Microphones, cameras, unreleased Kobes. Her favorite player watching, the No. 7 team in the country, Las Vegas. Immediate expectations.
But no moment is too big for JuJu Watkins.
Episode five of “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins,” the documentary series presented by State Farm, dives deep into the USC phenom’s college debut, in which she jumped immediately into the spotlight – squaring off against Ohio State to kick off a new era of Trojans women’s basketball.
‘The JuJu Effect:’ JuJu Watkins begins to build new legacy at USC
Episode four of “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins,” the new documentary series presented by State Farm, delves into the beginning of Watkins’ freshman year at USC.
Game 1 for JuJu took place more than 250 miles from Los Angeles, but the hype followed the top incoming freshman up the I-15. The episode takes viewers behind the scenes of that business trip, including the bus ride to T-Mobile Arena, addresses from head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, a tune-up practice and her family’s nervous excitement.
Not to mention – a pretty sweet surprise. As if they weren’t fired up enough, the team got even more amped for the season thanks to a gift from Vanessa Bryant: new unreleased Kobes for the whole squad. Watkins grabs a “Reverse Grinch” pair – red with green laces. “The shoes,” she says, “are just fire.”
The Trojans are shooting around at a mostly empty T-Mobile Arena, but the hype for Watkins’ debut is palpable, so no calm precedes the storm. She answers a series of questions for Bleacher Report’s Shoot Your Shot series: who she models her game after, her favorite Usher song, her hot chocolate preferences. (You can watch the episode to hear her answers.) She stops by the game’s broadcast crew – Angel Gray, Taylor Rooks and Watkins’ role model Candace Parker – to talk about her mindset and adjustment to college.
“Today I had on three mics, so that’s a Guinness world record,” Watkins says. “Never experienced that before. But honestly, this is what it’s all about for women’s basketball. Just pushing that narrative, getting that coverage. So I’m blessed to be in that position.”
For JuJu Watkins, when one door closes, another one opens
Episode three of “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins” is now available on Peacock.
Watkins is happy to do what she can in front of the camera to help grow the game. But come tip-off, one thing matters: winning. “You guys have earned the opportunity to be confident on this stage,” Gottlieb tells her team pregame. “Now let’s go hoop.”
Hoop, the Trojans do, building a lead as large as 19 by early in the third quarter. But this is a strong Ohio State team fresh off an Elite Eight run. Gottlieb says she knew it wasn’t over. She was right.
The Buckeyes cut their deficit to nine before Watkins’ fourth foul forces her to the bench, opening the door even wider for Ohio State – and the Buckeyes push it through, taking a two-point lead into the fourth.
But Watkins helps turn the tide back in USC’s favor, scoring seven more points in the fourth, giving her a game-high 32 points and – most importantly – getting the W.
“Man, Fight On, bro,” Watkins says in a postgame interview after that 32 total broke Lisa Leslie’s Trojans record for a debut. “This is what USC is all about. So I’m just here to continue on that legacy.”
Her head coach knows she has just the player to do so.
“I’m so proud of you. It’s only up from here,” Gottlieb tells Watkins as the two embrace after the final whistle. “You’re special.”
Special she is. She wasted no time showing it. And Episode 5 of “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins” makes that abundantly clear.
How can I watch the “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins” documentary on NBC and Peacock?
Episodes one through five of “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins” are currently available on Peacock. New episodes are available every Saturday.
Episodes three through six will air on Sunday, Dec. 29, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. ET on NBC.
How can I watch USC basketball games on Peacock?
You can watch Big Ten basketball games by first subscribing to Peacock. Then, either go to PeacockTV.com/Sports in your web browser or download the Peacock app on your phone, tablet, or streaming device and navigate to the Sports section. See below for the list of USC women’s basketball games that will be streaming on Peacock:
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Northwestern vs USC – January 15 at 10:00 PM ET
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USC vs Indiana – January 19 at 12:00 PM
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USC vs Purdue – January 22 at 7:00 PM
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Minnesota vs USC – January 30 at 10:00 PM
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USC vs Wisconsin – February 5 at 7:30 PM
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UCLA vs USC – February 13 at 10:00 PM
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Michigan State vs USC – February 19 at 9:30
Are all Big Ten Basketball games available to watch on Peacock?
Peacock will stream 56 men’s basketball games and 26 women’s basketball games across the 2024-2025 season. Peacock subscribers will also get the first rounds of both the Big Ten Men’s & Women’s tournament live.
What devices does Peacock support?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.
Students, now you can get Peacock at a special discount — just $1.99/mo for 12 months. Visit Peacock to learn more and get started!
