Tag: Juju Watkins

JuJu Watkins carries USC to one-point win over Penn State with late comeback

JuJu Watkins has played just five games at USC and is already doing extraordinary things.

The legend of JuJu Watkins is already growing, but the crazy part is that USC’s basketball superstar has played only five games. Most freshmen — most mere mortals — require at least half of a season to begin to own the stage and settle into the rhythms of the college game after dominating at the high school level. Most freshmen need time to become their fully-realized selves as elite athletes.

Not JuJu. She is not ordinary. She is one of the special ones.

Just five games into her USC career, she has posted three games with at least 30 points. She is already racking up double-doubles with 30-point tallies. She is already dominating fourth quarters of games. She is already creating the kinds of moments only special athletes produce.

She left an indelible mark on Wednesday night’s 71-70 USC win over Penn State in The Bahamas.

Watkins was not at her best in the first 38 minutes of this 40-minute game. She was, however, the dominant force in the final two minutes and the only reason USC won by a point after trailing 70-64 with 2:15 left.

Watkins did cough up seven turnovers against Penn State’s relentless attacking defense. This was the first game in 2023 in which Watkins and USC didn’t handle on-ball pressure particularly well. USC’s defense was not the reason Penn State scored 70 points. USC’s 20 giveaways enabled Penn State to push the ball up the court and score before USC’s halfcourt defense could get set up. Penn State turned defense into offense on a night when USC starter Kaitlyn Davis was out with an injury. Watkins and her USC teammates struggled without Davis, whose value to the team and particularly its halfcourt offense became glaringly apparent.

Watkins, with USC trailing by six points at the 2:15 mark of regulation, was missing a key teammate. She was having a difficult game. No one else was stepping up. Players were naturally thrown off guard by the adjusted lineups. It seemed USC was about to drop its first game of the season.

JuJu Watkins wouldn’t allow that to happen. She scored seven points in the final two minutes on two layups and a 3-pointer. Her go-ahead layup in the final 30 seconds was an amazing step-through move between two defenders, a difficult maneuver Watkins performed with ease. USC’s defense was able to shut out Penn State in the final two minutes while JuJu did her thing. Watkins shrugged off all the struggles of the first 38 minutes and showed not only how skilled she is; she revealed how much mental toughness and competitive brilliance she already owns as a freshman.

The Trojans moved to 5-0 and won on a night when they were missing Kaitlyn Davis.

The legend of JuJu Watkins is growing rapidly, and she has played just five games. How many more of these kinds of moments will she create in her freshman season?

We can’t wait to find out. JuJu is a must-see athlete. If you can get to the Galen Center, do so. You are watching a superstar at USC.

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USC women’s basketball wins easily over Seton Hall despite JuJu Watkins shooting struggles

This is the sign of a very good team.

The USC Trojans played a power conference opponent on Monday night in The Bahamas. The USC women’s basketball team faced Seton Hall, part of a multi-game trip to the Caribbean.

JuJu Watkins, USC’s best player, did not shoot well in this game. She was 6 of 17 from the field, 1 of 5 on 3-pointers, and 2 of 6 at the free throw line. It is hard to imagine a player of Watkins’ caliber shooting any worse than this in any future game this season. She might shoot poorly from the field and from 3-point range in a future game, but not from the foul line. In terms of a full slash line, this was a worst-case scenario or at least something close to it.

If you had been told Watkins would shoot this poorly, you probably would have thought USC would have at least sweated out this game, needing to fight deep into the fourth quarter to fend off Seton Hall.

Nope. It didn’t happen.

USC led by 15 at halftime, by 20 after three quarters, and was still up by 11 points with just over two minutes left. The Trojans were so good on defense, as they typically are under Lindsay Gottlieb and Beth Burns, that Seton Hall never got particularly close at any point in the final three quarters.

USC is extremely good when it successfully plays defense without fouling. On Monday, we got a first-class example of this trait. USC allowed only four free throw attempts to Seton Hall while earning 25 free throws of its own. The 15-point difference USC gained at the foul line (16-1) was the central, essential difference in the Trojans’ 64-54 win.

