Kara Dunn can do more than just score; she can lead USC when needed. The senior guard has been having lights-out performances for the Trojans, even recording her fifth career double-double that culminated in an upset win over then-No. 8 Iowa.  

Since Dunn committed to USC out of the transfer portal on April 16, 2025, she has proven herself to be the veteran addition the team needed. 

Dunn’s senior season has been one of the most efficient stretches of her career, highlighted by a seven-game streak of 20 points or more throughout January. She currently averages 15.9 points per game on 47.8% shooting, along with 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists — ranking second on USC in scoring and besting her efficiency from her strong junior season at Georgia Tech. 

Known for playing “stone cold,” the 5-foot-11 guard brings a level of composure and veteran leadership to a primarily young squad. Following an offseason that lost two guards to the transfer portal and star junior guard JuJu Watkins sitting out, the addition of Dunn to the lineup has brought a new face to help with strength at the rim and scoring versatility on the court.  

Dunn has since joined a team where she feels she has “a good friendship” with each of her teammates. While leading the underclassmen through the season, Dunn has also formed close bonds with them, including redshirt freshman Laura Williams. 

Throughout her time as a Trojan, Dunn has stepped further into the limelight — she was named to the Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List, tabbed as a Big Ten Player of the Week and eclipsed 1,500 career points. Additionally, Dunn is currently projected to be a selection in this year’s WNBA draft and would be USC’s 21st player sent to the league if drafted. 

“I’m having a better scoring season than I probably had in the past, but it really doesn’t even feel that different,” Dunn said in an interview with the Daily Trojan.

Growing up around the game 

From when she was around 3 years old, Dunn grew up surrounded by basketball, with coaching influence coming from her family. However, her very first coaching experience with her parents came entirely by chance.

“My dad was actually my first coach, so I’ve always kind of been the coach’s kid,” Dunn said. “When my mom was coaching high school, she actually was pregnant with me while coaching a game.”

Her dad became her trainer and brought her to practices to train with his high school team. Her mother stepped down from coaching at Berry College and also became her high school coach after her family moved cities in Georgia.

Dunn said her parents’ coaching style had a significant impact on the way she plays to this day: Her father taught her the fundamentals and defined her foundation of basketball, and her mom taught her how to channel her emotions and stay focused while playing. 

“I always knew that basketball was going to be it for me because I loved it. But my parents didn’t force me into it; they really just let me funnel myself into it,” Dunn said. “I knew in the back of my head, it’s always gonna be basketball.”

However, Dunn’s recruiting process was on the backend as a result of the pandemic, with the majority of schools that recruited her being East Coast universities closer to home. While Dunn wanted to be recruited by NC State, the culture at Georgia Tech — which wasn’t originally a main option — immediately influenced her decision. 

After the success of her first three seasons, Dunn said she wasn’t planning to transfer, but decided to find a different place to better fit her goals. 

“If you asked me what I was thinking about this time last year, I was definitely not thinking of leaving,” Dunn said. “I just knew that I needed to go somewhere where I felt like I was going to be able to compete at a high level, play my game and also be put on the stage enough to be playing against the top and best competition for my last year.”

Dunn didn’t enter the portal to start over. She entered it to be seen. USC — with national broadcasts that rank No. 3 overall in the country — could give Dunn the push into the spotlight before heading to the draft. 

Leading on the court

Coming into the Trojan program, Dunn said she knew that she would take on a leadership role; she’s the oldest player on the team and one of just two seniors on the squad filled with talented underclassmen like freshman guard Jazzy Davidson and sophomore guard Kennedy Smith. 

“I feel like I’ve really had to step up and be a voice on this team, on and off the court,” Dunn said. “You expect your veteran, experienced players to step up and lead.”

Dunn has focused on improving communication within the team. Throughout practices and games, she facilitates conversation while giving her teammates the space to voice their opinions. Dunn said that she wanted to provide trust for her team and show she valued their input. 

“I can’t say enough about her. She walks in with a wonderful leadership mentality. I do think she is our leader,” Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about Dunn in a Nov. 28, 2025, postgame news conference.  “And [she] takes a lot on. She’s relentlessly positive.”

While USC’s second-leading scorer brings stellar performances to the team’s games, Dunn also maintains her level of communication on the court. That on-court success is matched by the connections she’s making with the squad off the court. 

“She’s just a great leader in general for our entire team. I think she’s kind of like an older sister to me now,” Davidson said of Dunn in a postgame news conference Jan. 29. 

Stepping into the spotlight

While Dunn was in the portal, USC stuck out to her. Dunn took an interest in Gottlieb’s coaching style and could envision herself in the program, but also knew that USC could provide more opportunities in the spotlight for her last college season. 

“USC has the brand, they have the family, the culture, all of it, so I knew that was going to be the best place for me,” Dunn said. 

For Dunn, her most memorable moment as a Trojan so far has been taking on top 10 opponents, including No. 3 South Carolina and No. 1 UConn earlier in the season. 

“The ‘Real SC’ game came first against South Carolina. I was like, ‘This is such an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t necessarily [have] gotten at Georgia Tech to play on that stage,’” Dunn said. 

Even big moments — like the team’s opportunity to choose specialized Nike and Kobe Bryant shoes before a tribute game against UConn — reminded Dunn how different the spotlight felt in Los Angeles. 

Although Dunn and the team have one last Big Ten matchup against No. 2 UCLA on Sunday, she hasn’t lost sight of what’s next.

“I definitely want to keep being consistent for my team. I want to make sure that I don’t feel like I have anything else I didn’t leave on the floor,” Dunn said. “I definitely want to play professionally, definitely want to get drafted. I know that I’m just ready to not stop playing basketball.”