- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,204
- Reaction score
- 59
The USC women's basketball team has struggled for most of the month of January, which has been hard for Trojan fans to watch. But the one respite amidst such a tough stretch has been watching Kara Dunn play basketball.
Dunn has led the Trojans in scoring in each of their last five games, scoring 20+ points in each of their last four. In USC's most recent game, an 83-57 win over Purdue, Dunn scored 29 points on 12-17 shooting and pulled down 5 rebounds.
Fans and analysts like USC women's basketball expert CeCe Clay who have watched Dunn's Georgia Tech film knew that she was capable of this kind of superstar play. Dunn is, after all, USC's most experienced and proven scorer at the collegiate level.
But seeing it actually play out has been special. Dunn has become a welcome addition to USC women's basketball's legacy of big stars in the 2020s. From Watkins to MacKenzie Forbes to Kiki Iriafen to Rayah Marshall to Jazzy Davidson, Dunn is absolutely part of that legacy that has put USC women's basketball back on the map.
I certainly hope she gets consideration in the 2026 WNBA draft, or that she at least is given a training camp opportunity.
She's certainly not done adding to her USC legacy either. The way she has elevated her game in conference play suggests that she will likely be USC's X factor in the Trojans' biggest regular season games and the postseason as well.
Dunn's star play has been key to keeping USC women's basketball competitive in a season where the Trojans are missing JuJu Watkins. But that is also an unfortunate reality of Dunn's great year: it will be her only year at USC. The senior transferred to USC this offseason with only one year of eligibility remaining.
Dunn's veteran presence would really come in handy on a 2026-27 USC women's basketball team that is going to be very talented but also somewhat young. And, I think Dunn's skillset would fit in nicely alongside JuJu Watkins.
Kara Dunn is an efficient, smart scorer. Not only is she capable of putting up 20+ points on a nightly basis, but she is capable of doing so without taking any difficult shots.
Dunn fits best into USC's offense as a guard that doesn't need to dominate the ball. Watkins' gravity as a ball-dominant star would certainly have opened up opportunities for Dunn to have even more open shot opportunities.
But, she is also savvy enough with the basketball in her hands to create her own shot at times, giving Watkins a break from needing to run the offense for USC on every single possession.
Oh, and she is also big and physical and can definitely hold her own on defense as well.
While having Watkins on the floor with Dunn would give USC a much better shot to win the NCAA tournament, Dunn may become a better basketball player by being forced to be the star for USC.
It's definitely made her become more aggressive on offense. That was my one concern with Dunn early in the season. To me, she always looked like USC's most talented offensive player, but she was putting up mediocre offensive numbers because she just wasn't taking many shots.
That's one way that playing with Watkins could have negatively affected Dunn's season on a personal level. With Watkins attempting 20+ shots a game, I am not sure that Dunn would have ever come into her own as an aggressive scorer.
What Dunn and Watkins could have been together will be the biggest "what could have been" that I will wonder about in regards to this season.
Most of the rest of USC's roster has already played with Watkins or will play with her next season if they elect to stay. Londynn Jones won't, but she did get to share the floor with Watkins plenty of times as an opponent. And, I wonder how much Watkins and Jones would have been on the floor together if Jones was coming off the bench.
Amidst a career where she will play alongside so many #1 recruits and Top 5 WNBA draft picks, Dunn could have been an unexpected star alongside Watkins, similar to MacKenzie Forbes in 2023-24.
But, regardless of what that duo would have accomplished, Trojan fans should be grateful that they get to watch Kara Dunn play this season. She is putting on a show every time she takes the floor, especially since conference play kicked off.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Kara Dunn emerges as USC's star player in JuJu Watkins' absence
Continue reading...
Dunn has led the Trojans in scoring in each of their last five games, scoring 20+ points in each of their last four. In USC's most recent game, an 83-57 win over Purdue, Dunn scored 29 points on 12-17 shooting and pulled down 5 rebounds.
Fans and analysts like USC women's basketball expert CeCe Clay who have watched Dunn's Georgia Tech film knew that she was capable of this kind of superstar play. Dunn is, after all, USC's most experienced and proven scorer at the collegiate level.
Dunn's place in USC women's basketball history
But seeing it actually play out has been special. Dunn has become a welcome addition to USC women's basketball's legacy of big stars in the 2020s. From Watkins to MacKenzie Forbes to Kiki Iriafen to Rayah Marshall to Jazzy Davidson, Dunn is absolutely part of that legacy that has put USC women's basketball back on the map.
I certainly hope she gets consideration in the 2026 WNBA draft, or that she at least is given a training camp opportunity.
She's certainly not done adding to her USC legacy either. The way she has elevated her game in conference play suggests that she will likely be USC's X factor in the Trojans' biggest regular season games and the postseason as well.
The unfortunate reality of Dunn's eligibility
Dunn's star play has been key to keeping USC women's basketball competitive in a season where the Trojans are missing JuJu Watkins. But that is also an unfortunate reality of Dunn's great year: it will be her only year at USC. The senior transferred to USC this offseason with only one year of eligibility remaining.
Dunn's veteran presence would really come in handy on a 2026-27 USC women's basketball team that is going to be very talented but also somewhat young. And, I think Dunn's skillset would fit in nicely alongside JuJu Watkins.
Why Watkins and Dunn would benefit from playing with each other
Kara Dunn is an efficient, smart scorer. Not only is she capable of putting up 20+ points on a nightly basis, but she is capable of doing so without taking any difficult shots.
Dunn fits best into USC's offense as a guard that doesn't need to dominate the ball. Watkins' gravity as a ball-dominant star would certainly have opened up opportunities for Dunn to have even more open shot opportunities.
But, she is also savvy enough with the basketball in her hands to create her own shot at times, giving Watkins a break from needing to run the offense for USC on every single possession.
Oh, and she is also big and physical and can definitely hold her own on defense as well.
Watkins's absence may benefit Dunn as an individual in the long run, though
While having Watkins on the floor with Dunn would give USC a much better shot to win the NCAA tournament, Dunn may become a better basketball player by being forced to be the star for USC.
It's definitely made her become more aggressive on offense. That was my one concern with Dunn early in the season. To me, she always looked like USC's most talented offensive player, but she was putting up mediocre offensive numbers because she just wasn't taking many shots.
That's one way that playing with Watkins could have negatively affected Dunn's season on a personal level. With Watkins attempting 20+ shots a game, I am not sure that Dunn would have ever come into her own as an aggressive scorer.
The biggest "what could have been" of USC's 2025-26 season
What Dunn and Watkins could have been together will be the biggest "what could have been" that I will wonder about in regards to this season.
Most of the rest of USC's roster has already played with Watkins or will play with her next season if they elect to stay. Londynn Jones won't, but she did get to share the floor with Watkins plenty of times as an opponent. And, I wonder how much Watkins and Jones would have been on the floor together if Jones was coming off the bench.
Amidst a career where she will play alongside so many #1 recruits and Top 5 WNBA draft picks, Dunn could have been an unexpected star alongside Watkins, similar to MacKenzie Forbes in 2023-24.
But, regardless of what that duo would have accomplished, Trojan fans should be grateful that they get to watch Kara Dunn play this season. She is putting on a show every time she takes the floor, especially since conference play kicked off.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Kara Dunn emerges as USC's star player in JuJu Watkins' absence
Continue reading...
