time, she was trying to figure out if she wanted to keep playing basketball or begin her coaching career. She was presented with an opportunity to participate in Stanford's summer camp and eventually became an intern for VanDerveer. That experience gave Jaco the confidence she needed to tackle her coaching journey. 

"The best advice from Tara was to just be myself and to be all in to what I'm doing," she said. "As a young person, you're going through your career and you're not really sure what you want to do. You don't know. But, just be two feet in [to where you're at] and be where your feet are. I think that's been the best advice that she's been able to give me."

The experience with VanDerveer was valuable, but Jaco said that Gottlieb's mentorship has also helped her find her own identity.

"For Lindsay, I think just being authentic, being yourself. You don't have to be like someone else," Jaco said. "That's something as a young person you go through. You try to model your style after a certain person. But, I think seeing her show up as herself everyday really inspires me to do that as well."

Jaco's goal is to eventually run her own program, but for now she is enjoying her time with a USC team that's chasing a national championship. 

"I do have dreams of being a head coach one day, so hopefully I'm able to fulfill that," she said. "But, I'm just trying to take everything step-by-step. Like I said: Be where my feet are and enjoy this experience with our team today."