Rayah Marshall had yet another double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds for USC. Four Trojan starters finished with at least 12 points. USC’s defense, in addition to not fouling much — 10 total fouls for the whole game — forced 16 Seton Hall turnovers.

Imagine if USC football had a defense as good as USC women’s basketball.

The Trojans, now 4-0 for the season, will stay in The Bahamas to play Penn State on Wednesday.

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JuJu Watkins scores 35 points in easy USC win, helps Trojans for the long haul

USC got its backups a lot of work, thanks to JuJu.

One aspect of building a complete team and a deeper program in college sports is easy to overlook. When a team is playing dramatically inferior opponents, no one is worried about the actual outcome. Winning is a foregone conclusion. What really matters in these games is not winning — since that is never in doubt — but giving the bench and the backups a lot of work.

Coaches need to be able to throw their backups into live-action situations so that they can evaluate those players and thereby coach them better as the season goes along. Those backup players need the reps so that they learn how to play and face various situations. The starters don’t need the extra time. The backups do. When the backups develop, a team creates a better and deeper roster in the current season. When the backups develop, they become more prepared not only for the current season, but for next year. Younger players fit into the system and grow. When they improve, they give a coach more options for the future.

JuJu Watkins is the star of this USC team. More precisely, she is the superstar on this team, with Rayah Marshall being the star who helps her out.

On Monday against Le Moyne College, Watkins didn’t just score 35 points on 13 of 20 shooting. She helped USC gain a 26-point halftime lead so that coach Lindsay Gottlieb could clear the bench and give her backups a lot of work in the second half. USC cruised to a 93-42 win and handed Le Moyne (based in New York state) a large check for its cross-country flight to Los Angeles. The game was less about building a resume or giving Watkins a good test.

This game was for the backups. USC achieved its main goal of giving the backups ample action.

In a 40-minute game with five players on the floor, a college basketball team and coach have to manage 200 game minutes. In this win over Le Moyne, Gottlieb and assistant Beth Burns were able to give extended minutes to their backups. Of the 200 minutes played on Monday, 104 went to the starters and 96 to the backups, almost a 50-50 split. Five USC backups played at least 15 minutes, six played at least 12.

The importance of the game was much less about actual numbers and statistical output, much more about getting backups some work. USC did that. It will be exciting to see how much depth Gottlieb and Burns can develop around Watkins, Marshall, and the rest of the starting five.

Watkins, by scoring 35 points and putting this game away early, was a good teammate. She made sure the backups got an extended opportunity. She helped set the table for the rest of the season, or at least for the coming weeks of practice and player development at USC.

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JuJu Watkins, Caleb Williams and Isaiah Collier could all be No. 1 draft picks for USC

WNBA, NFL, NBA. #USC has a real chance to create No. 1 draft picks in three sports leagues.

It was a magical 50-hour period for USC athletics from Saturday night through Monday night. USC football did not beat Washington, but Caleb Williams played a brilliant game for the Trojans on the gridiron, doing everything he could to lift the Men of Troy to victory. He played a vintage game worthy of his 2022 Heisman Trophy.

Caleb Williams was questioned as an NFL draft prospect heading into the Washington game. Some analysts were saying North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye had surpassed him on the draft board. Caleb shut down that talk with his display against Washington. He stamped himself as the No. 1 pick and put his skeptics in their place.

Two days later in Las Vegas, USC basketball delivered a dynamic duo of fabulous freshmen who dominated in their first college games.

JuJu Watkins scored 32 points in a spectacular debut for USC women’s basketball. The Women of Troy defeated No. 6 Ohio State, with Watkins easily establishing herself as the best player on the floor.

Isaiah Collier was the best player on the floor for the USC men’s basketball team. His strength and power were on full display in a 13-point win over a good Kansas State team which made the Elite Eight last season and is expected to be an NCAA Tournament team this season.

