All language subtitles for On.the.Rise.JuJu.Watkins.S01E01.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

-JuJu Watkins!

-JuJu Watkins. Number one
recruit in the country.

She has lived up to the hype
and then some.

-Guided USC to their first
number one seed since 1986.

-This is what we came here
to see.

Can JuJu Watkins and company
find a way to the final four?

-JuJu! JuJu! JuJu!
Can I get a "fight on"?

-Fight on!

-We're at the hour mark,
ladies and gentlemen.

-What does that mean?
-Hour mark.

So today I'm going to
my first homecoming dance ever.

The first and last.

You know, I had to save
all the anticipation up

for the last year.

I didn't feel like I missed out
because I love basketball,

but something kind of clicked
to where it was like,

oh, shoot, you know,

this is your last year,
you gotta just get out of

your comfort zone, basically.

You know, I always
kind of put this type --

This type of stuff
like on pause usually.

So I just feel like it was time

to just, like, be a teenager and
get that experience, you know,

before I go to college.

This last year,
it's going to mean so much to me

just being a regular
high school kid.

I'm blessed to be
in this position.

Basketball has taken me so,

so far and opened
so many doors for me.

-* I sacrificed everything
taking a chance *

* And look what we got *

-The best player
in high school girls basketball.

-She's the number one
recruit in the class

of 2023, hooping
at Sierra Canyon.

Look at her.

-Seen her play yet?
-Mnh-mnh.

-Cold.
-Cold.

-* Change the game up
like I'm AI *

-I see you, JuJu!

-* Needless to say, I'm doing
my best, best, best *

-The first time
I heard about JuJu,

I think she might have been in,
like, elementary school.

You know,
she's been a conversation

for a really long time.

-We're starting to get
a lot of traction senior year.

Some of our games
are being broadcasted on ESPN.

-The first female athlete
signed to Klutch Sports.

-JuJu Watkins for mayor.

-She's the future of women's
basketball.

-Someone who's generational,

once in a career,
once in a lifetime.

The comparisons are
to Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi.

Young female hoopers
didn't used to be superstars,

and now they're gaining
attention, which is amazing.

-She's a star,

and you need stars to impact
the women's game to change it.

-My first commercial was
a Nike commercial with LeBron.

-Mm-hmm.

-Starting off
on the right foot, yeah.

-We're in a day and time
with Name, Image, and Likeness.

-These kids are turning into
a business in high school.

-Stand by. Ready.
-That was like

one of the moments
where I'm like starstruck.

And I don't feel that a lot.

-Let's go see!
Sit down, old man.

-Yo, your dad is
going really hard.

-He's always talking to himself.

It's getting weird.

-And cut.
Good, it's cut, it's cut.

-That was a good
one right there.

Good take, y'all.
Good take, good take.

-I would say, compared
to other 17-year-olds,

my life is pretty crazy.

-JuJu Watkins, everybody!

-I look at how much exposure
I've gotten this last year.

I'm definitely grateful to be
in this position in high school,

and definitely looking
forward to what

the future holds in college.

The recruiting process was
definitely super long.

I mean, imagine being 12 or 13

and getting calls
from college coaches

when you just want to, like,
just enjoy playing basketball.

I don't even know
how many schools recruiting me,

but out of all the schools,

my final choices are
USC and South Carolina.

Coach, is that
the floor from the...

-It is?

-The school bought
the center court.

So when we won it again
this year, the school bought

the center court.

-South Carolina

has captured its
second National Championship.

-When you think about
college basketball,

you definitely think about
Dawn Staley

and just what she's done
for the sport.

She's broken so many barriers
and just had so much success.

Not a lot of Black females
are in this position

she's in, and she's
just owning it and just showing.

what beating the odds
looks like.

-We're so proud of you.

Ain't got nothing
to do about being a man.

It's about you being a woman
and getting it done.

You know?
-Preach.

-Man, the women are watching.
Yeah.

[ Laughter ]

-Oh, we right into it.

