USC sophomore Kennedy Smith named to final Team USA AmeriCup roster

It is always a great source of joy to see a USC athlete go on to represent Team USA on the world stage. For basketball in particular, the United States roster is always a competitive roster to compete to be a part of. 

Before embarking on her second year with the Women of Troy, Kennedy Smith will help the U.S. roster's goal of earning gold during the upcoming 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup competition. The tournament is set to take place from June 28 to July 6 in Santiago, Chile.

The Americans will look to avenge the 2023 losses to Brazil and earn the automatic qualifier into the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup next year. This is a highly talented side that will have the needed cast to make a deep run in the tournament. As, however, should be evidenced by prior results, there is hardly ever anything of a guarantee in the international format.

Even so, Smith's inclusion only further shows what some of the best basketball minds in the country also think of the guard's skill set. Smith will be joined by players such as Hannah Hidalgo, Flau'jae Johnson, Olivia Miles, and Hannah Stuelke.

As shared on the USA Basketball website, Duke's Kara Lawson will be the head coach for this version of the USA squad. Old Dominion's DeLisha Milton-Jones and Oklahoma's Jennie Baranczyk will travel with the team to South America as assistant coaches.

Good springboard for upcoming USC season

On a team with this much star power, Smith will be able to practice with some of the best in the nation and then play in a system that will require the participating members to quickly learn what is expected of them and how they best complement each other somewhat on the fly.

It is this type of experience that often proves invaluable and that many athletes cherish for the rest of their lives. Smith will soon focus on her preparations for the Trojan season. First, she will do her best to earn some hardware for Team USA.