Sports
With teams focusing on JuJu Watkins, Kennedy Smith is USC's March Madness X factor
Kennedy Smith was only 14, just a few games into her freshman season at Etiwanda High, when she first crossed paths on the court with Kiki Iriafen, who played at Harvard-Westlake. Four years later, with both at USC, Iriafen still vividly remembers her first impression.
“I did not like her,” Iriafen said, with a laugh. “She was a pest.”
The two get along great now, as top-line starters for top-seeded USC, which is set to begin its NCAA tournament run with a Saturday afternoon matchup against No. 16 North Carolina Greensboro. What made Smith unbearable on the court then, it turns out, has made her an irreplaceable part of a Trojan lineup that now has serious Final Four aspirations.
“Everything you see from her this year, she’s always been like that,” Iriafen said. “She’s fearless.”
That game against Iriafen, as a freshman, stands out in Stan Delus’ mind in particular. That was when the Etiwanda coach first saw that there was something different about Smith. Up against one of the top players in Southern California, the 14-year old Smith only ratcheted up her intensity, blanketing Iriafen whenever she touched the ball and blocking multiple shots from the much taller senior forward.
“Kennedy went at her — you would have swore she was 7-feet tall,” Delus said. “She wasn’t afraid of the moment. And since then, the moment has never been too big.”
USC is counting on that to be the case in the coming weeks as the stakes continue to ratchet up this March. With opposing teams sure to focus their attention on Iriafen and star sophomore JuJu Watkins, the Trojans need others in their rotation to rise to the occasion in key moments if they hope to make the deep run they know they’re capable of.
USC guard Kennedy Smith celebrates after scoring while being fouled against Ohio State on Feb. 8 at Galen Center.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Doing so inevitably means relying, in a big way, on freshmen without any tournament experience, such as Smith. She’s not the only one with a critical complementary role, either — freshman guards Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel have also emerged as staples in the Trojans’ young lineup, averaging 20 and 17 minutes per game, respectively, after coming in as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country last fall.
All three have brought a certain fearlessness to the court as freshmen, whether it be Howell confidently pulling the trigger from deep or Heckel knifing through the lane. None of them, however, have been tested on a stage such as the NCAA tournament, and since last Sunday’s announcement, plenty of prognosticators have pointed to USC’s relative inexperience as reason to doubt the Trojans.
But Smith was raised, from a young age, to weather that sort of crucible on the court. She sharpened her skills by playing in the backyard alongside her older brother, R.J., who now plays at Colorado, and his male friends, none of whom would let up on her account. On travel teams, she always played up at least two age levels.
“I never wanted anyone to take it easy,” Smith said. “I had to prove myself that I could keep up.”
The impact of that basketball upbringing only became more clear to Delus as Smith grew as a player. She excelled, from the start, as an on-ball defender. But she played primarily in the post as a freshman. As years went on, she extended that defensive prowess to the perimeter and her range to the three-point line.
Along the way, she helped lift Etiwanda to consecutive state titles in her junior and senior seasons, averaging over 20 points per game. As a junior, she personally shut down Watkins in her final game at Sierra Canyon, holding her to an uncharacteristic 16-point night. It was another occasion in which the moment never seemed too big.
“There has always been a big, bright light on me and my team,” Smith said.
This season has been no different, as Smith arrived as the crown jewel of the Trojans’ top recruiting class and immediately stepped into the starting lineup. But where Smith started her high school career as the primary option on offense, she’s had to carve out more of a complementary role alongside Watkins and Iriafen, who both dominate the ball.
She’s made settling in look seamless as a freshman. So much so that her monthlong injury absence in November and December was, according to coach Lindsay Gottlieb, a major reason the Trojans were derailed in their first loss to Notre Dame. Last month, after USC beat Ohio State, Buckeyes coach Kevin McGuff declared Smith “the unsung hero for this team.”
But Smith, a self-proclaimed perfectionist, has been hard on herself this season, nonetheless. Nevermind that she’s third on the team in scoring (9.5 points), while emerging as one of the best on-ball defenders in the Big Ten — all as a freshman.
It’s just in her nature, her teammates say.
“She expects greatness out of herself,” guard Talia von Oelhoffen said. “That’s what makes her who she is, what makes her so good.”
And for USC, at the start of a possible tournament run, its fearless freshman is part of why the Final Four feels within reach.
“She’s a huge part of our ability to make a long run now,” Gottlieb said. “But even more so, I think she’s going to be a problem for everyone else in the country for several years.
“Because we think she’s that good.”
Sports
Heisman Trophy voter blasts Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia for F-bomb remark in fiery column: ‘Punk move’
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One Heisman Trophy voter isn’t staying silent after seeing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s message about finishing second over the weekend to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Chase Goodbread of The Tuscaloosa News, who has a Heisman vote, wrote a piece this week about Pavia saying “F— all the voters” after finishing a distant second behind Mendoza. Pavia wrote it in the caption of an Instagram story post with a picture of his Commodores teammates.
While Pavia apologized for his initial response to the loss in New York City, Goodbread wasn’t impressed by what Pavia had to say.
Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores poses with the Heisman Memorial Trophy before the 2025 Heisman Trophy presentation at Marriott Marquis Hotel Dec. 13, 2025, in New York City. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
“He’s a big boy now,” Goodbread wrote in his column. “Old enough to have more than one college degree. Old enough to beat the NCAA in court to gain extra eligibility, and old enough to make the pile of NIL money that came with that. Old enough to know better. And old enough to handle some criticism.
“It was a punk move, Diego. This voter wasn’t sitting right next to Mendoza Saturday night, but my congrats for him are at least genuine.”
