She may have hung up her Crimson jersey, but college basketball has not seen the last of Temi Fagbenle ’15. The forward will head west for one final year of college hoops as she gets set to join the University of Southern California women’s basketball team for the 2015-2016 season while working towards a graduate degree.
After sitting out her freshman season at Harvard, Fagbenle has one remaining year of eligibility. NCAA regulations required that she sit out her rookie season after waiting three years—rather than the maximum of two that is allowed—to enroll at a university after passing Britain’s General Certificate of Secondary Education exam.
Rather than competing on the floor of Lavietes Pavilion during the 2011-2012 season, Fagbenle instead donned the jersey of Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics. During the tournament, Fagbenle started in three of her country’s five games and saw minutes in all five contests. Playing on one of the world’s biggest stages, she averaged 4.8 points and four rebounds per game.
Upon her return to Cambridge, Fagbenle made her presence felt right from the start. In her first season on the court, she earned the title of Ivy League Rookie of the Year, eventually going on to become a three-time All-Ivy selection. During her senior season, she recorded 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Now, Fagbenle will make her move to the Pac-12 conference, joining a team that last reached the NCAA tournament just a year ago—something that the Crimson was unable to accomplish during the forward’s tenure.
"We are proud and excited to add Temi to our team," said USC coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke in a press release published on April 29. "Temi is the consummate student-athlete. Temi is an impact athlete, with over 30 double-doubles at Harvard. Her length and speed will anchor our defense, and her offensive skills and versatility will enable us to utilize her in a variety of ways.”
“As a Harvard graduate and an Olympian, Temi's maturity, intellect and international experience will command the respect of her teammates, and she will be a valued voice and leader on our team,” Cooper-Dyke added.
Fagbenle joins a Trojan roster that features several international players. When announcing the addition of Fagbenle, USC also introduced European recruit Candela Abejon of Spain. Shortly after making that announcement, USC brought in two new Australian recruits—Khaedin Taito and Dani Milisic.
The Trojans finished the 2014-2015 campaign with a 15-15 record, seeing their season come to an end with a first-round loss in the Pac-12 Tournament against Colorado. With USC graduating its top scorer, Alexyz Vaioletama, who averaged 12 points per game this year, Fagbenle will look to bring a strong scoring presence to her new team. The 6’4” forward will also add to USC’s size as the Trojans had just one player over 6’2” on its roster last season.
