Original subtitles

-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.