- 8 hours ago
On the Rise_ Juju Watkins - Season 2 Episode 4 - The Road Back
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00:01When it comes to March, the energy, the animosity, the pride.
00:07March Madness is everything.
00:09Last year, nobody expected us to win.
00:12This year, people expected us to win.
00:15Believing in the work, that's the biggest thing.
00:18I want us to be thinking excellence.
00:21We can't want it more than you do, trust me.
00:24We need to guard staggers to get to Spokane.
00:27I feel like I'm getting goosebumps now
00:29because March was just a moment where it's like, we're here.
00:33It was easy to believe we could achieve something as great as a championship.
00:40Welcome to the NCAA Women's Championship, Juju Watkins.
00:44She makes everything look so easy,
00:46but that's because she's put in all the hard work.
00:49This is my moment of race, better be right, champion.
00:58All right, go ahead and hold it.
01:02Selection Sunday, we have a little party with the fans.
01:05We'll find out who we're playing, where we're playing for the NCAA tournament.
01:09This is my second Selection Sunday, and it was cool to see so many fans and family there, and Galen.
01:16Welcome to the NCAA Women's Selection Special.
01:2568 teams, all with one mission, call themselves national champion.
01:30Are you nervous?
01:32You ain't excited.
01:34This ain't the part to be nervous about.
01:37I want to see where rematches happen.
01:39Rematches from last season's tournament, rematches from incredibly exciting games that we had this season.
01:44But we might see Notre Dame or UConn, depending on, like, who are two seeded, if we get number one.
01:50Who's going to be the final one seed, you may be asking at home.
01:53You take a look at these comparisons of resumes with UConn and SC.
01:57UConn holds the number one spot in the net rank.
02:00How does UConn have a number one net ranking?
02:02They got a number one net ranking every year.
02:04I was just like, wherever we are, I really don't care.
02:07We play what we play, and the goal is to win, no matter who we're playing.
02:12Your final number one seed is those USC Trojans.
02:19Sitting at that two spot, it's the UConn Huskies.
02:22They're so messy, the NCAA putting UConn in our bracket.
02:26How do you feel if you're USC getting this bracket with UConn?
02:29Not too good.
02:31Because you have to go through the Huskies again to get to the final four, just like you did last year.
02:35I think that's probably a little frustrating.
02:37When I saw the bracket, I said, the winner of USC and UConn, whoever it is, will go on to win the national championship.
02:47USC women's basketball looking to cut down the nets.
02:53The madness begins for our Trojans right now.
02:57The opening tap is controlled by USC.
03:01Game one of two here at the Galen Center.
03:04Watkins with the jumper.
03:05She's got four.
03:06That moves her into ninth place on the all-time scoring list at USC.
03:15Watkins can't be stopped.
03:19And USC is on to round two in the NCAA tournament.
03:24And here we go.
03:26Bull goes up.
03:27The left and the drops for a three.
03:34Come on, Tiki!
03:38All the way!
03:40Come on!
03:41Three-pointer.
03:42It's good!
03:45Debrecia Poe tripped up Tiki.
03:49Right corner for Watkins.
03:50Tiptoes the baseline.
03:51Tries to send it left corner, and she's tripped under the basket.
03:55There's Russell.
03:56Ten on the shot clock.
03:58Here it's been on the switch.
04:00Tied it up.
04:01Took it away.
04:02More great defense from the Trojans.
04:06Watkins goes down hard, and she's grabbing her right knee,
04:10quickly grimacing in pain.
04:12I'm a tentative bringer.
04:14First, first of all.
04:17This was the time I'm called in the corner.
04:25What's up, bro?
04:28Hey!
04:31How can I go to the back and make sure she's okay?
04:33That's a problem.
04:34I know.
04:35Yeah.
04:37Give me a second, I'll be talking.
04:38Okay.
04:54Oh, it's hard for me to talk about it, just because it was...
05:01I don't know.
05:02Like, just in that moment, it didn't feel like something that was normal.
05:09So here we are, you know?
