Ryan Kartje (LA Times)  —  Kennedy Smith was only 14, just a few games into her freshman season at Etiwanda High, when she first crossed paths on the court with Kiki Iriafen, who played at Harvard-Westlake. Four years later, with both at USC, Iriafen still vividly remembers her first impression.

“I did not like her,” Iriafen said, with a laugh. “She was a pest.”

The two get along great now, as top-line starters for top-seeded USC, which is set to begin its NCAA tournament run with a Saturday afternoon matchup against No. 16 North Carolina Greensboro. What made Smith unbearable on the court then, it turns out, has made her an irreplaceable part of a Trojan lineup that now has serious Final Four aspirations.

“Everything you see from her this year, she’s always been like that,” Iriafen said. “She’s fearless.”

That game against Iriafen, as a freshman, stands out in Stan Delus’ mind in particular. That was when the Etiwanda coach first saw that there was something different about Smith. Up against one of the top players in Southern California, the 14-year old Smith only ratcheted up her intensity, blanketing Iriafen whenever she touched the ball and blocking multiple shots from the much taller senior forward.

“Kennedy went at her — you would have swore she was 7-feet tall,” Delus said. “She wasn’t afraid of the moment. And since then, the moment has never been too big.”

USC is counting on that to be the case in the coming weeks as the stakes continue to ratchet up this March. With opposing teams sure to focus their attention on Iriafen and star sophomore JuJu Watkins, the Trojans need others in their rotation to rise to the occasion in key moments if they hope to make the deep run they know they’re capable of.

USC guard Kennedy Smith celebrates after scoring while being fouled against Ohio State on Feb. 8 at Galen Center. (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

Doing so inevitably means relying, in a big way, on freshmen without any tournament experience, such as Smith. She’s not the only one with a critical complementary role, either — freshman guards Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel have also emerged as staples in the Trojans’ young lineup, averaging 20 and 17 minutes per game, respectively, after coming in as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country last fall.

All three have brought a certain fearlessness to the court as freshmen, whether it be Howell confidently pulling the trigger from deep or Heckel knifing through the lane. None of them, however, have been tested on a stage such as the NCAA tournament, and since last Sunday’s announcement, plenty of prognosticators have pointed to USC’s relative inexperience as reason to doubt the Trojans.

But Smith was raised, from a young age, to weather that sort of crucible on the court. She sharpened her skills by playing in the backyard alongside her older brother, R.J., who now plays at Colorado, and his male friends, none of whom would let up on her account. On travel teams, she always played up at least two age levels.

“I never wanted anyone to take it easy,” Smith said. “I had to prove to myself that I could keep up.”

Kennedy Smith steals the ball from Michigan guard Mila Holloway during a win at Galen Center in December. USC’s success in the NCAA tournament could weigh heavily on Smith’s taking pressure off JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen. (Gina Ferazzi / LAT)

The impact of that basketball upbringing only became more clear to Delus as Smith grew as a player. She excelled, from the start, as an on-ball defender. But she played primarily in the post as a freshman. As years went on, she extended that defensive prowess to the perimeter and her range to the three-point line.

Along the way, she helped lift Etiwanda to consecutive state titles in her junior and senior seasons, averaging over 20 points per game. As a junior, she personally shut down Watkins in her final game at Sierra Canyon, holding her to an uncharacteristic 16-point night. It was another occasion in which the moment never seemed too big.

JuJu Watkins is averaging 26.4 points over the last 10 games and is motivated by their recent loss to the Bruins, as well as coming up short of an NCAA championship last year. “We have a chip on our shoulder,” Watkins said. “(The NCAA Tournament) is just a new season, so we’re wiping the slate clean and we know what we need to do.”

“There has always been a big, bright light on me and my team,” Smith said.

This season has been no different, as Smith arrived as the crown jewel of the Trojans’ top recruiting class and immediately stepped into the starting lineup. But where Smith started her high school career as the primary option on offense, she’s had to carve out more of a complementary role alongside Watkins and Iriafen, who both dominate the ball.

She’s made settling in look seamless as a freshman. So much so that her monthlong injury absence in November and December was, according to coach Lindsay Gottlieb, a major reason the Trojans were derailed in their first loss to Notre Dame. Last month, after USC beat Ohio State, Buckeyes coach Kevin McGuff declared Smith “the unsung hero for this team.”

But Smith, a self-proclaimed perfectionist, has been hard on herself this season, nonetheless. Nevermind that she’s third on the team in scoring (9.5 points), while emerging as one of the best on-ball defenders in the Big Ten — all as a freshman.

It’s just in her nature, her teammates say.

“She expects greatness out of herself,” guard Talia von Oelhoffen said. “That’s what makes her who she is, what makes her so good.”

And for USC, at the start of a possible tournament run, its fearless freshman is part of why the Final Four feels within reach.

“She’s a huge part of our ability to make a long run now,” Gottlieb said. “But even more so, I think she’s going to be a problem for everyone else in the country for several years.

“Because we think she’s that good.”

What’s Next…

USC’s expedition to a possible national championship starts Saturday when USC (28-3) hosts UNC Greensboro (25-6) at noon in the Galen Center. The Trojans are the top seed in the Spokane 2 region and the Spartans are the No. 16 seed. The Spartans have won 14 consecutive games dating to Jan. 16 and captured the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles.

Senior guard Jayde Campbell does it all for them as she leads the Spartans in points (11.8), assists (2.6) and steals (2.1) per game. Senior forward Khalis Cain averages a team-high 8.9 rebounds to go with 8.0 points per game.

latimes.com