McKenzie Forbes, a former USC basketball standout, has returned to her alma mater as a player development assistant, where she will mentor the current roster before heading overseas to continue her professional career in France.
The move comes after a distinguished college career that saw Forbes earn All‑Pac‑12 honors, be named the Pac‑12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and help the Trojans capture their first conference tournament title since 2014 while reaching the NCAA Elite Eight.
A New Chapter for USC Women’s Basketball
Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb lauded Forbes’s blend of knowledge, leadership and teaching ability, saying the former Trojan brings an “invaluable” perspective to the program as it looks to build on recent successes.
Forbes’s professional résumé includes a 28th‑overall selection by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2024 WNBA Draft, a stint in Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball and formative years at Harvard and Cal, where she collected All‑Ivy League and All‑Pac‑12 Freshman accolades.
A natural next step is a move to France, where she will join a top‑flight club, further testing her skills against international competition while bringing fresh insights back to the Trojan program.