First glimpse: Fagan shows out for Hall of Famer

• Sitaya Fagan rejected a screen and finished left-handed in a clip USC shared
• Lisa Leslie told the Trojans that competing at practice is the habit of champions
• USC open against UNLV at 8am AEDT on Melbourne Cup Day, November 3

One of the most heavily recruited Australian basketballers in American college basketball history, Sitaya Fagan, offered a brief glimpse of her “ceiling is the roof” to Hall of Famer and USC Trojans alumna Lisa Leslie at a USC Trojans practice this week.

Freshman Fagan, 18, and fellow Australian Pania Davis, a 1.98m Senior centre from Perth, joined the two-time WNBA champion, three-time MVP, 12-time All-WNBA, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time WNBA Finals MVP for a practice session on the Southern California campus.

In the session, shared by the Trojans to YouTube, a nine-second clip will excite every Australian basketball fan: Fagan catches on the right wing, rejects a screen, shifts her defender left, and drives hard to the bucket to finish with her left hand.

Fagan revealed last week: “I think they’ve (USC) pushed me to be versatile,” Fagan said.

“Back home, I’d normally be stuck at power forward – well, not stuck, but I’d be in the power forward position. As much as I love that position, I know I can do more.

“They’ve been putting me between the two and the five and just playing me wherever they need me, which I think has definitely boosted my growth. Hopefully, it will pay off in the season.”

Leslie, who also has four Olympic Games gold medals, played four seasons at the Trojans before being drafted by the hometown Los Angeles Sparks. She averaged 20.1 points (53.1% from the field) and 10.1 rebounds in 120 appearances.

She talked to the 2026-27 Trojans squad at the end of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s session, including Fagan, who made her Australian Opals debut earlier this year, and Florida State transfer Davis.

“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to come back home,” Leslie told the group.

“I know I don’t get a chance to come and sit and watch you guys play, only because I moved away to, you know, raise my kids.

“But what an honour to be able to put on this – I don’t know what our colours are called now, everybody has, like, different colours – but to have on (with) USC on your chest, to be able to represent the Women of Troy, it means a lot.

“Obviously, I had a chance to get a little glimpse of the great Cheryl Miller and the era of what they started. And I was a No. 1 recruit in the nation, just like a lot of you, and I wanted to come and stay home at USC and try to change the program around.

“I think at that time that we were probably – they were – I think they were, like, 10th or 12th in the Pac-10, it was what it was called. And I wanted to bet on me, and I wanted to bet on our city and try to change, and that’s why I came to USC.

“But I want to say, watching you guys, you know, times have changed. You guys get a chance to be seen and make money. You guys got agents and all these different things going on.

“But at the end of the day, it’s still about winning, right? It’s still about if you can hang banners here.

“And then that last hump is getting to a national championship, right?

“This is the hard part about being a leader. This is the hard part about trying to reach greatness, because you’ve got to compete every day.

“You know where competition starts? In practice. ‘We talkin about practice’. It’s in practice every day.

“And my teammates know, when I walked in, ‘Who ready to get it?’ I’m talking trash. ‘Who wanna get it today?’ Because you already know, baby, I don’t care if I’m on offence, I don’t care if I’m on defence.

“Coach (Marianne) Stanley, you know, you can give me the bench players. Give me them, and I’m on. I wanna play with the bench today, Coach. Don’t put me with the starters. Put me with the bench.

“Because, see, back then, we didn’t really have that many practice players. We played against each other.

“Competition starts – and I’m not saying you’ve got to be nasty about it, because it’s your teammate – but if I don’t come in here and make you better as a teammate, what are we doing?

“But I was here because I wanted to win, and I was mad when my teammates weren’t here.

“I got the key to the gym, y’all. We can go shoot. We can do drills. We can do anything if you’re married to the game.

“I was married to the game. I wanted to win.

“So when I look at you guys, I’m saying compete. Who’s trying to make somebody better? Whatever it is, you’ve got to learn to compete. That’s the habit of champions.

“Every day is an opportunity to compete. And if you don’t love competing, it’s probably not for you. I’m just saying, you probably don’t wanna shoot for the next level, because, baby, it’s a fight, because it’s a job. You understand?

“So learn to compete. And you don’t gotta be dirty about it, but you gotta compete. That’s the habit.

“That’s the difference.

“You have to have the attitude that anybody can get it. And every day you walk into the gym, you walk into the weight room, you have to be mentally prepared to go get your championship.

“If your goal is to play at the highest level, whether that’s for your country or whether that is in the WNBA, it doesn’t just happen. You go get it.

“I am so proud to be a Trojan. I’m so excited to have this opportunity, and I probably begged to be here.

“It would be amazing to one day be able to wear USC and see our Trojans there, cheering for you guys.”

The Trojans start their season against UNLV on Melbourne Cup Day – Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 8am (AEDT).