SPOKANE, Wash. — Thirty six hours after JuJu Watkins’ proper knee buckled beneath her and USC’s season modified within the blink of a watch, Lindsay Gottlieb gathered her crew for its first apply since its star sophomore went down.
It was a vital second for USC and its coach. Feelings have been nonetheless uncooked. Hearts have been nonetheless heavy. However whereas the remainder of the basketball world was busy writing off the Trojans, Gottlieb needed her crew to know one factor hadn’t modified within the wake of Watkins’ harm.
“We’ve had lots of feelings, however none of them are doubt,” Gottlieb mentioned. “The prevailing feeling is that we are able to nonetheless do one thing collectively. That’s what JuJu needs us to do. There’s lots of perception with this crew.”
That perception hasn’t wavered whilst the trail ahead with out Watkins appears to be like a lot completely different for the Trojans, who will face Kansas State on Saturday evening within the Candy 16. However nobody, at USC or elsewhere, is underneath the impression that the Trojans can merely plug somebody rather than one among school basketball’s brightest stars both.
“None of us can change JuJu,” USC ahead Kiki Iriafen mentioned. “No person can change JuJu.”
However the remainder of the season now hinges solely on how USC adjusts to her absence. And whereas Gottlieb and her gamers insist they don’t really feel that strain, loads of different match groups have been swallowed up by it earlier than.
“Anytime you attempt to make up for it, it normally backfires,” mentioned Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, who’s a detailed pal of Gottlieb.
Auriemma was one of many first to textual content Gottlieb after the harm on Monday evening. Requested Friday concerning the challenges of regrouping within the wake of an harm, the Connecticut coach harkened again Friday to the Huskies’ 1997 match run, when star freshman Shea Ralph tore her ACL on a breakaway layup. The crew was devastated on the time. Gamers wrote Ralph’s title on their footwear to honor her. The tone, it seems, overtook the remainder of their run.
“It was like somebody had handed away,” Auriemma mentioned, “and we misplaced a sport we most likely shouldn’t have misplaced.”
USC ahead Kiki Iriafen celebrates with teammates after hitting a tricky shot in opposition to Mississippi State on March 24.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
There was no such sentiment at USC this week. Iriafen wouldn’t enable it to be so. The perpetually sunny senior ahead was key in protecting the crew’s vitality up in opposition to Mississippi State, all whereas scoring a season-high 36 factors, and she or he has tried to keep up that very same perspective transferring via this week.
Her contributions will go a lot additional than that on Saturday. Presumably nobody will probably be extra vital in carrying the scoring load going ahead than the Trojans’ third-team All-American. Although, she doesn’t essentially have a look at it that manner.
“All of us have the identical sense of doing all of your function, however possibly doing it much more effectively, doing that additional factor as a result of we do have loads to select up,” Iriafen mentioned. “This isn’t the time or the place for me to try to be like, OK, now you’re going to know me. That’s not what I’m right here to do. That’s not what I’m right here for.”
The reality is nobody actually is aware of what the Trojans will appear like with out Watkins. Together with Kansas State, their Candy 16 opponent.
“There’s not many clips on the market together with her not on the ground,” Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie mentioned. “That’s been an actual problem. There’s possibly 100 whole.”
Iriafen, who Mittie referred to as “a mismatch downside in each space of the ground”, has been a main focus of Kansas State’s game-planning. But when the Trojans intend to maneuver onto the Elite Eight, they’ll probably want a robust displaying out of their trio of freshmen guards — Avery Howell, Kayleigh Heckel and Kennedy Smith — all of whom are greater than able to getting scorching from three-point vary.
Slowing down Kansas State’s star participant may even be paramount. Ayoka Lee, who averages 15.6 factors and 6.4 rebounds per sport, has battled via accidents this season. However the Wildcats are 17-1 every time the 6-6 ahead is within the lineup.
USC received’t have that very same luxurious Saturday. However Gottlieb has spent all season telling her gamers how vital their roles are. That half doesn’t want to alter. Even with out Watkins main the best way.
“We simply have to be the perfect variations of ourselves,” Gottlieb mentioned, “and we have to do this collectively so as to have success. And I don’t assume anybody individual will attempt to do greater than what we all know they’re able to, however I additionally assume they’re able to loads, and we’re able to enormity after we do it collectively.”