05:11And she gets carried off, and then what happened in this building
05:17is just an emotional response that I've never felt in an arena before.
05:30It was very hard.
05:31Just, I think, everybody on the team was very emotional.
05:33Her presence was definitely missed, but we still, like, had her back.
05:36And on, by Rhea Marshall.
05:45Looks the other way for the freshman, Kennedy Smith, for two.
05:49She's got the look in there like she wants 41.
05:52And she's got the ability to get there.
05:56Marshall will launch for three off the window!
05:58There's a lot of love and support right now for the players on the court
06:06and what they were able to accomplish and what they did through adversity tonight.
06:15Thank you, guys, for being here.
06:18I don't have an update on Juju because I know that's what you all want to know.
06:23So players don't have any update either as well.
06:25So, disrespectfully, I'd ask you not to ask them something that they don't know.
06:30They really did a good job in closing out the game.
06:33And then, you know, just went through the whole process, got an MRI,
06:39drove back to Galen, got the news, and then, yeah.
06:50I tore my ACL and that was it, yeah.
06:58The future is bright and I'm just wishing her, my prayers are up for her.
07:03You know, send a lot of love and prayers out to Juju.
07:04You can come back better than ever.
07:05And sending the best to Juju.
07:06Get better soon!
07:07Get well, Juju!
07:08Get well, I love you, bye!
07:09Get well soon, Juju!
07:10Get well, we love you!
07:11Get well soon, Juju!
07:12Give it a Als.
07:13Give it a quarter, give it a time, get well!
07:15The future's bright and I'm just wishing her, my prayers are up for her.
07:18You know, send a lot of love and prayers out to Juju.
07:20You can come back better than ever.
07:22And sending the best to Juju.
07:23to Juju. Get better soon. Get well, Juju. Get well. I love you. Bye. Get well soon, Juju. Get well soon. Get well. We love you. Hope you get well soon, Juju. Hey, guys. Surprise. You're not really thinking like, you know, you get hurt and everyone in your community is sharing that pain with you. It's a big testament to humanity. And to me, it's like it's bigger than basketball. Basketball is one thing, but it's so
07:52much. It's so much bigger. Yeah. Yeah. This journey she's about to go on is going to force her more than ever to go deeper within, right? And understand her purpose. I was like, I don't really want company right now. So I think before seeing them, I was like, bro, like I literally told you don't do this. Like I just need to be in my room.
08:22with my blinds closed right now. So that would be being a little dramatic, but just, you know, just seeing them definitely lifted my experience in the moment and they know what I need.
08:34It wasn't ideal not to be playing in the Sweet 16, but I was super happy for them. We had spent so much time getting to that point. So to see them show up for big moments and just play their game, I was really proud.
08:56The Trojans aren't done dancing. They are on to the Elite Eight for the second great season.
09:15And the Connecticut Huskies are headed to a record 24-0.
09:17What a game. The Trojans have to be impressed.
09:19With the effort to fight, the resiliency, the cohesion from USC, playing without the central hub of their team, Juju Wackers.
09:25And puts it home and it's a 5-0 as we head to the top.
09:29The lead is back to 15.
09:33Not all that good for USC.
09:35And the Connecticut Huskies are headed to a record 24-0.
09:41What a game the Trojans played without their leader.
09:47You know, did a lot of praying this morning last night, just wishing for the best.
09:59Way better than you.
10:01If I can try.
10:03That means we'll get here 30 minutes, girl.
10:06Of course.
10:11I'm scared, but just happy to get it over with.
10:16I'm scared.
10:32God, our healer, our provider.
10:34We ask that you take this baby and let you be with her every step of the way.
10:38Guide her parents and all the cousins and aunts and everyone.
10:42Lord, we just thank you and guide you.
10:44Amen.
10:52She was emotional.
10:54Lots of process going into surgery.
11:00And all of us are together and just praying we're good.
11:06Good.
11:08Yeah.
11:12Yeah, I'll give her some more.
11:16I'll get you some more, he said.
