- 8 hours ago
On the Rise_ Juju Watkins - Season 2 Episode 3 - Big Ten, Bigger Stakes
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I love breaking expectations.
00:09I'm always trying to push boundaries or limitations set on me.
00:13I look at basketball as art.
00:15Juju kind of just paints a picture.
00:17It's just a flow to her game.
00:20Watkins took an extra step, the crowd went into hush mode.
00:25If you watch her move up the court, she moved differently than everyone else.
00:28When you watch LeBron James move up the court, he moves differently than anyone else.
00:33Watkins scores and scores!
00:36If there's any player that could lead their team all the way, Juju can do it.
00:53Yeah, we locked it like that?
00:55Dang, Juju! What's up?
00:57What's up?
00:58What you do on your day off, Juju?
00:59I said, what you do on your day off?
01:00Yeah.
01:01You get some sleep?
01:02Yeah.
01:03Let's go!
01:05Let's go!
01:07Juju and Ken and big guards can go on all four lines.
01:11Here we go.
01:12Let's go.
01:14Last game of the regular season against UCLA.
01:17This is the most important game of the season so far, so just trying to really lock in.
01:22It is harder to be the team the second time around, but we can't lose.
01:26We want to give it to them here because everything here is predicated on them being great passers, right?
01:35So let her leg whip here and let her get to her spot.
01:38We just don't want to start here and get it to here.
01:40Okay.
01:41Pressure, pressure, press!
01:42Keep, stretch, keep, stretch!
01:43Good!
01:44G, get off there!
01:45No, it's going in pressure.
01:46We need to be aggressive on defense.
01:47You gotta go, K-9!
01:48You gotta go!
01:49We need to be aggressive on defense.
01:51You gotta go, K-9! You gotta go!
01:54Just even pay more attention to the small details.
01:57Go, Ju! Yes, Ju! Yes, Ju! Yes, Ju!
02:01We knew that for UCLA to have success against us,
02:06they would have to beat us on the boards, beat us in transition,
02:09make all the hustle plays, and we just said we're just not going to allow that to happen.
02:12Is there any extra motivation knowing that this game is for the big tennis season?
02:15For sure. Yeah, it's our most important game this year.
02:17Not only are these our cross-town rivals, but, you know,
02:21the only thing sending us away from a Big Ten regular season.
02:24All right, thanks, everyone. Thank you, thank you.
02:30Get out here at USC. Move bus. Juju Watkins.
02:37To see the excitement around the UCLA game, so many people came out.
02:42To see my face on the side of a bus, students coming to support the bus,
02:47it definitely got me hyped for the game.
02:50See your bus pass. You got to make a bucket.
02:54There we go. There we go. Got our bus pass.
02:58Yeah.
03:00This is a gift.
03:02The Goop Bus was founded in Southern California.
03:05We go to schools all over L.A.
03:10And to have a local hero like Juju on the side of our bus is just so inspiring to so many girls.
03:17Oh, you got to get it up, over.
03:23I wanted to come watch Juju's place.
03:25She doesn't give up.
03:26She works hard.
03:29And then they also gave us a note that she wrote something.
03:32We're going to take you all on the bus and then get ready to go.
03:34Is that cool?
03:35All right.
03:37Can we cheer real quick?
03:39On three.
03:39One, two, three.
03:40Let's go, Juju!
03:43Woo!
03:46When a superstar from your city stays in your city,
03:50you not only believe in that player, but you also start to believe in your city.
03:54And so I think Juju staying home did a lot for, you know, the young girls in L.A.
04:02One, two, three.
04:04Let's go, Juju!
04:06To see the love and support, it motivates me to, you know, work even harder.
04:15We're here in Westwood at Pauley Pavilion.
04:17The Big Ten regular season title at state.
04:20Number two, UCLA.
04:23Number four, USC.
04:26LaPooze rain down for the Trojans here on the road.
04:31Just for, you know, me growing up in Southern California,
04:34I've seen UCLA the rivalry.
04:36I've seen two tremendous teams going at it.
04:40Let's go, LaPooze!
04:41Let's go, LaPooze!
04:45Let's go, LaPooze!
04:45Let's go, LaPooze!
04:48You get the conference,
04:49and you get the city if you win tonight.
04:53USC and UCLA, here we go.
04:56Whenever we're in, like, hostile environments,
04:58like a UCLA being at that campus and playing at their gym,
05:02like, she definitely, you know,
05:05she feeds off the crowd.