We right into it.
We're right into it. Let's go.

-Passing.
-Okay.

-'Cause I feel like,
in high school,

everything kind of has to
be broken down.

But in college,
everybody already know.

-Everybody ready to go.
We emphasize pace,

pushing the ball up the floor.
We want to play fast.

-I like that.

-What you see?

-I see not enough
efficient ball handling.

I see a little bit of rush.
I don't see no ball control.

-Yeah.

-Transition defense
got to step up, too.

-Well, let me tell you
how it works.

-Mm-hmm.
-So I do let them play.

See what they got.
-Oh, okay. Okay.

-And then, if it ain't happening
in the game,

as we get closer to games,
I control that.

-Oh, you're in charge.
-I control that.

-Oh, I got you.
-I'm the point guard.

-Okay. [ Laughs ]
-I am.

The ref? She went up and down.

-Just to see how
important women's basketball is

in South Carolina,
it's just so inspiring for me.

I saw her statue
and it was like,

you know, we can put
you right here next to A'ja.

It doesn't really resonate
because,

you know, this is somebody
that already did it.

-She is going to be the one

who is always tied
to South Carolina

no matter what comes down
the road for this program.

-Creating her own path
is really important to her.

Why would she confine herself
if she don't have to?

-All right.

-* Bring the money home *

* Bring it home *

[ Laughter ]

-Yeah. My family always likes to
turn things into a competition.

-Go for the kill.

-They had a ball.
I had a ball, too.

But they had a ball.

-It was a clean shuffle.
-I didn't care about that.

-She give you one more problem,
and JuJu ain't going.

-We lost a couple games.

I just had this feeling
like maybe if we all

got up and rotated...

-I gotta do what my person says.

-Miss Watkins, hey!

-Now maybe we can have some
of this magic

that y'all are experiencing.

-Oh. The magic in the season?
-Let's see if this gonna work.

-It's the cards
-Pssh!

-Go get it! We won!

-What do you mean?
-We won.

-Well, that's your first win
in two days.

-I'll probably never play cards
in South Carolina ever again.

It's a jinx.

-Today we're taking
an official visit at USC.

When I think of USC,
I think of local,

I think of family.

And, so, I wanted to incorporate
as many people as possible.

And that was like an advantage.
I could bring,

like, my whole village.

You guys are so dramatic.

-If it's a battle
of accolades,

I'm not going to win that one.

Dawn Staley, one of the best
coaching minds in our game.

But USC women's basketball has
as rich of a history

as any place ever.

It's just those stories
aren't told enough.

They're not told at all.

-One second.

It's all over.

And Southern Cal has won
the National Championship.

-It's been 40 years

since the back-to-back
National Championships,

and that's the goal.

That's where we want
to get back to.

And thinking about JuJu,

her role in that
can be so critical.

Well, hello, lady. How are you?
-I'm good. How are you?

-Good. Welcome.

Really, when you recruit JuJu,
you recruit the entire family.

-You want to get
the painting started?

-Yeah. Let's get it painted.
-The painting?

[ Indistinct conversation ]

-Picasso? The whole family.
Everybody.

-Okay, okay.

-It's been really neat
getting to know her,

what makes her tick,

and getting to know
the people closest to her.

-No, I can't draw or nothing.

-We need more
blue all the way across.

-This is not really
my specialty, so...

I'm making it work.

-[ Laughs ]

-Party, it don't start till
the Trojans get in here!

-Hey!

Everybody was
just so welcoming.

I feel like, when you're
looking to create

another home from home,

that's important, that,
you know?

You're celebrated.
It's important.

And, like, you could just see
how close knit it was.

You know,
the secret sauce of recruiting

is being able to paint
the picture

of what your life would be like,

and I think this felt like home
for her.

-I'm sorry.
-Oh, my God.

-You know what I'm saying?
It's literally the vibe.

-Look, we had a lot
of good players,

but we ain't never had no you.

Our mission is to make
you be the best of the best.

