“44 is my new fav”: JuJu Watkins hypes up new USC teammate Kiki Iriafen in preseason photoshoot
USC star JuJu Watkins quickly formed a close connection with Kiki Iriafen, a Stanford transfer who arrived at USC this summer. They are connected by similar values, both being the natives of Los Angeles and wanting to bring home a national championship.
Their rapport was on full display during the Trojans' photoshoot day and when the duo traveled with coach Lindsay Gottlieb to Rosemont, Illinois, to attend Big Ten media day last month.
On Thursday, Iriafen shared multiple photos from the photoshoot on Instagram.
"Divine Timing!! #year4," she captioned the post.
JuJu Watkins, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner, commented on her post:
"44 is my new fav #," JuJu showered love in the comments, adding a smiling face with a heart emoji.
Watkins added another comment shortly after her first one.
"oh myyyyy," she wrote.
Kiki Iriafen's former teammates at Stanford, Brooke Demetre and Cameron Brink also commented on the post, showing their support for the new Trojan.
"Get it girl!" Brooke, a senior Cardinal wrote.
"Your year!!!❤️🔥, " the Los Angeles Sparks star chimed in.
The Trojans fans have been waiting to see the chemistry between Watkins and Iriafen on the court. Last season, the duo combined for over 1,600 points— Watkins scored 920 points while Iriafen amassed 698 points.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb speaks about the pairing of Juju Watkins and KiKi Iriafen
With Iriafen on board, Lindsay Gottlieb now has the flexibility to play his team in a multitude of ways. She believes her bonding with JuJu Watkins will unlock new possibilities for the Trojans' offense.
"I’ve been actually incredibly impressed with how fast their chemistry has developed. Kiki’s is a pro, she’s gonna be a pro, but it’s good for her, I think, to play with a guard who goes off script, who’s creative," Gottlieb said.
"I think JuJu and Kiki fit great together. . .a pick and roll threat, an inside-out threat. Kiki is also really versatile where she’s stretching her game and playing on the perimeter and she’s a good passer. That creates more space where maybe I can post JuJu up a little bit more, get her more in space."
Iriafen won the Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year and Katrina McClain Award, given to the best power forward in the nation.
Meanwhile, JuJu Watkins was awarded Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, USBWA National Freshman of the Year and a spot in the Unanimous All-American first team.