USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb channels Gregg Popovich with short in-game interview

For some coaches, in-game interviews don’t seem to be a big issue. Other coaches, though, are still getting used to them. Lindsay Gottlieb, USC’s women’s basketball coach, is firmly in the second group.

Gottlieb’s No. 7 USC team took on No. 4 UConn on Saturday in a game that could well be a Final Four preview. The Trojans were in control for much of the game, leading 44-29 at halftime and 51-33 in the third quarter. But the Huskies crawled back into the game and trailed only 55-49 heading into the fourth quarter.

But before the fourth quarter began, Gottlieb had to do an interview with Fox’s Allison Williams. Williams asked Gottlieb what she would tell her team in response to UConn’s run. Gottlieb channeled her inner Gregg Popovich, even naming the San Antonio Spurs during her brief interview.

“These in-game interviews are interesting,” Gottlieb said. “I’m gonna do my best Coach Pop and ‘Stop turning the thing over.’ We gotta take care of the ball.”

Lindsay Gottlieb does NOT like in-game interviews pic.twitter.com/tm5SCrtfzf

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) December 22, 2024

Gottlieb made sure the interview ended there as she immediately turned around and walked back to the USC bench. The Huskies continued to trim into the lead in the fourth quarter and briefly went ahead. But the Trojans fought back and came away with a 72-70 win.

In-game interviews are oft-criticized. Coaches rarely say anything significant and with that, it’s easy to wonder how important they really are.

But for networks, they are important. We know this because they’ve only become more common over the years and are now in nearly every sport — especially on national broadcasts. If you’re the coach of a top team in a mainstream sport, in-game interviews are something you need to be used to.

[Photo Credit: Fox]