Two years ago, McKenzie Forbes was one of the standouts of USC women’s basketball’s first Elite Eight run in three decades. Now, she is back with the Trojans in a new role.
On Monday, USC announced that Forbes will be joining the program this summer as a player development assistant. She will serve in the role for the next few months before going to France to resume her professional basketball career.
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“It’s been incredible to have Kenzie back with the program in an official capacity this summer as a player development assistant,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement. “Kenzie has always been wise beyond her years in terms of her knowledge of the game, leadership and ability to think and teach the game. There is so much basketball left for her to be played as a pro, but to have her around our team this summer as she prepares to go overseas has been invaluable. She’s a resource for our players, she’s an extension of our staff, and she’s simply a natural winner who has helped us in emphasizing championship habits this summer.”
Forbes came to USC as a graduate transfer from Harvard ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign. In her lone season with the Trojans, she helped lead them to a Pac-12 Tournament title—earning tournament MVP honors—and their first Elite Eight appearance since 1994.
Forbes was selected in the third round of the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. However, she was waived by the team prior to the start of the 2024 regular season. Forbes has spent the past two years playing in various leagues, including abroad in Australia.
As a player at USC, Forbes was teammates with Juju Watkins, who was a freshman for the Trojans at the time. Now, she will get to work with Watkins again, this time in a new role.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: McKenzie Forbes returning to USC women’s basketball as staff member
