“She’s unreal to be around”: USC’s HC Lindsay Gottlieb commends JuJu Watkins’ talent
USC star JuJu Watkins has had an incredible first season in college basketball and coach Lindsay Gottlieb has been blown away by her talent. Gottlieb, who enters her fourth season with the Trojans, believes Watkins will play a big part in her plans moving forward.
At the media day roundtable this week, several Big Ten coaches gathered to discuss the upcoming season and Lindsay Gottlieb was among the voices. She responded when asked what it's like coaching Watkins, one of the most exciting players in the country.
"She's unreal to be around every single day. I think it starts with her effort and her care factor," Lindsay said. "I've told the story before; her first workout, freshman year was a conditioning workout she dove across the line to make her time." [24:04]
"When your best player puts in that type of effort and has that type of care for the program and her teammates, I think that gives you something special," she added. "I think Big Ten fan bases and opponents will be excited because she just brings a level and intensity that makes the game better."
USC Trojans will play their first season in the Big Ten after departing from Pac-12. JuJu Watkins averaged 27.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, leading USC to the conference tournament glory and they made it to the Elite Eight. She also broke the freshman record for the most points in a season with 920.
Can Lindsay Gottlieb's USC dominate Big Ten?
USC was a mid-major program before Lindsay Gottlieb took over three years ago. The Trojans' last appearance in the NCAA tournament was in 2014 and they were unable to reach the Elite Eight since 1994.
Gottlieb, in a short period of time, transformed the program and brought it back into the big picture. After guiding USC to a Pac-12 tournament win last season, the former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant is confident that her team can challenge the elite schools in the Big Ten.
"Here we are with the best player in the country, with the potential to have a really nationally prominent team for a long time, and to be at the cutting edge of everything that’s going on," Gottlieb said about USC. "That’s something I really embraced."
However, unlike the Pac-12, the Big Ten has several top programs like Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and UCLA.
To compete against these teams, Lindsay Gottlieb added nine players — two from transfers and seven freshmen, including Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell to the roster for the upcoming season.