Fighting On to the Next Chapter

By: Kennedy Smith

When you start a new chapter in your life, you have a vision, a plan. But what about when that chapter doesn’t go the way you thought it would? What about when the unexpected twist is almost immediate? I’ll tell you what: You keep Fighting On. 

I came to USC to be a part of bringing the dominance and swagger of women’s hoops back to a historic program and city. I came here to compete in Final Fours, win National Championships and to become the best basketball player I can be to pursue a professional playing career.

Having an unexpected injury at the beginning of my freshman year was not part of the plan. But I’m tough. I’m attacking rehab every day. I’m still learning through film sessions, meetings, attending practice and traveling with the team. Watching the game from the bench gives me a different perspective and it’s going to make me better in the long run. This is just one chapter in my story.

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I grew up in the gym and fell in love with basketball from watching my older brother, RJ, play. I started playing in fourth grade, and in middle school I started actually taking it seriously and would often play with him. That’s where I got my toughness. Playing against the older guys, now I know that there’s no one I can’t guard. It’s where I got my Dawg mentality from. 

We trained a lot together and I know it was a lot for my mom to balance making sure we both had what we needed and were where we needed to be. A former basketball player herself, she never forced it on us, but she dedicated her time to letting us do what we wanted to do and giving us the best possible chance to be successful at it.

When I started high school, I made an impact and played a big role right away as a freshman. In a lot of ways that experience got me ready for the expectations coming into college. At Etiwanda, I learned why it’s worth it to put in all the early mornings and late nights. We won three Southern Section CIF Championships and back-to-back State Championships. But that was just one chapter.

Being from California, I have a sense of pride about my home. California, LA, and more specifically, USC, are where some of the queens of the court have played their college ball. Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, JuJu Watkins…

JuJu took that leap of faith in Coach Lindsay and USC to bring the program back to national relevance and know that she could be a part of that history without sacrificing her development. I wanted to add to that.

I wanted to play somewhere that felt like home. That would push me to be the best that I can be. I wanted to build off the legacies of those who came before me and add my own chapter to the story.

I know that I can handle the outside expectations because I’m my own toughest critic. No one puts more pressure on myself to live up to the standards that I’m capable of than I do. I talked to Cheryl Miller about it before I started here though, and she just reminded me that I just need to come in and do what I do. It’s just basketball. I’ll play my best when I’m having fun with it, and that’s what I’ve tried to do. Coach Lindsay and our whole staff has made it so easy for me to come in and play my game, adjust to the college lifestyle and already are pushing me to get better.

To start out my collegiate career with a debut game on ESPN, in Paris, playing a top-25 opponent and drawing the assignment to guard one of Ole Miss’ best players in KK Deans, I was a little nervous. But then once that ball goes up, it’s just basketball. Playing the game I love.

We know we’re going to face adversity throughout the season, wins, losses and everything in between. We also know that that adversity is only going to make our team stronger. We’re going to keep Fighting On through each chapter in our season, until we get to that end result. 

I’m going to keep doing the same. Despite a rocky start to this chapter in my playing career, I know I’m going to come out on the other side stronger for it. I’m going to keep Fighting On and I’m going to keep working. Because this chapter isn’t the last.