Original subtitles

[ Laughter, indistinct chatter ]

-How you feeling, Ray?

How you feeling?

-About our game? -Yeah.

-I'm excited.

I'm ready to seize the moment.

My first...

This is the freshy debut,

and we lit about it.

-We're about to go to our first game.

But no, we're about to warm up.

We're about to warm up for our first game.

-Shootaround?

-Shootaround. Shootaround. Sorry.

This is our first time to, like,

see the court and stuff before our game.

So, just to lock in on that, get used to the court,

the feel of it, is important for right now.

Who's [indistinct]? -Their point guard.

[ Speaking indistinctly ]

-The best part of traveling with my teammates

is definitely just creating those memories.

I feel like it's -- so much chemistry is built, you know,

off of little interactions, especially when we're traveling.

Oh, no, no, no.

No.

Are you talking about Otto's man?

-Yeah. -Oh!

-Hey, bro. Come on, now.

-Jesus Christ.

-Otto, why you lying? -What she say?

-"He's not even that cute."

-It's just her trying to move on.

-She's over him, bro.

-Over it. -Otto, you deserve better, bro.

-She don't like -- she don't... -I chase. I don't attract.

No, wait. -No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Attract, don't chase. -You chase?

-She said, "I chase, I don't attract."

[ Laughter ]

**

-Alright, I'm going to actually go in there and see the girls.

Um, we're going to orchestrate this shoe gifting thing

in the locker room, then they'll come out and stretch

and then we'll shoot. -We ready to go?

-Okay, here's what we're gonna do.

The team that's on before us has about eight minutes left.

When we're ready to go out there,

if they're done, we'll stretch out there

and we'll shoot out there.

But if they're not quite done,

we'll start our stretch out in the hallway so we can get going.

Okay, before we start,

obviously it's been a long time practicing,

and now here we are in Vegas

for our last shootaround before we play.

It's been a unique pre-season in terms of the excitement

around the program,

but I think we've wanted to lock out

or block out all that noise and just be about us.

But I do think there's -- there's times to recognize

how much support we have from our fans, our community,

our administration.

And to that note,

we have a special gift that arrived today

from none other than Vanessa Bryant.

[ Cheers and applause ]

So, I think there's -- there's something --

there's something special in there for you guys,

so go take a look.

I think there's... [ All cheering ]

[ All whooping, shouting ]

-You crazy!

-Just to see that we were able to get

an unreleased shoe was just crazy.

I mean, the shoes are just fire.

I love Kobes.

-And these are called the Reverse Grinches.

Those are some crazy Kobes.

-Time to lace up.

-Hello?

[ Indistinct chatter ]

Hello?

-I love that smell.

[ Indistinct chatter ]

-Otto putting them on already. -Yep.

-The key -- The key to wearing new shoes.

You gotta -- gotta bend them.

I don't even think these are out. Are these out?

-No. Unreleased! -They're not even out, bro.

-We gotta take a pic, girl.

-Whoo!

[ Laughter ]

-Wait, wait. Come on in.

-Bro, these are tough.

-* Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah *

* We just came to win, win, win *

* We just came to win, win, win *

* Trying to go against us, I don't really recommend *

[ Players shouting ]

-Six minutes!

[ Shouting continues ]

-Ah!

-That's a good tempo!

-Be ready to shoot. -Here we go.

-Right here. -Here we go.

-Here you go. Use me. -Nice. Good screen.

-Money! Money!

-There's always nerves and excitement.

You know, first game.

We have a whole kind of pregame routine.

They get some shots up, they stretch.

You know, we talk before the game. [ Whistle blows ]

Okay, just as we wrap up here, I know our men are coming on.

If they're not on yet, you can shoot,

but I want to make sure you also introduce yourself

to the talent over there. Obviously we know

Candace Parker, Angel Gray, Ari Chambers.

And then Grant Hill's calling the men's games.

But he was my favorite player growing up,

so you can also introduce yourself to him.

-Aww. -I know.

Alright. You guys feel good? -Yeah.

-I thought our pace was great.

Right, I thought our pace was really good.

We repped hard to stay together.