Goodbread added that Pavia’s behavior was “jackassery,” saying, “After 6 years in college, you’d think Pavia would’ve signed up for at least one course in humility by now.”
DIEGO PAVIA KNOWS EXPLICIT OUTBURST AGAINST HEISMAN VOTERS WAS ‘UNACCEPTABLE,’ VANDERBILT AD SAYS
Mendoza finished with 643 first-place votes to Pavia’s 189.
The Vanderbilt athletic director released a statement on Monday after Pavia’s comment.
“Diego knows his actions were unacceptable, and he has apologized,” athletic director Candice Lee said in a statement to The Tennessean Monday. “I know he is contrite and regrets the hurt he caused. He is a passionate and authentic competitor, and while his authenticity has been nurtured and celebrated here, it does not change the responsibility that comes with representing Vanderbilt University.
“We believe in growth and accountability, and we will continue to support Diego as he learns from this moment.”
Pavia later apologized for his comments on X.
Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores warms up before a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium Nov. 29, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
“I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to,” he wrote in a statement. “I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.
“Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award. I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah [Love] and Julian [Sayin] had this season. I’ve been doubted my whole life,” he wrote.
“Every step of my journey I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because Ive learned that nothing would be handed to me. My family has always been in my corner, and my teammates, coaches and staff have my six. I love them — I am grateful for them. — and I wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. I look forward to competing in front of my family and with my team one more time in the ReliaQuest Bowl.”
Pavia, playing in his second season at Vanderbilt after starting at New Mexico State, led the SEC with a 71.2% completion rate with 27 touchdowns, 3,192 yards passing and nine rushing scores. He rushed for 826 yards on 152 attempts.
Pavia’s reaction to the voting results wasn’t much of a shock, though. He has always been self-confident to the point he kept telling voters to send him to New York City because he felt he deserved the Heisman.
Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia throws to an open teammate against South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 9, 2024. (Imagn)
“The Heisman Trophy winner goes to the best player in college football,” Pavia said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic.” “I believe that to be myself. You check the numbers, and especially — there’s two things that don’t lie to you: Numbers and tape. I’ve been taught that since I was young. You go check that out. I feel like I’m undoubtedly the best player in college football.”
Vanderbilt had a 10-2 record on the year, ranking No. 14 nationally at the end of the regular season.
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Sports
JSerra makes historic hire by selecting Verbum Dei grad Hardy Nickerson as its new football coach
Hardy Nickerson, a Verbum Dei grad who played linebacker at Cal, made the Pro Bowl five times, coached in college and the NFL and did two stints as head coach at Bishop O’Dowd in San Jose, has been named head football coach at JSerra.
Nickerson, 60, becomes the first Black head football coach in the Trinity League since it was formed in 2008.
JSerra is hoping to strike gold like Santa Margarita did in hiring Heisman Trophy winner and 15-year NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, who delivered a Southern Section Division 1 championship and CIF state championship Open Division bowl win this year in his rookie season as head coach. Palmer used his NFL connections to put together a top-notch group of assistant coaches.
Nickerson also has lots of NFL connections and far more coaching experience than Palmer. He once was defensive coordinator at Illinois, served as an NFL assistant with the 49ers, Bears and Buccaneers and and has been head coach at Bishop O’Dowd from 2010-13 and from 2022 through this season, when his team won a state Division 5-AA championship.
He takes over a program that went 3-7 last season and cut ties with former Azusa Pacific head coach Victor Santa Cruz. Nickerson will soon learn that coaching in the Trinity League is similar to college and the NFL, where teams expect to win or there is little assurance of keeping a job for long.
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A handful of Olympic participants will be competing where giants once roamed.
A wildlife photographer in Italy happened to come upon one of the oldest and largest known collection of dinosaur footprints at a national park near the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics venue of Bormio, officials said Tuesday. The entrance to the park, where the prints were discovered, is located about a mile from where the Men’s Alpine skiing will be held.
In this photograph taken in September 2025 and released Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, by Stelvio National Park, Late Triassic prosauropod footprints are seen on the slopes of the Fraeel Valley in northern Italy. (Elio Della Ferrera/Stelvio National Park via AP)
The estimated 20,000 footprints are believed to date back about 210 million years to the Triassic Period and made by long-necked bipedal herbivores that were 33 feet long, weighing up to four tons, similar to a Plateosaurus, Milan Natural History Museum paleontologist Cristiano Dal Sasso said.
“This time reality really surpasses fantasy,” Dal Sasso added.
Wildlife photographer Elio Della Ferrera made the discovery at Stelvio National Park near the Swiss border in September. The spot is considered to be a prehistoric coastal area that has never previously yielded dinosaur tracks, according to experts.
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This photograph, taken in September 2025 and released Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, by Stelvio National Park, shows a Late Triassic prosauropod footprint discovered in the Fraele Valley in northern Italy. (Elio Della Ferrara/Stelvio National Park via AP)
The location is about 7,900-9,200 feet above sea level on a north-facing wall that is mostly in the shade. Dal Sasso said, adding that the footprints were a bit hard to spot without a very strong lens.
“The huge surprise was not so much in discovering the footprints, but in discovering such a huge quantity,’’ Della Ferrera said. “There are really tens of thousands of prints up there, more or less well-preserved.’’
Though there are no plans as of now to make the footprints accessible to the public, Lombardy regional governor Attilio Fontana hailed the discovery as a “gift for the Olympics.”
Lombardy region governor Attilio Fontana attends a press conference in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, on a discovery of thousands of dinosaur tracks in Lombardy region. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
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The Winter Olympics are set to take place Feb. 6-22.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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