So if you want to honor
that mission,

we're here to do that.
-Aw, you're my favorite artist.

[ Indistinct conversation ]

-That's you, big dog! Let's go!
That's you, big dog!

-No.
-It's not?

We gonna hop in there with you.
Don't worry.

That's you, though, that's you.
Hold on, hold on.

-From the time she entered into
the gym, just all the attention.

It was really a nightmare
for JuJu.

She can't get embarrassed
pretty easy.

-This is embarrassing.
-Oh, yeah.

-The throne was cool, but...

[ Sighs ] I wasn't really
feeling it.

**

-They wanted to put the team
around the throne.

JuJu's like, "Ah, ah."
-I did, like, a couple takes.

Let's just get rid of the throne
and take a real picture.

I don't like all this attention!

-Oh, stop.
-Seriously.

You know, you could see
that they were trying,

and that was everything for me.

So after taking it all
in and really sitting with it,

I realized,
you know, this is home.

But at the end of the day,
I still have the other options.

-Where will you be playing
in college in 2023?

-I'm ready.
-Go.

-JuJu Watkins...
-Ready? I'm ready.

-Where will you be playing
your college basketball in 2023?

Go.

-Well, you know,
there's no place like home.

So I will be spending
the next four years

at the University
of Southern California.

[ Cheering ]

**

-* Yeah, yeah *

* You want it?
Gotta work for that bag *

* Go get it,
one day you can brag *

* You want it?
Gotta work for that bag *

* Go get it,
one day you can brag *

-I'm in a position where
I could really go anywhere.

But why not stay here?

-At Stanford and South Carolina,
you're walking into a program

that's pretty much
Final Four ready.

Insert JuJu,
and they only get better.

It's harder to blaze that path

when it's not laid
out right there for you to see.

-JuJu's impact
in choosing USC is huge.

It is a competitive nature
to say,

"I'm going to stay home

and I'm going to create
a legacy of my own."

But if you know her,
like, it's easy

for her to kind of make
a decision like that.

-Her commitment
to the community,

being grounded in her family,

she's aware of the impact
that she could have.

-Yeah, I'm trying my hardest
to just pour all my passion

into the game, and hopefully
younger girls can come in

behind me and do the same.

Yeah, I basically
just want to inspire others.

-Great.

-Watts is an amazing foundation
for the family.

Personally, for myself and
how all this started for JuJu.

-I used to come here
all the time.

This is just
where I started putting my hours

towards basketball.

It's my great grandfather's
park.

He was an activist in Watts.

-Under my father's leadership,

Watts Labor Community
Action Committee, WLCAC,

were fighting
to improve the quality of life

for the residents of Watts.

-Tim Watkins is just an iconic
figure from the community.

Provided so much opportunity
for the inner city and Watts.

-You know, when you tell
somebody where you from,

they picture an idea
of a place from poverty

and just like a situation

that's not really known
for a lot of success.

I just feel like, when you
come from a place like Watts,

you really have to work
extra hard to fight

for what you deserve.

-This center has been
a place for kids like JuJu,

as well as countless other kids

that have found
safe respite here.

-Honestly, my mom tried
to get me in tennis over there.

Those courts right there.

That's like
where Serena and Venus trained.

But my mom thought I would play
tennis, and I hated it.

I'm just happy to just be
a part of that conversation.

Rising against all the odds

and hopefully inspire
others to want to overcome

their circumstances.

-She's such a graceful,
humble child,

but when she gets on the court,
I see my father come out.

Just a fierce,
unrelenting champion.

-Sierra Canyon
basketball were one

of the top programs
in the country.

We're usually ranked in
the top 25 nationally by ESPN.

I've coached against
a lot of the best

and coached some of the best,

and nobody's as dominant
as JuJu is.

-The Blazers repeat.

They have their
fifth state championship.

-The goal was just to win,
and we had a long season.

You know, a lot
of hard work went into this,

so I just had to make sure I
got it for me and the team.

Hopefully we go
undefeated this season

and bring back
another championship.