Do we realize what is happening here? Caleb Williams, JuJu Watkins, and Isaiah Collier could all be No. 1 draft picks in their future professional sports leagues (the NFL, WNBA, and NBA).

Let’s look at how fans and experts are assessing these three USC superstars in their respective sports:

National reaction to JuJu Watkins’ dominant women’s basketball debut at USC

JuJu Watkins owned the stage in her #USC debut. Reactions poured in from across the country.

Well, now! That was quite a way to make an entrance for JuJu Watkins.

The USC freshman played her very first regular-season game as a Trojan on Monday. She did so in Las Vegas, a city of dreams and aspirations. She faced the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes, a team with big dreams of its own. The Buckeyes are expected to battle Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Big Ten championship this season. USC, ranked in the top 25 in the preseason polls but just outside the top 20, faced a very big challenge.

JuJu Watkins was going to need to do something special in her first game in order to beat the Buckeyes and give USC women’s basketball a great start to its season.

Does 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting sound good enough for you? What about six rebounds and five assists as well?

Watkins dominated a top-10 opponent in her first USC game. She didn’t need a warm-up game against Long Beach State or Cal-State Bakersfield. She was thrown into the fire against Ohio State and immediately played like a No. 1 recruit.

Social media reaction was swift and clear: USC has something very, very special on its hands.

Let’s see how people responded to this electric collegiate debut for JuJu Watkins:

JuJu Watkins delivers spectacular USC debut as Trojans beat No. 6 Ohio State in Vegas

WOW!

The first collegiate game for the top recruit in the United States is a big occasion for any college sports program. In basketball, football, baseball, and any other sport, the status of a No. 1 recruit draws instant attention. Will that player pan out? Will that prospect be as good as advertised? Will that recruit have a significant impact on the program? USC women’s basketball point guard JuJu Watkins answered those kinds of questions quite emphatically in her USC women’s basketball debut on Monday in Las Vegas.

Watkins, the No. 1 recruit in America for the 2023 class, stepped onto a court in a live regular-season game for the first time as a USC Trojan in Vegas against No. 6 Ohio State, a legitimate Final Four contender.

Watkins was the best player on the floor in her freshman debut. How about that for a first impression?

Watkins dominated Ohio State, scoring 32 points while accumulating six rebounds and five steals. Watkins’ 32 points came on a very efficient 11-of-18 shooting performance from the field.

Watkins definitely had a lot of help from her USC teammates, especially Rayah Marshall, the returning forward who gives the Trojans frontcourt defense and rebounding. Marshall was also outstanding, delivering 18 points, 17 rebounds, and six steals.

Yet, USC won this game primarily because of Watkins.

It was Watkins who built a 46-28 halftime lead for the Trojans. When she got into foul trouble in the third quarter, Ohio State promptly outscored USC 19-2 in the several minutes after she left. The Buckeyes took the lead by the end of the third quarter, which was a disaster for the Trojans.

Watkins entered the fourth quarter with four fouls and had to find a way to be effective while staying on the floor.

She did.

She didn’t foul out. She played the fourth quarter and scored several quick points to restore USC’s lead. The Trojans won 83-74 and already have a statement win one day into their new season.

Not bad for a freshman making her collegiate debut.

The JuJu Watkins era at USC is off to a flying start.

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JuJu Watkins named USA TODAY HSSA National Girls Basketball Player of the Year

JuJu Watkins was honored by @HSSportsAwards. She’ll try to lift #USC to a higher tier in women’s college hoops. #USATODAYHSSA

The USC men’s basketball team has gained national attention due to the arrival of Bronny James and the presence of Isaiah Collier, who was named the USA TODAY HSSA National Boys Basketball Player of the Year for 2023.

The Trojans’ women’s basketball team is not to be ignored. USC has the No. 1 recruit in the country in the women’s game, with JuJu Watkins of Sierra Canyon High School staying home in Southern California to play for coach Lindsey Gottlieb and the Women of Troy.

Watkins has been named the USA TODAY HSSA National Girls Basketball Player of the Year, giving USC a sweep of the awards in high school hoops for 2023.

