When Lindsay Gottlieb seems again on final basketball season, it’s not possible not to think about the strain. The highlight on USC burned brightly from Day 1 final fall, the entire hoops world seemingly ready on JuJu Watkins to raise the Trojans to a nationwide title. Everybody throughout the program felt that weight. Even USC’s coach.
“Everybody felt we have been a nationwide championship contender,” Gottlieb stated.
There have been classes realized by way of that crucible, she admits now, and loads of issues she would possibly do in another way. Although nobody may’ve deliberate for Watkins’ knee to buckle awkwardly beneath her within the second spherical of the NCAA event — or for the damage to rob her of the complete subsequent season at USC, throwing an enormous wrench into the Trojans’ trajectory.
Now, as USC prepares for a season with out its famous person, there isn’t any such strain. Because the Trojans’ season suggestions off Tuesday towards New Mexico State, the highlight might be busy shining elsewhere. As a result of so far as the faculty hoops world is now involved, with Watkins sidelined, there aren’t any outdoors expectations for the Trojans to begin this season.
USC guard JuJu Watkins high-fives head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Watkins’ star standing introduced nationwide title expectations final season.
(Jae C. Hong / Related Press)
A 12 months in the past, Gottlieb needed to confront that hype head-on. “It might have been silly to disregard the [expectations],” she stated.
However this 12 months? “I feel it might be silly to do something however ignore them.”
After mounting a run to the Elite Eight final March — partly, with out Watkins — USC was voted No. 18 within the preliminary Related Press prime 25 ballot. Gottlieb dismissed preseason polls as largely “educated guesses” when requested final month concerning the Trojans’ rating. Some followers, although, noticed it as disrespectful after a season through which USC misplaced simply 4 video games and received the Massive Ten common season title.
However the reality is the Trojans do open the season with much more questions than solutions. USC misplaced not simply Watkins, however six of its prime seven scorers from the Elite Eight group to both damage, the WNBA or the switch portal. It has no confirmed gamers within the frontcourt, with a four-big committee anticipated to open the season. To not point out one of many hardest schedules within the nation awaiting them, with 4 video games towards the preseason prime three: UCLA, South Carolina and Connecticut.
“There’s much more that’s nonetheless unknown than at the moment final 12 months,” stated Gottlieb, who’s coming into her fifth season as coach. “And in order that’s me, having my work reduce out for me.”
That work begins with Watkins — or slightly, the gaping void her absence leaves on each ends of the ground.
Gottlieb has no delusions of somebody stepping proper into the famous person’s place. Even whether it is tempting to attach the dots to freshman Jazzy Davidson, the nation’s prime prospect in 2025.
“Nobody is filling JuJu’s sneakers. These are very distinctive sneakers,” Gottlieb stated. “However the truth that Jazzy can step into our program and already simply make a extremely distinctive and unbelievable impression on all people is fairly wild.
“She’s actually, actually good. I’ll begin with that. She’s next-level good.”
How shortly that expertise interprets on the court docket may very nicely decide the path of USC’s season. However Davidson has little interest in being in comparison with the Trojans’ final prime prospect, who grew to become an prompt sensation as a freshman.
Freshman Jazzy Davidson works out throughout a USC ladies’s basketball observe on the Galen Middle.
(USC Athletics / Related Press)
“She’s JuJu — she’s a generational participant,” Davidson stated. “I feel we each do separate issues. She’s been tremendous useful in my transition. However I’m actually simply coming in to assist the group win, no matter means I can.”
Nobody doubts she’ll do this. Already, the freshman’s defensive prowess particularly has made an impression in observe.
“Her size is unbelievable,” stated sophomore guard Kennedy Smith. “Her wingspan is so lengthy. She’s blocking photographs on a regular basis.”
Her offense ought to little question observe, contemplating that Davidson is the all-time main scorer within the historical past of Oregon Class 6A ladies’s basketball.
However how a lot the Trojans must lean on their star freshman early within the season, particularly with powerful non-conference tilts looming towards Connecticut and South Carolina, stays to be seen.
No matter who takes the lead on offense, USC will want Smith to make a serious leap on that finish, if the Trojans hope to maintain up in a aggressive Massive Ten race.
USC guard Kennedy Smith holds the ball away from UConn guard Paige Bueckers throughout an Elite Eight NCAA event recreation on March 31 in Spokane, Wash.
(Younger Kwak / Related Press)
Already a dominant defender in her first season, Smith was inconsistent taking pictures from the perimeter as a freshman. Now, recent off a gold-medal run with Group USA at FIBA AmeriCup, Smith stated she’s “actually stepping into my bag” as a sophomore.
“I really feel like in my function, I’ve to be extra constant,” she stated. “However I really feel like all people on this group has worth and all people can get a bucket if they need.”
USC will want all arms on deck if it has any hope of defending its Massive Ten title. Georgia Tech switch Kara Dunn might be vital to the Trojans’ backcourt as its most constant menace from three-point vary. USC additionally wants somebody to emerge from a four-big committee that features Yakiya Milton, Laura Williams, Vivian Iwuchukwu and Lithuanian import Gerda Raulusaityte, none of whom have averaged greater than two factors per recreation enjoying faculty basketball.
These questions will must be answered quickly sufficient. However so far as anyone inside this system is taken into account, the expectations received’t change both means.
“The purpose nonetheless stays the identical, which is the nationwide championship,” Smith stated. “It’s simply navigating with what now we have.
“And our state of affairs, it isn’t unhealthy in any respect.”