The season starts tonight
against Duncanville.

-Let's go, Sierra!

Get up, Mac.
-Up court.

-The opening tip is stolen away.
Laid up and in.

That is JuJu Watkins.
She's going coast to coast.

Count it.

-Stay with her, stay with her.

-Whoa.

-JuJu's drive is like nothing
I've ever seen before.

I mean, she never turns it off,
but she also has a lot of fun.

-JuJu!

-She always wants to win.

So I've never seen
a competitor like her.

And that's a coach's dream.
-Y'all got to get on her.

Defense. Ball pressure.
Yeah. There you go.

Thank you.

-There's a difference
between JuJu and Judea.

-Judea, off the court
is a very calm,

quiet, laid-back individual
that wants to relax,

go shopping,
chill at the house,

play with the dog.

JuJu is like the alter ego
of, like,

somebody that's ready to just,
you know, take your head off.

-I can't remember
the exact moment

I fell in love with basketball.

I think, for me,
it's just always been a way

for me to bond with my dad.

I was able to really
be myself, like,

show my competitive spirit.

-Go get one, Ju.
Go get one.

-Nice, nice, nice.

-The main goal always is
to win.

So whatever I can do to help
the team win, I'm all in.

-And Sierra Canyon going
to win this one.

JuJu supporters saw
a show here tonight.

And if this is any inkling

of what her senior season
is going to be like,

look out!

-I want to finish
my senior year strong,

win a championship.

It's really all or nothing.

-The main goal always
is to win,

you know, put ourselves
in an easier position

going into the playoffs.

**

We're at the Galen Center
playing against La Jolla.

Great players on that team.

So we had to show up.

Crazy environment,

like a sneak peek of
what USC was going to be like.

-You up here to check out JuJu.
-At the Galen Center.

Her future home.
-You got to support JuJu.

You know what it is. Going all
the way with her, a'ight.

**

-JuJu Watkins!

-Basketball in LA
is a true community.

It is like being raised
by a village.

People are going to do
whatever they can

in order to help you be,
you know, successful.

-Something extraordinary
about Judea.

She is the hero to rally around.

-You know,
we're getting that home.

I can bring my whole village.

I kind of wanted to share
that with everybody.

[ Buzzer ]

-I'm proud of her decision

because it follows my father's
instruction to us all.

Set down your anchor
and build right where you are.

Don't move. Improve.

-You don't stop. I'm like,
she got every rebound!

-[ Laughs ]

-As long
as she maintains her authentic,

sincere community ties,

then it will not only
be a testimony to her character,

it becomes a rallying point
for kids in the community.

-I did it for my city,
my community,

and I wanted to make it easy
to be a part of that journey.

My goal for my senior year
is just finish it off so strong.

I'm ready to show everybody
who JuJu is

one last time
in high school basketball.

-JuJu is built different.

-The 2023 Gatorade National
Girls Player of the Year.

-Her signature is that she
wants to win more than anything.

-60 points, light work.
-Next time we get 70.

-I feel like a lot
of people look at basketball

just like a predominantly
male-focused sport.

There's a whole
different mental toughness

that a girl needs to have.

-Sidwell Friends, the
National Champions last year.

-She has to prove
her name at every level.

-I have NBA friends
calling me to be like,

"How's JuJu in practice?"

The JuJu effect has already
been real.

-People want to watch.

Who is this number one
kid from Sierra Canyon?

And number 12
is going to bring it.

-I'm just like, bro, let's go.

-She started basketball at 9.

You know,
she played in this park league.

And she was ballin'.

-She went up for a layup,
and then they called a foul.

-And one of the little boys
got so mad at her.

-And then he grabbed her
and tried to pick her up.

And the whole gym was laughing.
They just couldn't stop her.

It was funny.
-When we saw that, we was like,

"Oh, yeah, we gotta get serious.

We gotta give her
these resources," you know,

because me and Bobby
both have a love for basketball.

-I don't know who I'd be
without, you know,

my family's support.

Very grateful for that.