USC associate head coach Beth Burns stresses a mindset she calls a “dog” mentality. That refers to players who are all-in, do whatever it takes to win and leave everything on the court.
“You think of a mad dog,” Burns told reporters during USC’s preseason media day on Oct. 15. “It’s like, you got your ears cut up, you’ve got a little blood on your face, you got to be hungry. You got to be hungry.”
One of the players on the roster who best exemplifies that mentality is Kennedy Smith. The junior wing has become known for her intensity on the court, especially on the defensive end.
And it’s not just in games where her on-court demeanor is visible. It’s during practices, too, where she pushes USC star JuJu Watkins every day.
“I think Ken doesn’t get the recognition she deserves on the defensive end,” Watkins told reporters during a Zoom call on Tuesday. “And the things she’s able to do for us on both ends of the floor [are] a game-changer for us. Just seeing her every day in practice and the intensity that she brings on the defensive end, how competitive she is, it brings the best out of me and brings the best out of everybody.”
Growing up playing basketball against boys was where the seeds were planted. Having an older brother, Smith recalls everything turning into a competition.
“It was just never really wanting to lose,” she told reporters during USC’s media day. “I think I hate to lose more than I love to win. So honestly … not wanting to lose, not wanting to have anybody score on me, it’s something that kind of just came with me.”
Smith’s mentality was a perfect pairing with Burns, who joined the USC coaching staff two years before Smith arrived. Burns stresses defense, and Smith plays defense. Burns stresses doing the dirty work, and Smith is eager to answer the call.
Some of the things that Smith has been able to learn about from Burns on defense are sharpening her instincts, knowing players’ tendencies and taking advantage of that.
“I feel like me and Coach B connect the most. Obviously, you get that defense connection and intensity. Coach B is very competitive, very intentional,” Smith said. “Leading the defense, getting in gaps, that was something she kind of taught and instilled in me a little bit from my freshman year … just having that intuition of when a player is going to pass the ball, reading people’s eyes and stuff of that nature.”
But for a player who brings such intensity and competitiveness on the court, Smith’s personality is much different. She’s more mild-mannered and soft-spoken. She isn’t always comfortable using her voice.
Last season was challenging for her in that she was asked to take on more of a leadership role, despite being only a sophomore. Watkins was sidelined for the entire year with a knee injury. Fellow 2024 recruits Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel hit the transfer portal. Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen graduated.
The absences forced Smith to come out of her shell a bit. Finding her voice is still a work in progress, but she’s grateful she was thrust into that role.
”It was definitely challenging for me to use my voice as a positive aspect,” Smith said. “I feel like my leadership has always been something where it’s just shown by example — show how hard I play on defense, how I want to get stops. Using my voice is something that I wasn’t exactly used to. …
“I’m still honestly adjusting this year, too. Sometimes I have days where I don’t feel like I have to talk, but that’s a little selfish. … I would say me, Jazzy [Davidson] and Ju have the most experience on the team, knowing how it’s going to go playing against a South Carolina or against these Big Ten teams. So [I’m] just definitely using my voice as an advantage.”
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In addition to anchoring the defense, Smith is focused on becoming as well-rounded of a player as she can be. Last season, she was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive team. But she also showed she can be counted on as a consistent offensive option.
She averaged a career-best 11.5 points per game, as well as career highs in overall shot attempts (11.3 per game) and 2-point attempts (7.4 per game). Her shooting percentages dropped slightly, however, from 41.2% overall and 30.3% from 3-point range as a freshman to 40.1% and 22.6% as a sophomore.
While Smith relishes the challenge of taking on the opposing team’s best scorer, she wants to be known for more than that.
”I really take pride in my defense. Really just giving other teams difficulties [and] making it hard for them is something that I take pride in every game,” Smith said. “Also, kind of just keeping my offensive bag consistent. I want to be consistent … across all aspects of the game.”
USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb echoes Smith’s sentiments. One of the challenges that Gottlieb faces this season is incorporating all of her offensive talents into a cohesive unit. She has three No. 1 overall recruits to work with in Watkins, Davidson and freshman Saniyah Hall. But Smith is a big part of the offensive game plan as well.
”She’s a big part of our offense. I want her touching that thing as much as possible because she’s a shot creator for other people and obviously can score,” Gottlieb told reporters following USC’s exhibition win against Cal on Sunday. “I would say we should be more, and we are more, versatile on both sides. She does anchor the defense and she’s really smart and calls numbers, but she shouldn’t be the only one. We should be able to have different lineups or different switchability. …
“I don’t think she’s only a defensive player. She’s both. Yes, she anchors our defense, but we think she’s really capable, obviously, of doing a lot of things on both sides of the ball. She’s incredibly versatile.”
One of the areas in which Smith hopes to thrive offensively is shooting the midrange jump shot. In today’s game, most offenses favor paint touches and 3-point shots. Gottlieb acknowledges that USC is not immune to that, but the main thing is identifying what good shots are for certain players and encouraging them to take those shots. To Gottlieb, a midrange jumper is a good look for Smith.
Last season, Smith took 60 shots from the midrange, per Synergy Sports. She knocked them down at a 40% clip, which was her most efficient scoring range except for at the rim.
”With actions we run, getting to the midrange is a good shot,” Smith said. “I think that the two might be a little easier than the three depending on if it’s an open shot, but honestly, I think this whole team has the midrange in their bag. Whether it’s a one-dribble pull-up, coming off handoffs, it’s just a whole bunch that can go into it.”
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USC is the No. 3 team in the preseason AP poll, and it will be tested early, before Big Ten play rolls around. The Trojans officially open their season on Monday in Las Vegas against UNLV. During nonconference play, they will appear in major tournaments such as the Players Era in Vegas, the Scripps Sports Women’s Basketball Showcase in Phoenix and the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in the Bahamas. They also have highly publicized one-off games against South Carolina and Baylor.
Smith is looking forward to the early competition — and to the Trojans embracing her “dog” mentality. She wants opposing teams to understand the fight they’re in when they face USC.
”We’re here to win games,” Smith said. “I feel like every game we play, I want people to feel us. Feel how competitive we are, how much we want to get stops, how much we want to put points on the board.”
