Women's Fastbreak On SI

USC Coach Reveals How Caitlin Clark Has Helped JuJu Watkins Navigate Stardom

USC Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb revealed what Caitlin Clark told her when asked how Gottlieb can help handle the rising stardom of JuJu Watkins.

Grant Young

Mar 25, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) with Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during an NCAA Women’s Tournament 2nd round game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 25, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) with Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during an NCAA Women’s Tournament 2nd round game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

In an October 2 article from the Associated Press (AP), Andrew Seligman quoted USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins telling the media, "I wouldn’t really say pressure,” when asked about whether there's any pressure to carry the torch of former Iowa Hawkeyes and current Indiana Fever Caitlin Clark when it comes to being the face of women's college basketball.

"So many great teams in this league, and I think my main focus is just winning with my team," Watkins added. "And wherever that takes us, we’re grateful. I’m grateful for this opportunity.”

That same article quotes Watkins' head coach at USC Lindsay Gottlieb saying she, "also contacted Clark and plans to call former coach Lisa Bluder, who retired in May, for advice on how to handle such a high-profile player."

In an interview with NBC Sports that aired on Friday, Gottlieb explained the advice Clark gave her on how to navigate Watkins' rise to fame.

"One of my biggest goals was to almost stay out of the way and let her step into her greatness," Gottlieb said. "And when she did that her freshman year, now with that comes a ton of attention.

"I reached out to Caitlin [Clark] and said, 'How can I help JuJu with this?'"

When asked what advice Clark gave her about managing Watkins' stardom, Gottlieb said, "She said I had that level of attention for like a year and a half, and she said JuJu is going to have it for three years."

Then Gottlieb said Clark added, "Let [me] get through the WNBA season, take a break, and then really ask [me] specifically about what she would do the same, and what she would do differently."

It's cool to hear how willing Clark was to give Gottlieb advice on ensuring Watkins' inevitable rise to superstardom goes as smoothly as can be.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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