11:17Just three times, three times.
11:18She said she's in a lot of pain.
11:20Yeah, we're gonna.
11:30I know you're frustrated.
11:31Yeah.
11:32It's okay to drop a tear, but you know, you're gonna be okay.
11:36You're gonna be just fine.
11:38You didn't leave nothing on the table for nobody else to get, though.
11:46I have to give you a kiss.
11:48I know you're not a greedy person, but you didn't leave nothing for him.
11:52You didn't leave nothing, baby.
11:54Oh, I don't know.
11:56You're a beautiful person.
11:58You're gonna be just fine.
12:00Just fine.
12:02Just fine.
12:04First, like, major surgery, so definitely nerve-wracking.
12:10It was just kind of like, okay, now we can jump right into rehab.
12:26Are you ready to put your hand in the water tub?
12:28No, I'm not doing that.
12:29I gotta do that?
12:30Yes.
12:31After the surgery, it was just, like, PT six days out of the week.
12:35So, just tackling that like I would anything on the court.
12:40I feel like I'm running.
12:42You feel like you're running?
12:43Yeah.
12:46Usually, the recovery time is, like, nine to 12 months.
12:54Going in the pool kind of helped me learn how to walk again
12:58because I wasn't able to put all of my weight on my leg yet.
13:05It's hard to not kind of wish things were different,
13:11but I think it's for the better.
13:17The goal is to be a better player and person.
13:19So, she's inscribing her awards and all of her stats from last season.
13:32Naismith or in Wooden, or if it's, you know, you win a Final Four national championship,
13:36a Super Bowl, kind of, this is kind of the standard with us.
13:39Will we do the memorabilia?
13:40So, we always joke and say, just don't be so good.
13:46Yeah.
13:47I won a couple of awards.
13:51The Wooden Award, the Dawn Staley Award, Ann Myers Drysdale Award.
13:57To be recognized that way, you know, kind of after everything happened,
14:01it was definitely bittersweet.
14:04Because it was, like, damn, like, just a mixture of, like, emotions, I guess.
14:09Juju Watkins, Big Ten Player of the Year as a sophomore.
14:13Yeah, I think this is one of my biggest goals this year.
14:16I'm really proud of you that you've been named today
14:18the Naismith National Player of the Year.
14:21I'm so incredibly honored to be receiving the Wooden Award,
14:25and I definitely wish I could have been there in person receiving this award,
14:28but nevertheless, I am so grateful.
14:30The awards were a reflection of the season that she had.
14:34What I hoped was the injury didn't take away from that,
14:37because it was truly an incredibly dominant season.
14:41The whole city of L.A., you have the whole country,
14:44and really just basketball and sports fans in general,
14:47everyone behind you on this recovery process.
14:53This is my first time kind of being outside in the public eye since the surgery.
14:59So, you know, excited, but also nervous.
15:02We're going to the Overtime event, and I will be coaching.
15:06We have, like, a little showcase, Overtime showcase,
15:08so it's a lot of, like, girls from high school.
15:11And this event is sponsored by Stephon.
15:13What's up?
15:14What's up, Coach?
15:15What are we doing first?
15:16What are we doing?
15:17Um...
15:18I don't know.
15:19All right, come on, let's get on the back.
15:22I didn't realize playing in practice could be that difficult,
15:26so I empathize with all coaches.
15:28We got a lot of young talent in the building.
15:32Yo!
15:34Here we go.
15:36One.
15:38Two.
15:39Two.
15:41I'm not really the most social person,
15:44so I feel like that's going to require me to kind of step out of my comfort zone,
15:48be a little more outgoing.
15:50I think that's going to open up her portfolio, right?
15:53Like, her communication skills.
15:54I think it's great for her to be more uncomfortable to take that role.
15:58A lot of girls look up to her, and, you know, I feel like she needs to do that.
16:03We got to be on the same page, y'all.
16:06Are you ready?
16:07Good.
16:10Three.
16:12Three, two, one.
16:15Yes!
16:17Okay.