Next time we come out here is to warm up for the game

and get ready to play. We've worked...

[ Players cheering ] Hey.

We've earned the right to be confident.

-"SC" on three, "family" on six."

1, 2, 3. -[All] SC!

-4, 5, 6. -[All] Family!

-If you won't, I will.

-You said the JuJu's better than advertised.

How so?

-I mean, like... I've just, I've been...

I saw her to play a ton in high school.

Obviously, I've been recruiting her for several years,

but until you step into a college environment,

you don't know how they're going to respond every single day.

I don't know how closely you were watching,

but she reps like a pro.

Sometimes that takes years of college to understand, right?

So her ability to practice at a high level is really elite.

-Alright. -And put this to your...

I'm sorry. One more mic.

-I would say I'm pretty comfortable with the media,

but kind of have me stepping outside of my box a little bit

and that's where I have to really push myself.

Um, Candace Parker.

Um...

Probably "My Boo," with Alicia Keys.

Hey, guys.

Wait, am I being like, "What's up?"

-Yeah, you did. -Okay.

Hi, I'm JuJu Watkins with USC women's basketball,

and this is "Shoot Your Shot."

With marshmallows.

-Thank you so much. -Yeah. Of course. Thank you.

Today I had on three mics.

So that's -- That's a Guinness World Record.

Never had that... experienced that before.

But honestly,

this is what it's all about for women's basketball.

Just pushing that narrative, getting that coverage.

Uh, so I'm blessed to be in that position.

-Sorry. -There you go. You're good.

Um, the thing I noticed in college coming in

was the expectation on the other end of the floor.

So what have you seen that, you know, with this style...?

Because, I mean, you're coming in

for a really good defensive team from last year.

What have you learned on that end of the court?

-Man, Coach B has been on -- on my tail.

Like, high school,

I used to get away with, like,

okay, maybe a couple, you know...

But yeah, Coach B has been on me just learning to pick my battles

and, um, just contain more.

No more jumping and stuff like that.

So just maturing, uh, defensively is what

Coach B has been teaching me a lot.

-So when you take the floor, what's going through your mind?

-Win. Win.

Candace is...

You know, she's been my favorite player for a long time.

So to kind of have that full- circle moment

where it's like, okay, this is my

first college basketball game

and I have my favorite WNBA player here

to -- to narrate everything is...

It was just crazy.

**

-I'm actually really nervous.

-Nervous? Well, why you nervous?

-I don't know, I get nervous like...

-Oh, before the game? -It's her first game.

-Oh. -I'm really nervous.

I went and stopped by her room earlier to check on her.

She's in good spirits. She's excited.

JuJu basically called me last night.

She's like, "Mom, make sure you're at my room at 7 a.m.

I need you to, you know,

make sure my bun is poppin' and tight."

So I literally set my schedule for 6 a.m.

I got up early.

-No, no, no, no, no. -"It's just a bun."

-No, you can't say it's just a bun.

You can't say that. -It's just a bun.

-No, you can't say that.

-My only expectation for today is that --

-Win. A win.

-...JuJu gives 100%. -That's right.

-Leave it all out there on the court.

-Yeah, the W for sure.

-Yeah. -That's all that's on my mind.

**

-Make our court look crowded. Be long and athletic.

It should always be one on USC, not one on one.

Okay, we're under and up on ball screens and DHOs.

Talk to each other on through.

We're always blocking staggers with the show.

Okay? They do -- They do some of those as well.

So just be aware.

The toughness and grit

that made us the best defensive team in the history

of the school doesn't go anywhere.

This is not any less of a tough-ass defensive gameplay.

It's just active in gaps

and make them stay on the outside of our paint.

Any questions on that? Play freakin' defense.

-We were invited to go play in Vegas.

It was part of a marquee slate of games.

We knew it would be JuJu's debut.

We knew it would be a national stage for us

and we wanted to take that opportunity.

What I love about this team is we're not out here going,

"Oh, I'm going to tolerate my teammate."

I think we really understand

that your strength is not my strength,

but your strength is pretty freaking awesome,

and my strength allows you to do your strength better.

