Talia von Oelhoffen commits to USC: What ex-Oregon State guard brings to Trojans’ loaded roster
Talia von Oelhoffen has committed to USC, she told ESPN on Monday.
— talia von oelhoffen (@TaliaVono) April 29, 2024
Following the commitment last week from Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen, Von Oelhoffen is the Trojans’ second significant offseason addition to arrive in Los Angeles. The graduate transfer will be USC’s fifteenth scholarship player with one season of eligibility left, meaning the Trojans are fully loaded before the 2023–2024 campaign begins.
Over the previous four seasons, Von Oelhoffen started 90 games for Oregon State, and this past season, he averaged a career-high five assists per game. This past season, she was a key member of the Beavers’ top ball handling team as they made it to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual champion South Carolina. With the Pac-12 being dismantled and Oregon State preparing to enter the West Coast Conference, most of the Oregon State roster made its way onto the transfer portal.
With Rayah Marshall and JuJu Watkins back, the Trojans, who advanced to the Elite Eight last season, were already ranked in the top five going into the upcoming campaign. With von Oelhoffen and Iriafen back in the fold, it looks like USC is building a team that can challenge for the national championship. With almost half of the Trojans’ 2024–25 squad made up of first-year players, coach Lindsay Gottlieb will have her job cut out for her. However, this core group of veterans should be more than enough to carry the Trojans through their first Big Ten season.
UCLA, a crosstown foe and fellow first-year Big Ten team, may be USC’s toughest opponent. However, USC will have a youthful roster outside of the Trojans’ Big Four (Watkins, Marshall, Iriafen, and von Oelhoffen). Only Dominique Darius, one of the other four returners, averaged more over 12 minutes per game. Gottlieb will then be welcoming a seven-member 2024 recruiting class, six of whom are top-100 recruits.
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)