16:18Break.
16:21Team go on three!
16:22One, two, three!
16:23Team go!
16:25She's been down for a minute, so it's nice to see her and her element.
16:29I am coaching against Flagee.
16:32I know Flagee.
16:33She's really cool people.
16:34Great player.
16:36Really cool person.
16:38Dope rapper.
16:39I mean, the list doesn't end.
16:42Thank y'all.
16:43You're just so beautiful.
16:44I am with that team.
16:45Hey, you're the one looking beautiful.
16:46It's always you.
16:48No, mom, you said hello.
16:50Okay, yeah, she come, I'm gonna make sure she comes to me.
16:52Team go!
16:53Team go!
16:54Team go!
16:55Team go!
16:56Team go!
16:57Yeah, yeah, yeah, how far along I get searched on Monday
17:15This is what I roll on the board today
17:19That's all I
17:27This is why she is the number-one player
17:37Daddy, moving the ball!
17:46Your first-ever OT Select Takeover as a head coach and you come out of here with a win
17:49How are you feeling?
17:51You know, I feel great. I really owe it on to my team. I mean, they're just amazing
17:55So, I was honored to coach them, honestly
17:59To Team Juju?
18:00Yeah!
18:09WNBA All-Star is, it's so much fun
18:13One of the most exciting parts about All-Star for the fans is getting to see Juju again
18:20Are you a big anime fan?
18:23Yeah, yeah, yeah
18:25Have you seen Kuroko, like, the basketball one?
18:28No, no
18:29Is that the one?
18:30That's my...
18:31I've only seen clips of it where I'm like...
18:33It's actually, like, so well, like, thought out
18:36You should watch it
18:37What's the blue that we all are looking for? Without further ado
18:41It is my pleasure to introduce 2025 College Player of the Year
18:45Juju Watkins!
18:55So how has your weekend been treating you?
18:56It's been good, I've been having fun
18:58I'm ready for the game tonight, for sure
19:00Now, are you down to take some photos with a few fans?
19:02For sure
19:03Oh!
19:05Go ahead, go ahead
19:06Do you see the Juju Watkins' my queen shirt?
19:08She's ready
19:11Thank you, thank you
19:12Thank you, thank you
19:23Congratulations on the pretext
19:25Thank you so much
19:26I'm excited to be here
19:28Do all the, like, appearances and stuff
19:30And then get to see the games
19:37So many players have sent me so much love
19:40So to just be here supporting them
19:42And watching a great game
19:44I'm really excited
19:45Sabrina came over
19:47She's definitely somebody that I look up to
19:50I was really grateful that she took time
19:52In the back of my head
19:57I'm like, okay, this will be me
19:59In a couple years
20:00But honestly, I was just enjoying the fan experience of it all
20:03And, you know, just seeing some of my favorite players play
20:06Here we go
20:06Here we go
20:07The 20-25 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game
20:10Austin nailing those four-pointers
20:12In warm-ups
20:13How about Paige?
20:14Oh, yeah!
20:16Showing off that famous left arm again
20:25That will do it
20:26Team Collier with a dominant win
20:29Over Team Clark
20:31151
20:32131
20:34The final
20:35The vibe of women's basketball
20:37And now people are starting to pay attention
20:39They're showing up every single night
20:40And you can see that they're
20:42Taking the game very, very seriously
20:46Juju is one of the main names
20:48In college basketball
20:49She draws inspiration from
20:51Candice Parker
20:52And now Asia Wilson
20:53Just knowing that
20:54She stands on the shoulders of Giants
20:56Who have carried this game for so long
20:58Now she's a part of the
21:00The tidal wave
21:01The tsunami that's happening
21:02With women's basketball
21:03And then just add the juju factor
21:05On top of that
21:06It's unstoppable
21:07My perspective has definitely changed
21:09Since the injury
21:11You can never take it for granted
21:12And when things don't go your way
21:14You can only use it as fuel
21:15To work even harder
21:17I believe everything happens for a reason
21:19For a reason
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