“I reached out to Caitlin [Clark]”: USC HC Lindsay Gottlieb reveals how Iowa helped with JuJu Watkins’ NCAA development
Even though USC Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb gave JuJu Watkins opportunities to grow last season, the nuances of having a generational talent forced her to contact Caitlin Clark. In a conversation with NBC Sports released on Friday, Gottlieb revealed that she was in constant conversation with the Iowa Hawkeyes and Clark to foster Watkins' potential.
Lindsay Gottlieb's efforts came in light of making the most out of the massive attention on Watkins while ensuring that the guard continues to improve her game. She said Clark not only attended to Gottlieb's concerns but also gave the USC coach her personal contact details. (Start at 2:22)
"Our Administration has reached out to Iowa quite a bit and said ‘Okay tell us what we need to know, you know, some of the things that Caitlin dealt with,’ Gottlieb said. "I reached out to Caitlin and said ‘How can I help JuJu with this?’ I feel like it's my job to to make sure that I'm using all the resources."
Moreover, Gottlieb also consulted her contacts in the men's game for how to help JuJu Watkins amid the fame.
"I've tapped into my NBA people saying ‘Okay when you have someone you know who's going to get this much attention, how do you, A - keep them safe?, but B - allow them to embrace everything that's going on?’”
Even though Lindsay Gottlieb prefers to have Watkins take on the leadership role, she also encourages the guard to be open about her concerns and needs.
JuJu Watkins is one of the biggest names in women's Division I basketball heading into the season. She scored a record-setting 920 points as a freshman last year and was the second-highest scorer in college basketball. She averaged 27.1 points per game while Clark led the country with 31.6 ppg.
What did Caitlin Clark say to Lindsay Gottlieb about JuJu Watkins?
Apart from encouraging Gottlieb to reach her whenever she wants, Clark shed light on the possibility of JuJu Watkins receiving years of attention from the hoops world in the future.
“First of all, she’s so gracious," Gottlieb said. “She literally took my phone and said, ‘Here’s my number. Reach out, call me, see how I can help.’ But essentially she said that I had that attention for, she said like a year and a half. JuJu is going to have it for three years."
At the time, Caitlin Clark was navigating her rookie season with the Indiana Fever. Due to Clark's tiring schedule, Gottlieb allowed her to go through the season before discussing additional concerns.
With that, the coach picked Clark's brain on things she would repeat or do differently from her time in Iowa. She also enquired about security and efficiency, topics that the Hawkeyes program assisted with.