05:06Right wing, Juju, top of the key,
05:09steps into a three, perfect!
05:11Watkins catch and release on a three ball,
05:13hits again!
05:15Top Watkins, sets her feet again,
05:17another three goes!
05:19Watkins third three of the first!
05:21This was the regular season champ.
05:23I honestly forgot that that was on the line.
05:26and I was just playing, like,
05:27okay, we're about to play our rivals,
05:29and we have to win.
05:32Parker, they double the post again,
05:34and rip it three!
05:38Watkins blow the camp,
05:39and starts her move,
05:41and it scores!
05:43That is absolutely lethal
05:45from Juju Watkins,
05:47who wants this to be her city!
05:49Let's go, LaPooze!
05:52Let's go, LaPooze!
05:54Let's go, LaPooze!
05:55Let's go, LaPooze!
05:56Let's go, LaPooze!
05:57Let's go, LaPooze!
05:57Let's go, LaPooze!
05:57Bet, Soros at home,
05:59that one took UCLA down just five.
06:03In the second half,
06:03it felt like more of the pressure was on them,
06:05but we were in foul trouble.
06:07Bryce on the repeat for Kruz.
06:10They're down against USC once again.
06:14That's three on Watkins.
06:16You look at your entire starting unit,
06:17and at minimum, all have three.
06:20Oh, no, we gotta get to stop here!
06:22To win a regular season championship
06:27in their building,
06:28we needed everybody,
06:29and different people stepped up.
06:31And the way that it happened
06:33with everyone contributing
06:34was really, really memorable.
06:38One guess.
06:39It's a howl in the corner.
06:40Caps and suit, ring it up.
06:44Here he is, then.
06:46This is.
06:46Got it!
06:47I feel like a champion.
06:51Watkins swaps it away from behind!
06:58Watkins, another block!
07:00Back-to-back blocks for Juju.
07:04They talking stuff to me and to Rye,
07:06and, you know, just like,
07:08but we telling them, like,
07:08what's going on, guys?
07:10Y'all gonna take this out.
07:11What do you think?
07:12It is over!
07:14In this new Big Ten era,
07:16the Trojans are champions of the Big Ten!
07:20It was special, you know?
07:40It's been since the 90s,
07:41since USC won a regular season,
07:44and Juju and USC
07:45take down UCLA,
07:47not once, but twice.
07:48We're always happy after a win,
07:54but I think that one
07:55hit a little bit different.
08:04We're excited, you know?
08:05The team is clicking at the right time.
08:07We're all really comfortable with each other,
08:08so I think we're just more so excited
08:09to get to Indy
08:10and, you know,
08:11get this Big Ten championship.
08:12Juju, what do you have for us in March?
08:15Uh, some wins.
08:18That was really exciting
08:21that, you know,
08:22we were able to close out the season strong,
08:24and, you know,
08:25we celebrated that for a bit,
08:26and then we go on to the next.
08:27How's everything feeling for the most part?
08:45Uh, it's okay.
08:46Just my legs, mainly.
08:48Your neck okay?
08:49Because I saw you laying it kind of hard.
08:51Oh, yeah, I'm fine.
08:52Okay.
08:52And some shoulders, though.
08:57Going into the Big Ten tournament,
09:00you want to go into each game
09:01feeling like you're at your best.
09:05Just making sure that you're doing
09:07the most to just prepare yourself.
09:10When we was at the arena,
09:12I did, like, ice bath.
09:13This is the next step.
09:14And then I'm just gonna hydrate and stuff.
09:18The season's so long,
09:19so you really start to feel
09:21little knickknacks
09:22towards the end of the season.
09:25It's just being more intentional
09:26about caring for your body.
09:28My knee on this leg.
09:29Where do you feel it?
09:30Here?
09:31It's, like, right on top.
09:32Okay.
09:34Hit me here and check it out.
09:36She's been checking it out for some time.
09:38Dang, you're still here.
09:41Girl, my knee hurts.
09:43I have to keep reminding myself
09:45this is, like, the final stretch.
09:47Just maximize the amount of time
09:49that was left
09:49and taking every game
09:51as an opportunity to get better
09:52and prepare myself.
10:00Conference tournaments
10:01are always interesting, right?
10:02Because they come after
10:03a long regular season
10:04and they're before the NCAA tournament.