Does that make sense? Like, that's real unity.

It's not saying, "Oh, we're different

and I'll be okay with you."

It's, "No, we're different, and I need you. I need you."

I need you to be the best in-bounder.

I need to be the best flash middle person.

I need you to screen and get her ass open

so she can give them 35.

You guys have earned the opportunity

to be confident on this stage. Now let's go hoop.

[ Cheering and applause ]

-"SC" on three, "family" on six.

1, 2, 3. -[All] SC!

-4, 5, 6. -[All] Family!

**

-I think, heading into Ohio State --

They went to the Elite Eight last year.

We all watched them kind of dismantle UConn in the Sweet 16.

-They're going to be pressuring me probably.

They're going to be pressuring everybody.

-They're an up-and-down team that likes to press.

They are fast. They are aggressive.

-I'd rather take on the challenge than not.

I think our players own that as well.

-It's my first game. A lot of nerves coming into it.

The expectation is to win. Nothing less.

-To experience that test right away

is going to show what type of team we are.

We have the task of trying to knock off a top-five team.

-It's only one game,

but I think it's a really important game.

-How many people get to get up in the morning

and go play on national television?

We do.

-College basketball in the 2023-2024 season

is ready to go.

The ball goes up.

Thierry tips it back.

**

-Bigby, be available!

-It was up and down and up and down.

Ton of adrenaline.

-Wide open. One good one!

-JuJu Watkins with her first career basket.

All tied at 2.

-Ju pushes in transition,

and she's really impossible to stop.

And Ohio State had no idea how to stop that,

because how would they? No one had seen it before.

-Watkins dribbles behind her back,

cuts down the right alley,

tries to go up in traffic. [ Whistle blows ]

-Nice.

-You gotta push that rock, though.

-JuJu's first game against Ohio State, I was a mess.

She came out and she was just hooping.

-But she has it poked away, stolen by Watkins.

She crosses the time line.

At the free throw line.

Stops, pops...

and hits.

JuJu Watkins, as good as advertised.

**

**

-In the second quarter,

they couldn't really guard JuJu, like most people can't.

We went to her.

We got in a bit of a rhythm and we built a lead.

-That ends the first half from Las Vegas, 46-28.

The Trojans lead number seven Ohio State.

-Heading into halftime, we had a 46-28 lead.

But I knew that Ohio State was going to come back.

They were going to talk about it in the locker room

and be ready to go in the second half.

we knew it wasn't over.

[ Indistinct shouts ]

[ Whistle blows ]

-Thierry, straight away.

Down the left alley, up in traffic.

Draws the foul.

-We knew they would make adjustments

in coming out of halftime,

as any good team does.

And in particular, I think

they wanted to make life a little tougher for JuJu.

You know, put a couple more defenders

kind of up underneath her.

That sort of changed the tempo for us.

-Searches for help. Finds Watkins, left angle.

With the left hand, tries to split two defenders.

[ Whistle blows ] -No!

-I got in foul trouble in the third quarter.

-Offensive foul on USC's number 12, JuJu Watkins.

-JuJu is going to be involved in a lot of plays

offensively and defensively.

So there's always going to be a risk of foul trouble.

It's hard to play with four fouls,

you know, in the third quarter, and so I had to take her out.

Okay, a couple things, y'all. They're calling fouls on us.

But we're letting it happen to us

because we're not starting to play defense till here.

Be aggressive in our spot.

-And now Lindsay Gottlieb and company

have to figure out how the Trojans can find a way to float

with JuJu Watkins sitting on the bench.

Ohio State cuts the lead to 2!

-Get it! Get it! Get it!

Jesus Christ!

[ Whistle blows ] -And the Trojans unable

to handle the pressure from the Buckeyes.

[ Buzzer ]

-Who wants to lose a lead like that in the third quarter?

Ohio State and USC --

both teams are fighters and have a lot of heart.

You have no idea how it's going to turn out until the very end.

-JuJu Watkins back in with four fouls.

Double team comes to trap her.

Looks downstairs.

Finds Marshall.

Battles with McMahon.

Flips it up. Off the heel.

It pops high and drops home.

