“No one’s filling JuJu’s shoes,” USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said on Thursday. “Those are very unique shoes.”
It’s probably the most pressing and persistent question Gottlieb has faced this offseason after star junior guard JuJu Watkins suffered an ACL injury in March: What’s going on with Watkins?
“She’s doing great,” Gottlieb said. “She’s doing well. I don’t have too much more to elaborate on that. It’s a long process, and [I’m] just trying to be here for her to make sure this time when she’s not able to play the game, that I’m still what she needs me to be, and that she’s able to get everything out of this time to make her a better, stronger person and player. And I think she’s really embraced that, and she’s been an incredible teammate. So that’s the update there. I have no other update in terms of timetables.”
Watkins isn’t the only USC star missing from last season. The Trojans’ frontcourt took a major blow when forward Kiki Iriafen and center Rayah Marshall were drafted by the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun, respectively.
“Of course, it colors your approach to the offseason,” Gottlieb said. “We all have to be nimble and strategize. And I’m big on putting together the right pieces, not just taking whoever.”
One of those pieces is senior guard Londynn Jones, who transferred from crosstown rival UCLA. Jones and Gottlieb have known each other for years; Gottlieb recalled cleaning out her phone messages and finding one from 2019, when a 15-year-old Jones had called her to wish her luck at her new job as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Obviously I was super happy for [Jones] when I was with the Cavs that she went to the other school in LA and had a good career,” Gottlieb said. “She’s someone that we’re really excited to have. She’s worked really hard this summer… It’s a lot to take on a new system in a short amount of time, and she’s embraced that challenge, and she’s definitely gonna be a significant part of what we’re trying to do here.”
Other offseason transfer additions for the Trojans include former Georgia Tech guard Kara Dunn, former Auburn forward Yakiya Milton and former Washington State forward Dayana Mendes. USC also recruited freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, who won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup over the summer.
“We don’t walk into practice as a staff and say, ‘Gosh… where’s all of our talent?’ Gottlieb said. “To the credit of the [players], they’ve created their own identity, and they’re trying to keep the standards and expectations the same, but understanding we all got to pick it up a little bit, because there’s a lot of good players who won a lot of games last year who they can’t look at and rely on.”
It shouldn’t be surprising that Gottlieb has confidence in her retooled squad. Beyond injuries, the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals have completely altered the shape of the college sports landscape. Today, a successful coach has to be more than a motivator for players; they also have to adapt to personnel changes frequently and gracefully.
“The way that we want to play will hopefully empower and put the entire team on a platform to do what they do well,” Gottlieb said. “And then when you’re able to plug JuJu Watkins back in, it only makes you more lethal.”
For Gottlieb, the goal remains clear: Build USC into the nation’s top women’s college basketball program. Viewers will have to wait until Nov. 4 to see how that goal is progressing, when the Trojans host New Mexico State at Galen Center.