Why Talia von Oelhoffen is a perfect fit for USC women’s basketball
USC women’s basketball has a better team than last season. This is true not just because USC and Lindsay Gottlieb are pulling in high-profile players with considerable skills. It’s much more than that. USC is bringing in players who are an ideal fit for the culture of the program and the coaches who have cultivated that culture. When evaluating Talia von Oelhoffen, her value goes beyond the numbers and the awards.
Yes, von Oelhoffen is a high-level player. The two-time All-Pac-12 guard transferred from the Oregon State Beavers, having announced her decision to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 10.7 points, 5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and one steal per game this past season. She led Oregon State to the Elite Eight before the Beavers fell to eventual national champion South Carolina.
Von Oelhoffen also considered Colorado, Arizona, Kentucky and Louisville before choosing USC. Von Oelhoffen joins a USC squad that is on a short list for the preseason No. 1 team in women’s college basketball. The Trojans’ squad for next season includes national standouts JuJu Watkins and Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen. The Trojans also hold the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for 2024. It’s obvious that von Oelhoffen brings a lot to the table, but the biggest thing not captured by raw stats is her commitment to defense.
Von Oelhoffen was part of an Oregon State team which held USC under 60 points twice this past season and did not make life easy for JuJu Watkins. The Beavers were a rugged and relentless team which won and succeeded because of their attitude as much as their skill level. Von Oelhoffen should become a natural fit for Lindsay Gottlieb’s program, based on helping the team first and not caring who gets the credit. Von Oelhoffen should also be a perfect fit in assistant coach Beth Burns’ defensive scheme.
USC has cultivated a winning mentality under Gottlieb and Burns. Talia von Oelhoffen already has that mentality. That’s why she’s an ideal fit for this program.
With the addition of Talia von Oelhoffen ( @TaliaVono ) to the USC ( @USCWBB ) roster, Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb ( @CoachLindsayG ) is building a squad that will be tough to deal with in 2024-25.
von Oelhoffen averaged 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals… pic.twitter.com/ve1jMRGMpS
— HoopHeroines (@hoopheroines) April 30, 2024