10:06So we were able to say,
10:08okay, check, you know,
10:10regular season champs
10:11and we know what's on the horizon
10:12with the NCAA tournament,
10:13but here's a chance
10:14to just play in a competitive
10:15one-and-done situation
10:17and that's how we approached it.
10:20Winning the tournament
10:21would give us a lot of momentum
10:23going into March Madness.
10:26You know, we did it last year,
10:27so to repeat, you know,
10:29it would be great.
10:32Quarter-final day
10:33at the Big Ten Tournament,
10:35USC and Indiana.
10:36A spot in the semifinals
10:37on the line.
10:39Our first game of the tournament,
10:41we played Indiana.
10:43Indiana's a great team.
10:44It was going to be a grinder.
10:51Juju Watkins forcing the defense,
10:54turning it into offense.
10:57Their zone cracks down,
10:59the long rebound,
11:00fires ahead,
11:00Bargasser lays it up and in.
11:03We knew Indiana would be a tough game.
11:05We were the one seed,
11:06but they're a really good team.
11:10We had to fight and claw
11:11to stay competitive.
11:17Listen to me.
11:19Post-season intensity, good.
11:21They're good.
11:22We got to stay together.
11:23All of us got to put
11:24great ground ball pressure,
11:25but when your kid leaves it,
11:26then it goes,
11:27that way we got to jump to the ball.
11:28We're going to get on flexes
11:29and shuffle.
11:29Hey, don't get this very
11:30different.
11:31Yes, we all got to back.
11:32Exactly, exactly.
11:33Got you back.
11:34Yeah, and let's go.
11:35So listen, play.
11:36Help each other.
11:37Body on a body.
11:42Watkins windexes the rebound.
11:45Down the left side of the lane
11:46and Euro to the club.
11:47Flips it up and in.
11:49Through traffic and over game zone
11:51to put USC back in front.
11:53They're a hard team to play.
11:55We did what we needed to do
11:58to move on to the next round.
12:00Here's Juju Watkins,
12:0227 points today.
12:03Change the number quickly.
12:06Juju Watkins has 30 points
12:09for the seventh time this season.
12:12And the one seed,
12:14Urassi,
12:15is on to the semifinals.
12:17Every win in March
12:19is a big freaking win.
12:21Keeks, you're going to lead us
12:22to put this one out.
12:25Ready?
12:30Three, two, one.
12:34We had already played Michigan in the regular season.
13:04We had an idea of what they were capable of, but at the end of the day, you know, it's tournament play, so really anybody can go off.
13:25And here we go in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal. Winner to the title game tomorrow afternoon.
13:34Wilson working herself in the pace.
13:38They kind of came at us early and made a bunch of shots. It wasn't, you know, something that was given to us in any way.
13:44Bob has control for Michigan. Top of the key. Launches a three-wall. Hits it.
13:49But what we learned over the course of the year is how to take someone's punch, so to speak, and adjust.
13:58Powell, back to Uriah Ben, right corner. Pull up is perfect.
14:03Rick Marshall steadies herself with the power dribble.
14:06Up and in.
14:09Block him, right elbow. Pulls up and hits.
14:12Shoot.
14:13We had to be the aggressors. We had to find a way to get to our sweet spots.
14:18Here he have been with the steal.
14:26Railing Watkins. Euro steps to the cup.
14:29Block, cross, around and down.
14:31Get another stop, guys. Get another stop.
14:34Shot clock under 10. Watkins down the right side of the lane.
14:38To the cup. Open it in.
14:40The exclamation point.
14:41All the way, Juju.
14:45Watching Juju and Kiki Uriah Ben both have double-doubles was a bright spot for USC.
14:52Because that was what they were trying to figure out all season.
14:55How do both of these superstars thrive on the court together?
15:01The buzzer sounds. It's over.
15:04The one seed. USC is on to the Big Ten Tournament title.
15:09They will face UCLA for the third time this season.
15:23Great job, you guys.
15:24We know that we know them really well.
15:27But I want us to lock in on a few areas that we can improve.
15:34We're going to start with the bets, D.
15:36We don't, we can't, we will not let her get two feet in the paint touches.
15:42When she puts the sucker on the floor and goes down like this, we can go get it.
15:46And I think we can go get it more aggressively than last time.
15:49It's really hard to play a team three times.
15:53It's hard to beat a team three times.
15:55Now let's talk about our shares, right?
15:57Good. Hit the shake.
15:58Good. Sharing is caring.
16:00Hello.
