Leader by nature: Kayla Overbeck is the perfect captain for USC’s young squad

Only three players on the USC women’s basketball team earn a “C” on their jersey. This honor is  usually reserved for a fourth-year senior or a longtime USC veteran, but for senior forward Kayla Overbeck, all it took was one year as a Trojan to earn that coveted letter.

Long before Overbeck became captain of the USC basketball team, though, she tried out every sport she could as a kid: soccer, softball, track, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. But with two former college basketball players for parents, Overbeck was primed for a future in hoops.

“Given my experience with the sport, I tried to get her in as many competitive leagues [as possible] and some boys’ leagues and just worked with her as much as I could,” Kayla’s mother, Shanon, said. “[We] just provided avenues for her to play club and [on] some of the top AAU teams in Southern California just to get her what she needed to get her to the next level.”

Although Overbeck also played volleyball through her four years of high school, she realized after her freshman year that she might be capable of competing in basketball at the next level. She began training with her high school coaches, who recommended she join a top-tier team to help her pursue a college career.

Overbeck entered Vanderbilt in 2016 as a three-star recruit ranked No. 19 in the country at her position according to ESPN. However, she did not stay under the radar for long, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors, leading the conference’s freshmen with 7.2 rebounds per game and averaging a solid 9.5 points per game.

After her breakout freshman performance, Overbeck was invited to try out for the United States’ U19 National Team. She was surprised to receive the invitation but attended the tryout after receiving encouragement from her coaches at Vanderbilt.

“I didn’t even really know anything about [the] USA [team],” Overbeck said. “Growing up [and] in high school, it wasn’t really a thing. I wasn’t on the AAU circuit as early as other players.”

But Overbeck made the national team, and her team went on to win silver at the FIBA U19 World Cup that summer. She credits the atmosphere on the international stage for making her time with Team USA one of the most challenging yet valuable learning experiences she could have had as a freshman.

“I really thought it helped me grow more as a leader and [in] really trying to get to know people that I’m not really comfortable with,” Overbeck said. “We [were] on a completely new team for a month, and [it taught] me how you can talk to different players in different ways and try to bring the most out of each other in any type of setting.”

After two seasons with Vanderbilt, Overbeck decided to transfer to USC. The Newbury Park native said being closer to home was a big incentive for her to choose the Trojans. She now has at least one family member in attendance at each home game, and her parents have made road trips to watch her play in Northern California and Arizona.

“Having them [in L.A.] is so much better than having them come for a weekend for the whole year,” Overbeck said. “[At Vanderbilt], it was just months of not being with my family, and that I just didn’t really like. It wasn’t the best for me as a person or as a player.”

When she came to USC, Overbeck brought a fresh perspective from her time with Team USA about how to be a leader on and off the court. This season, she was tasked with creating chemistry among a team with only three returners: herself, sophomore guard Desiree Caldwell and redshirt sophomore guard Shalexxus Aaron, who has not competed this season due to a foot injury.

Caldwell, who has played with Overbeck during her two seasons at USC and is also a team captain, said Overbeck’s leadership made welcoming new faces — including seven freshmen and two transfers — much easier. The pair had to step up to guide the newcomers after co-captain and graduate transfer guard Stephanie Watts missed most of the season with a knee injury.

“Creating cohesion with Kayla has always been very easy,” Caldwell said. “She’s all about team, and she’s all about loving her teammates. So just having that natural chemistry with her has just been really easy since I first started playing with her.” 

Overbeck said her goal has been to create a dynamic that her teammates really want to be a part of as they navigate the balance between their academic, social and athletic demands.

“I just try to make it a type of atmosphere that you want to be in, you want to start, you want to be there,” she said.

According to Shanon, Kayla has always set an example for her teammates. Shanon remembers that Kayla wasn’t discouraged after fouling out of a highly contested high school playoff game her senior year.

“Instead of going to the bench and feeling sorry for herself, she was the loudest cheerer on the bench,” Shanon said. “I think given Kayla’s support, you know, their top player on the bench supporting them, it just fueled them to get the win.”

While Overbeck has been a vocal leader throughout her basketball career, her play also speaks for itself. She was named a Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention on Tuesday after a senior season during which she averaged 7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists. 

USC head coach Mark Trakh said Overbeck’s focus both on and off the court has helped her develop into one of the Pac-12’s best defenders.

“Kayla’s intense,” Trakh said. “I think she’s one of the best defensive players in the conference … super kid, great student [and] really has done a great job for us.”

Although Overbeck is a fierce, focused threat on the court, her family and teammates also suggest there is a humorous, softer side of her that fans don’t always get to see.

For example, Caldwell said the team never knows what to expect out of Overbeck when she gets an and-1.

“Sometimes it can be a dance move, sometimes she can just yell, acting like she’s yelling to somebody but just yelling out loud,” Caldwell said.

It’s these three sides to Overbeck — the team leader, the intense and talented defender and the boisterous teammate — that will make her so missed by her teammates after she graduates this spring.

“I will miss the craziness the most,” Caldwell said. “Kayla is the most interesting teammate I have ever had, and she will always hold that title, but the passion that she plays with is just unmatched.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article misspelled Shanon Overbeck’s first name. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.