Junior forward Yakiya “Kai” Milton is the third USC women’s basketball player to enter the transfer portal, according to reports on Monday, after she spent one season with the Trojans.
Milton was the tallest player on the team this season at 6-foot-5, but she never fully developed into her role. She averaged 7 minutes per game and contributed 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
The Jacksonville, Florida native spent two seasons at Auburn before joining the Trojans. She missed nearly half of her sophomore season due to injury and averaged 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.
Sophomore forward Dayana Mendes and junior guard Malia Samuels are also intending to hit the transfer portal. Mendes spent one season at USC, while Samuels had spent all three years of her career with the program.
The Trojans (18-14 overall, 9-9 Big Ten) lost to eventual national title runner-up South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but are expected to have a vastly improved season next year with a healthy JuJu Watkins, National Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson and a strong freshman class.
Six-foot-1 guard Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, will join the Trojans after earning McDonald’s All-American status as a high school senior. Sitaya Fagan, a 6-foot-4 Australian forward, will debut as well.