16:01Really good job sharing the basketball, right?
16:03Listen, these are probably going to be some of the lists tomorrow.
16:06They're probably going to put a lot of pressure on the ball screen the way that Michigan did.
16:10But it's okay because we have this right here.
16:12Duke, the N1, really good job putting them on their heels.
16:15People remember first and they remember last.
16:18And so your conference championship is your last shot at letting everyone know what you're bringing to the NCAA tournament.
16:26And so a lot of times you like to think that if I can win this tournament on back-to-back-to-back days,
16:33feeling as tired as we are, it's just a mental edge that you have going into the NCAA tournament.
16:41It's hard to have such a short amount of time to prepare for each team.
16:45So when it comes to us versus UCLA, it's just a matter of who can last the longest.
17:00Played UCLA for the third time.
17:03It was insane.
17:04Eight days ago, they played for the Big Ten regular season title.
17:11And eight days later, they once again face off for the Big Ten tournament title.
17:18Let's go, Duke!
17:19It's just a matter of just trying to always kind of stay one step ahead the whole game
17:25and handle the runs because they're such a great team.
17:29Watkins has it left wing.
17:35Barker in her grill.
17:37Watkins finds Kiki on the left block.
17:40UCLA does not want to let Watkins beat them, but she did there.
17:43I felt like the first half was almost a continuation of kind of how the other games had gone.
17:52JuJu came out and was like, okay, you still don't have an answer for me.
17:56We were more in control.
17:59It was a good game.
18:00They pushed us to be our best.
18:04Get it!
18:05Watkins, 10 seconds to get in the first half.
18:07Watkins beats Smith, left block, right corner, Howell, free to fire!
18:11Parker hits the triple, and that's how half number one in their Big Ten tournament title
18:18comes to an end.
18:20Heading into the second half, UCLA made some really good adjustments to make things harder
18:24on us.
18:29They turned it up a notch and we couldn't quite match it.
18:35Parker up with the right hand from the left block for Till.
18:38No throwless quarter for the Trojans.
18:41This might just ultimately be their downfall.
18:45I was so impressed because UCLA changed their game plan, but I knew that it would be really
18:51difficult to beat USC.
18:53Top of the key, Watkins launches a three and rattles it home with 10.7 seconds later.
18:59Switch all the screens out of bounds, other than with bets, other than with bets, see if we
19:03can get a pick.
19:04We had a rough second half, I will say, and they capitalized on that.
19:08Watkins to inbound.
19:10Tries to get it in, Watkins to steal, up ahead on Ohlhoff, and back to Watkins, underneath
19:16the rim, flips it up and in.
19:18Three-point game with 4.2 left.
19:20I was not disappointed with our effort.
19:22We gave it everything we had and we went down fighting.
19:25Watkins with three, a half-court heave.
19:27Off the backboard and it's over.
19:30UCLA wins the Big Ten Tournament title.
19:36We've done a lot of winning, and we've done a lot of celebrating, right?
19:40And it is our responsibility and we are to handle the not celebrating and the pain of
19:46it as well as we end.
19:48That is part of it.
19:49That is life.
19:49We've had two bosses this year.
19:51Both of them are going to shoot.
19:53But both of them, we have bounced forward.
19:55And so that is our only option here.
19:58Because the most important track is a problem.
20:02It was just like, okay, it's the end of the season, so it's like, you can't dwell on it.
20:06This is going to motivate us more going into the tournament.
20:11We always talked about a national championship.
20:15Let's go, let's go!
20:15So when he finally came close to March Madness, it's like, okay, we have to win.
20:20March Madness is the best test of skill and resilience.
20:23She's a superstar coupled with her talent.
20:27Of course USC is going to win it all.
20:30It's hard to not wish things were different.
20:35You feel like you're running?
20:36We will all wait very patiently for Juju.
20:40This is what I wrote on the board today.
20:42The only thing we want is for her to come back feeling like herself again.
20:46I'm Juju, I win everything!
20:48She's a part of the tsunami that's happening with women's basketball.
20:51Just add the Juju factor on top of that, it's unstoppable.
20:57One, two, three.
20:58We love Juju!
21:01Go Juju!
21:02Go Juju!
21:04Go Juju!
21:05Fight on!
21:06Look for that autograph.
21:07She's really good at basketball, and I hope that I'll be like her sometime.
21:26Beautiful!
21:27Never forget that!
21:28I appreciate that.
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