Learn about the current USC Trojans Women’s Basketball head coach and her extensive collegiate coaching career.
Lindsay Gottlieb is currently the head coach of the USC Trojans women’s basketball team. She previously served as the head coach of the California Golden Bears and UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women’s basketball teams and previously served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Richmond Spiders, New Hampshire Wildcats, and Syracuse Orange women’s basketball teams.
In this article you’ll learn about Coach Gottlieb, her 21 year collegiate coaching career, and how the X and O’s weren’t the only way she prepares her teams.
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Before Coaching
Lindsay Gottlieb was born on October 2, 1977 in Scarsdale, New York. She was a huge fan of sports growing up and eventually played organized basketball in the fourth grade, later joining her high school’s basketball team in hopes of pursuing a college career, she tore her ACL and was sidelined for the duration of her senior year.
She attended college at Brown University and played on their women’s basketball team as a guard. Spending 1 year studying in Australia, she started to really consinder pursuing her coaching career.
“I knew that it was the perfect thing for me because it combined kind of my nerdiness and love of the X’s and O’s with the ability to impact 18- to 22-year-olds in a really significant way. To be able to do what I love, basketball, and have this intense impact on people, I felt that was it.” – Lindsay Gottlieb on why she pursued a coaching career.
In her senior year of college, she continued to play on the team while being a student assistant on the coaching staff. Her teammates voted her the Team Heart and Soul Award in 1999.
University of Syracuse (1999-2001)
Lindsay Gottlieb started her coaching career with the Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team as an assistant coach under Marianna Freeman. The team failed to make any post-season appearances during Gottlieb’s tenure.
She notably coached future WNBA player Leigh Aziz.
New Hampshire Wildcats (2001-2002)
Gottlieb then joined the New Hampshire Wildcats women’s basketball team as an assistant coach under Sue Johnson.
Richmond Spiders (2002-2005)
Afterwards, she became an assistant coach for the Richmond Spiders women’s basketball team under Joanne Boyle. The team reached the first round of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, but were eliminated by Florida State.
California Golden Bears (2005-2008)
In 2005, Gottlieb followed Coach Boyle to the California Golden Bears women’s basketball team as an assistant coach. In 2007, she was promoted to associate head coach.
In Gottlieb’s tenure with the team, the team qualified for the NCAA 1st Round in 2006 and 2007 and the NCAA second round in 2008. She also notably coached:
Ashley Walker: Drafted by the Seattle Storm with the 12th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2009 WNBA draft.
Alexis Gray-Lawson: Drafted by the Washington Mystics with the 30th overall pick in the 3rd round of the 2010 WNBA draft.
Jene Morris: Drafted by the Indiana Fever with the 11th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2010 WNBA draft.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (2008-2011)
Coach Gottlieb was hired as the head coach of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women’s basketball team. In her debut season, the team won both the regular season Big West championship and the conference tournament championship. Later, the team reached the first round of the NCAA tournament but were eliminated by the Stanford Cardinal women’s basketball team in a blowout game of 74-39. Coach Gottlieb was named the Big West Coach of the Year in 2009.
In 2011, the team reached the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, but were eliminated by USC.
In her 3 seasons with the team, she had an overall head coaching record of 56-39.
Return to California (2011-2019)
Gottlieb returned the University of California to be the 9th head coach of the Golden Bears, succeeding her mentor, Joanne Boyle.
In 2013, the Golden Bears won the Pac-12 regular season championship and the NCAA Regional championship, reaching the Final Four. Gottlieb also won the Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
Over the next couple of seasons, with the exception of the 2015-2016 season, the Golden Bears have made multiple appearances in the NCAA tournament including:
2014-2015: NCAA Second Round.
2016-2017: NCAA Second Round.
2017-2018: NCAA First Round.
2017-2018: NCAA Second Round.
The Golden Bears under Coach Gottlieb had a strong chemistry and popular culture which included a high social media presence and designed a team website by Gottlieb to appeal to young fans, athletes, and the media.
Senior Layshia Clarendon cut her hair into what later became a trademark mohawk, and the team wrote, produced, and starred in their own music video, “Started from the Bottom.”
“My philosophy in general is that college athletics should be an enjoyable experience for the people involved in it. I think you have to embrace this team’s nature of being fun-loving. You have to empower them to enjoy the experience. I can do that because I’m so confident in their focus. They’re creative, and they’re smart kids. If anything, I think that when they’re happier and enjoying it, they’re more likely to play hard and play well.” – Coach Gottlieb on her philosophy and team culture.
In her 8 seasons with the Golden Bears, she had an 179–89 overall record, the second most wins in team history, along with a 88–59 record in the Pac-12. She notably coached:
Layshia Clarendon: Drafted by the Indiana Fever with the 9th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2013 WNBA draft.
Gennifer Brandon: Drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 22nd overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2014 WNBA draft.
Brittany Boyd-Jones: Drafted by the New York Liberty with the 9th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2015 WNBA draft.
Reshanda Gray: Drafted by the Minnesota Lynx with the 16th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2015 WNBA draft.
Kristine Anigwe: Drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the 9th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2019 WNBA draft.
Kianna Smith: Drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the 16th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2022 WNBA draft.
McKenzie Forbes: Drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the 28th overall pick in the 3rd round of the 2024 WNBA draft.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2019-2021)
Coach Gottlieb was hired as an assistant coach for J.B. Bickerstaff’s coaching staff for the Cleveland Cavaliers. She became the second woman to coach for the Cavaliers, the first being Lisa Boyer in 2001.
She notably coached Kevin Love, Andre Drummond, Larry Nance, Collin Sexton, Tristan Thompson, Jarrett Allen, and Isaac Okoro.
USC Trojans (2021-present)
Coach Gottlieb was hired to become the head coach of the Trojans Women’s Basketball team in 2021. In her debut season, she finished with a 12-16 record. The following season, the team finished with a 21-10 record, reaching the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The 2023-2024 season brought a great season with a record of 29-6, and becoming Pac-12 tournament champions and reaching the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.
As of March 3, 2025, the Trojans are 26-2 and are Big Ten regular season champions.
So far with the Trojans, Gottlieb has notably coached:
Kadi Sissoko: Drafted by the Phoenix Mercury with the 29th overall pick in the 3rd round of the 2023 WNBA draft.
Alissa Pili: Drafted by the Minnesota Lynx with the 8th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2024 WNBA draft.
JuJu Watkins: 2025: Big Ten Player of the Year, First-team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team, and 2024: Unanimous first-team All-American.
Lindsay Gottlieb is a respected coach in both women’s sports and basketball. Several of her players throughout the years have gone on to be drafted by WNBA teams and Coach Gottlieb has one of the best players in women’s basketball right now in JuJu Watkins.
Her strategy in building a culture while developing strong systems is what’s made her one of the best coaches around. There’s no doubt that without a positive environment, there will be a lack of motivation and development, but Coach Gottlieb already has that figured out.
Founder & Managing Editor of Behind the Coaching.