USC hires Lindsay Gottlieb as head coach

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The USC Trojans have hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Lindsay Gottlieb to be their next head coach.

Gottlieb, who was the coach of the California Golden Bears for eight seasons, has signed a six-year deal. She was the first NCAA coach ever recruited by an NBA team.

Gottlieb led Cal to seven NCAA Tournaments and 2013 Final Four. Before getting hired in 2011, she was the head coach at UC Santa Barbara and before that, she had assistant coaching stints at Cal, Richmond, UNH and in her home state at Syracuse. She played at Brown from 1995 to 1999.

USC won back-to-back national championships in 1983 and 1984 and boasts famous women’s basketball alumni in Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson and Cynthia Cooper.

Miller coached the Phoenix Mercury from 1997 to 2000, Leslie is a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time champion, Thompson (the first No. 1 pick in league history) is a nine-time All-Star and four-time champ and Cooper is a two-time MVP and four-time champ.

Gottlieb has the opportunity to return USC to glory. The Trojans haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2014 when they were Pac-12 champions.