Last season, USC women’s basketball played elite defense but lacked the scorers and shooters who could provide instant and reliable offense on a consistent basis. Watkins will try to become that meal-ticket scorer, which could be transformative for the Trojans as they try to make a deeper run in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

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USC athletics: where the stars want to play

National media interest in #USC — not just football, but basketball — will create a remarkable atmosphere the next 10 months.

USC athletics has enjoyed significant growth and improvement in football since Lincoln Riley arrived, but an upward trajectory has spread to men’s and women’s basketball.

Of course this is still a football school, and of course football matters most to every USC fan, as it should, but the Trojans are entering rare territory within the larger history of their athletic department.

When was the last time USC entered a new college sports cycle in late August with this much excitement and publicity surrounding all three revenue sports: football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball? Let’s put this exciting time for USC athletics into perspective, savoring the relevance USC has attained and is continuing to build in prominent sports thanks to the arrival of Bronny James, joining Juju Watkins, Caleb Williams, Lincoln Riley, Isaiah Collier, and other bright lights in Los Angeles?

National media figures are more interested in USC. Media podcasts, such as the Last Word On Sports podcast, have talked to us at Trojans Wire. It’s such a new and exciting time.

Let’s give you a taste of the newer, bigger appetite for USC sports across the country:

USC’s run of elite recruiting has one superstar left to go: Bronny James

Isaiah Collier, No. 1 MBB recruit. Juju Watkins, No. 1 WBB recruit. Bear Alexander, No. 1 portal prospect. Can #USC land Bronny now?

It has been a remarkable college sports cycle for USC athletics in its revenue sports. The Trojans put both basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament and reached a New Year’s Six bowl in football, something done by only two other schools in this cycle: Alabama and Tennessee.

USC recruited the top-ranked prospects in men’s and women’s basketball, landing Isaiah Collier and JuJu Watkins. It retained Boogie Ellis for one more season. It just landed the top-ranked (spring) transfer portal prospect, Bear Alexander. We’re waiting to see if the Trojans can close the door and land Bronny James, who — though not the No. 1 prospect on the board — would carry value beyond recruiting rankings. Bronny choosing USC would make Trojan basketball much more of a destination program for other recruits. USC becoming “the place to be” for basketball, not just football, is exactly how Andy Enfield can build the Trojans into a Final Four-level program, a team which can expect to contend for college basketball’s biggest prizes. Let’s say more about this below:

USC commit Juju Watkins opens up on Nike Hoop Summit, Trojans decision

#USC WBB commit Juju Watkins (ankle) didn’t play at the Nike Hoop Summit, but the selection meant a lot to her.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team returned to the NCAA Tournament but suffered a first-round loss to South Dakota State. Nonetheless, there is a ton of excitement for this program moving forward, and USC signee Juju Watkins is one of the main reasons why.

Watkins is a part of the first USA women’s team at the Nike Hoop Summit, and her arrival there brought a humbling reaction (h/t Marc Spears of Andscape). Watkins didn’t play in the summit due to concerns about an ankle injury, but the selection to the team meant a lot to her.

“It always means something to wear USA on your chest,” Watkins said. Whenever you’re wearing it, you’re representing ladies, all the Olympians and junior USA players. So, to be a part of that bigger legacy is very empowering.”

Watkins is largely considered the No. 1 recruit in the entire class. She was named the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Girls Player of the Year.

Trojan head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who has turned the program around, couldn’t stop raving about Watkins’ talent:

“Juju is a transcendent talent,” Gottlieb said. “With her size and skill level, she does things on the court that are exceptional. But she makes them look seamless.”

The Sierra Canyon High School star also opened up on her decision to play at USC. It’s a local decision:

“I’m big on repping from where I come from. So, to be able to wear USC across my chest and represent my community and where I come from, it’s important.”

The men’s team landed Isaiah Collier and the women’s team brought in Juju Watkins. Both players have very high ceilings, the best possible news for USC hoops’ two rising programs.

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