It is the stuff of legend.
A No. 1-ranked recruit chooses to stay home, in front of her friends and family, and revive a long-dormant college basketball program with a proud past. JuJu Watkins could have gone to Dawn Staley’s South Carolina juggernaut or Kim Mulkey’s powerhouse at LSU or Geno Auriemma’s Connecticut dynasty. She was the best high school player in women’s basketball in the Class of 2023. She could write her own ticket.
She chose home. She chose USC. It was a remarkable display of faith and trust in Lindsay Gottlieb.
Would such a decision be rewarded, or would it become apparent that USC just isn’t — and wasn’t — what it once was? Would USC make some small and modest gains but never even approach what the elite women’s basketball programs are doing today?
JuJu Watkins hoped for the magical story, but merely hoping for the fairy-tale outcome hardly guarantees it. Would this big life choice be met with regret, or would this player’s loyalty to USC — to Los Angeles — be rewarded?
The drama attached to JuJu Watkins’ choice to become a USC Trojan was — and still is — enormous. She could have chosen the sure thing — South Carolina, UConn, or other established programs — but she wanted to revive USC.
Watkins’ success — USC’s success — is magnified by what we’re seeing on the court. It really is the stuff of legend, and we’re going to provide a few central snapshots of Watkins’ legendary performance against No. 2 UCLA on Sunday. Let’s take a little journey through this game and its aftermath: