After starting 19 games as one of USC women’s basketball’s top playmakers and defensive contributors, junior guard Malia Samuels announced that she will enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining in an Instagram post on Saturday.

“After careful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the right step for me,” Samuels wrote in the Instagram post. “This is undoubtedly one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, and saying goodbye is ever harder.”

Samuels, who spent three years with the Trojans, is one of two USC players to announce their intent to enter the portal when it opens Monday, after On3 reported Saturday morning that sophomore forward Dayana Mendes, a decent shooter and rebounder, also planned to enter the portal.

The transfer decisions come as the Trojans prepare to welcome three incoming five-star prospects — including the No. 1 overall recruit for the class of 2026, guard Saniyah Hall — and star junior guard JuJu Watkins back from injury. The introduction of international forwards Sitaya Fagan, of Australia, and Sara Okeke, of Spain, the other two five-stars, would have likely taken playing time from Mendes, who carved out a role in USC’s by-committee 2026 forward group.

The decisions also come less than two weeks after USC women’s basketball suffered a blowout loss to South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament — the Trojans’ first time failing to make the tournament’s second weekend since the 2022-23 season.

In a breakout season this year, Samuels played in all but two of USC’s 32 games and started a majority. Despite poor shooting efficiency, she still managed to put up 3.4 points per game, while averaging 2.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds. She was consistently noted by Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb as one of the team’s top defenders, alongside sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, who both averaged at least 1.5 steals per game.

In two seasons playing alongside Watkins, Samuels played significantly fewer minutes and started a combined two games. While there were likely other factors to her decision, the competitive group of guards, including Hall, Watkins, Smith and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson, would have made playing time a battle for the playmaker.

Off the court, Samuels was named a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honoree and part of the Academic All-Big Ten team during the 2024-25 season.

Mendes appeared in all 32 games during the 2025-26 season, averaging 13.7 minutes, 3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game as the forward with the second most playing time, despite never starting a game. The sophomore spent one year with USC after transferring from Washington State; next year will mark her third team in three seasons.