-In the fourth quarter, we shifted to a zone,

which really changed momentum,

and we got JuJu back in there and we were able to regain

the momentum and control a little bit.

-There you go! -Watkins right wing.

Straight to the cup.

Lays it in.

Watkins gets a left elbow.

Navigates down the lane. Flips it up.

And in again!

Hooping the horn!

30 points in her debut.

Swing it to Watkins. Down to 5.

Do they foul?

They will not.

Watkins lays it up with two seconds to go.

-[ Laughing ] -The clock winds down.

-[ Buzzer ] -There's the buzzer.

The JuJu era begins with a bang!

USC takes down number seven Ohio State,

an 83-74 win.

-Let's go!

-We knew that they had no way of being as prepared for us

as we were for them.

Coach McGuff had most of his roster

returning from an Elite Eight team.

He shoulddo what he's done.

They were, you know, a terrific team.

And so we were able to prepare for their press,

and they had no idea, I think,

how to prepare for a freshman phenom

that no one had seen at this level.

This is what you came here to do.

I'm so proud of you. -Thank you, Coach.

-It's only up from here. You're special.

-I don't think anybody expected us to win.

That's why we got the first game,

at 10 a.m. on a Monday.

Because they're like, okay, let's -- you know,

let's kind of see what they can do.

But I mean, we're here,

we're working, and that's really all that matters.

-It was really a gut check

for such an early game in the season,

the first game of the season.

You don't know what your team is made of under duress,

and I was just as proud of kind of squandering the lead

and getting it back as I was with the way

we started the game.

I think it showed a lot of fortitude.

-Are you kidding me?!

[ Cheering and applause ]

I am so freaking proud.

-Lindsay, don't cry. -I might.

[ Shouts and laughter ]

That was pretty freaking impressive.

And it was just us being us.

Even some of the mistakes.

We're not perfect, right?

We foul, do some silly things, and all that kind of stuff.

[ Laughter ]

But no matter what,

even as kind of ugly as it got in the third quarter,

I always had belief.

And I believe you guys always had belief, right?

And the toughness... A.G., I saw you before

the game started -- "Let's go, Ju."

"Let's go, Ju," right? And, Otto, we hear you.

Literally the entire bench was locked in.

And before the game I said, "So Ju can have 35,"

so she owes me 3 points. [ Laughter ]

And that's a -- that's a freshman record.

The highest before was Lisa Leslie.

[ Cheering and applause ]

And also they tried to keep you out for a quarter.

The feeling I have, we have with you guys

that we can get through anything.

That's why we -- that's why we scheduled this game.

And that's why we've now proven to ourselves

we can get a lot better.

We know we can.

But whatever they threw at us,

we could withstand it, right?

And it just says so much.

Like, this is what they say when they say "the Trojan family"

and "the Trojan fight on."

And I know this is what y'all came here to do.

I'm really proud of us.

I mean, it was a big win, but no one cares,

you know, about a big win unless you follow it up the next day.

So I'm really interested to see how we are going forward

and the improvements we can make in our mentality.

We've now done this good thing, but where does it go from here?

Let's watch the other games, let's get home

and let's keep it rolling.

-Let's go! -Fight on.

-"SC on three, "family" on six!

1, 2, 3. -[All] SC!

-4, 5, 6. -[All] Family!

-32 points -- I asked you in the press conference.

You surpassed Lisa Leslie's debut of 30 points.

We don't know the exact record. That's probably it.

You know, we're looking at the greats of USC,

but likely having the freshman record in your first game.

You know, what does it mean to -- to be

alongside those USC greats like that?

-Man, fight on, bro.

This is -- this is what USC is all about.

So I'm just here to continue on that legacy

and keep fighting on.

-And then during the game,

you pick up your fourth foul early in the third quarter.

I know it's frustrating for you

when you're sitting there in the third quarter,

especially seeing that lead go away.

What's kind of your thoughts there going through

as you wait for your opportunity to get back out there?

-Yeah, I mean, I mean, Ohio went on a run.

So I had faith in my team the whole time

and knew that when it was my time,

I was going to come in and impact the game

so that we could get the dub.