At USC, JuJu Watkins’ fame is still growing (again, and not for the last time)
A legend is not merely a player with a lot of points scored. Despite scoring a lot of points, a lot of basketball players have not become household names. On an epic scale that is treasured by generations of sports fans, the formula for true excellence transcends the box score and the stat sheet.
Becoming great is about how you handle adversity. To be great means to elevate a team. Being great means having to pay the price in order to succeed, and then succeeding. Being great is about building relationships with followers and a community that endures and leaves a lasting impression on the public.
On Friday night, JuJu Watkins scored 51 points in the loss to Stanford. According to Luca Evans of the Orange County Register, in his most current article about JuJu, the moment became legendary because of the surrounding circumstances, even if the display was incredibly spectacular in and of itself.
We’ll present some noteworthy quotations from that piece together with further images of JuJu Watkins, a sportsman who is fast making a name for himself as a unique USC Trojan with resonance that is starting to grow to significant heights:
NOTHING BUT PAIN AND GAIN
A week ago, Evans wrote in the aftermath of USC’s humiliating loss to Washington in preparation for Watkins’ titanic match at Stanford this Friday:
Watkins had made 8 of 27 shots. Lindsay Gottlieb, the three-year coordinator of USC’s comeback and a former assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a tough cookie and didn’t hold back when she wanted to talk to Watkins prior to their team’s Monday film session. Watkins, though, had treatment. Therefore, there was no time to prepare her for ugly tape or ugly comments, as Watkins was in the middle of a 31-game skid of 5-for-31 shooting from three-point range.
Gottlieb also moved film in front of their elevator that day, prior to their training. She addressed the gathered throng, saying, ‘We have to watch it. It must cause discomfort. After that, we must proceed.
ON THE SAME PAGE: COACH AND PLAYER
Evans keeps on covering the USC film session following the defeat by Washington: At that instant, Gottlieb turned to face Watkins. The first-year student kept looking. Watkins turned to glance back. direct gaze. The faces of USC women’s basketball’s comeback had a moment together of an implicit affirmation between an 18-year-old and an experienced coach that said, “I got you.”
“When a young player says, ‘I’m with you,’ it sets the tone for the team,” Gottlieb recalled on Saturday afternoon. “And I knew right then and there that we were going to be okay.”
GOTTLIEB WASTED BY JUJU.
Gottlieb said to Evans, “To see her come out and respond this way, I think it is going to go into the storybook of JuJu.”
Yes, the 51 points and the victory over No. 4 Stanford are fantastic, but what elevates this entire story to a completely new plane of excellence is the fact that Watkins’ incredible effort came right after his worst game of the year. When faced with obstacles and pressure to improve, the most exceptional athletes perform in this manner.
THE WINNER’S MINDSET
Watkins said to Evans, “I haven’t been able to sleep for these past couple weeks well, past week, coming off some losses.” While most athletes detest losing, the greatest have a special intolerance for it that propels them to new heights. JuJu Watkins is one example of this.
WORKOUT RAT
“Gotlieb added that she received a call from a security guard at USC’s Galen Center on the exact night of the defeat to Washington, informing her that Watkins was still in the gym.”
Does that sum up JuJu Watkins’s character? Indeed. That’s a pretty clear picture of an athlete’s obsession with finding quick solutions to issues.
When Juju decided to choose USC over Stanford, she trusted Gollibe.ย “I never forget it,” Gottlieb remarked on Saturday. I always give it some thought since I believe she is unique. I doubt that many individuals would have the same level of courage as her. She believed in L.A. and USC, as well as in herself and us.
Gottlieb Retains Faith in Juju
Evans describes JuJu as “someone Gottlieb has faith in, just as Watkins has faith in Gottlieb.” And that entailed, as Gottlieb has stated numerous times, granting her independence. Not suppressing JuJu’s uniqueness. Every shot Watkins made on Friday, when he scored an almost unbelievable 51 of USC’s 67 points (against Stanford), was written in stone.
In our most recent USC women’s basketball podcast, we discussed this: Gottlieb is unable to micromanage JuJu, nor should he. On the court, she must trust her superstar to make the right choices and grant her freedom. JuJu makes mistakes, and the movie will show Watkins how to improve. Gottlieb will not attempt to handle her star in an overly interventionist manner. It’s a careful procedure based on shared trust.
GOTTLIEB WITH JUJU
Gottlieb said to Evans on Saturday, “What she’s doing for our program transcends just the stats and numbers.” “It’s really important, I think, in women’s basketball and in sport.”
Does Gottlieb exaggerate the situation? We don’t believe that. This is demonstrated by the notes that follow. Beyond racking up a ton of points, Watkins is crafting a meaningful set of experiences.