When Clackamas High School guard Jazzy Davidson committed to the USC women’s basketball program on Sept. 24, 2024, it shocked even people who know her best. 

Her high school coach, Korey Landolt, and her trainer, Ashley Corral, both expected news of her commitment to arrive much later than it ultimately did. All they had heard from Davidson to that point was that she wanted to take her time with her recruiting process.

But, USC women’s basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb and the entire program made such an impression on Davidson that she immediately knew that she wanted to be a Trojan. 

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Community on the court

Davidson fell for much more than putting the leather ball through the nylon net when she first began to love playing basketball in seventh grade. 

“Some of my best friends played basketball, so it was really more of a social thing for me at that time,” said Davidson in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “Just getting to play with my friends and do something I love was really fun.” 

Davidson has always found family in her teammates, coaches and everyone around the game of basketball. Landolt said seeking community in her peers is important for Davidson since she grew up as an only child. 

“I’ve seen her really lean into this sisterhood that we have,” Landolt said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. 

In the small-town community of Clackamas, Oregon, Davidson is mostly playing with the same girls who she has been on teams with since elementary school. That may sound monotonous to some people, but for Davidson, it is a special privilege. 

“We’re all kind of like sisters now that we have been playing with each other for so long,” Davidson said. “It’s just really cool to have this experience as seniors together and just kind of one last ride together.” 

Throughout her budding career, the throughline for Davidson has been her passion for the people around the game. 

A coach’s connection

Corral began working with Davidson around the same time Davidson fell in love with basketball, in sixth or seventh grade. 

Corral, a well-regarded trainer, also happens to be a USC women’s basketball legend. 

A McDonald’s All-American selection out of Prairie High in Vancouver, Washington, Corral stepped on campus in 2008 and immediately impressed coaches with her 3-point shooting ability. Despite not being in the starting lineup much of her freshman season, she led the Trojans with 53 3-pointers made that year, the fifth-most in program history. 

She was a superstar throughout her USC career, selected to the all-conference teams from her sophomore to her senior year. Along the way, she shot and made a lot of 3-pointers, and is still far and away USC’s leader in all-time 3-pointers made with 292. 

Amid all of those accolades, Corral treasures the same part of her time at University Park Campus that Davidson does about being at Clackamas: the people. 

“I can call one of my teammates if I haven’t talked to them for a long time and it’s still going to be the same relationship that we’ve always had,” Corral said. “That lifelong relationship of being a Trojan … I used to think people were exaggerating, but that really is something that holds true.” 

Gottlieb has seemingly embodied that same familial spirit as she’s rebuilt USC into a national powerhouse. That, ultimately, is what enticed Davidson to come to USC. 

Though Gottlieb’s track record, Los Angeles’ name, image and likeness opportunities and the program’s national competitiveness are aspects that also entice Davidson, she is headed to USC because it felt like her next basketball family. 

“[USC is] obviously a great basketball program, but just great people in the program and running the program,” Davidson said. “I really felt that as soon as I got on campus and got to really meet everyone and talk to people. It was just kind of an indescribable feeling, and it felt like home.” 

Corral knows from experience that Davidson’s desire to be a good, supportive teammate will fit well within the Trojan family. 

“I’m excited to have her be a part of our Trojan network and Trojan family because she really is what ‘Fight On’ means,” Corral said. “She is what embodies being a Trojan, and I think a lot of good is going to come from her going there.” 

Superstar skillset

Gottlieb seems to have recruited another humble, program-first human being. But in Davidson, USC also has another prodigious basketball player on their hands. 

The No. 3 ranked recruit in the Class of 2025 according to ESPN, Davidson represents the highest-ranked signing for USC since sophomore guard JuJu Watkins committed in 2023. Gottlieb has called her the “jewel of this class,” and she was recently named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year award. 

She’s also the fifth McDonald’s All-American to sign at USC in the past two years, joining Watkins and freshman guards Kennedy Smith, Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell. 

With such a crowded depth chart of older guards ahead of her, it’s easy to assume that finding minutes may be difficult for Davidson next season despite her prestigious recruiting status. However, Davidson has the versatility and skillset to play alongside any of these players. 

She is a lengthy monster defensively like Smith, can drive and create like Watkins, speed down the length of the court like Heckel and possesses a three-point skillset like Howell. Whatever the tone on the floor may be at any given moment, she can settle into any of these roles, which makes her a perfect complement to any of her teammates. 

That, and the fact that she is a lefty. 

USC has so many dynamic right-handed scorers that would make a tantalizing pair with Davidson, whose dangerous left hand will be a defensive nightmare for other teams.

“A lot of coaches and defenders are always saying, ‘force left, force left,’ and as much as that is ingrained in you, it is sometimes hard to adjust to a left-handed player,” Corral said. “But she’s really good at driving right to get back to her left hand.” 

Davidson seems to be a step ahead of defenders, confusing them with different looks and putting the ball where it is hard for them to reach. 

Her coaches also assert that she just generally challenges her teammates to be the best versions of themselves. 

“Everything elevates when [Davidson] is in the gym,” Landolt said. “There’s certain teammates that hate guarding her, but they step up and try to guard her because they know that’s going to make them better. So it’s like this level of excellence that she brings to a gymnasium that has been something that has elevated all of us.”

A heart of cardinal and gold

The USC program is already in a very good place, but the addition of yet another elite player is scary for their competitors. 

Davidson said she cannot wait to take part in the thriving ecosystem of women’s college basketball. 

“Throughout my years watching college women’s basketball, it’s just been really cool to see the growth of the game and be able to see the impact that players have had on a lot of different peoples’ lives,” Davidson said. “I’m really excited to be able to be a part of that soon.” 

There’s going to be plenty of fans clamoring to see her play, but based on what Corral has seen, Davidson would love to meet them all. 

“She never says no to talking to people; she never says no to taking a picture with someone,” Corral said. “She knows and understands that that weight is heavy. When you’re a really good basketball player and people look up to you, [you have] to make sure that you’re a good role model and you demonstrate all of those good qualities and she has never shied away from that.” 

When Davidson puts on a USC jersey for the first time, the Trojans will receive a major boost on the court. But the change off the court, to the larger University, will be even more meaningful.