USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb noticed a stranger approaching. She thought maybe she had spilled something and he was going to give her a heads-up. Instead, he stopped near their table and paused.
“Hey, Coach,” he said. “I thought it was you. I’ve gotta ask …”
She waited.
“Is JuJu really 6 foot 2?” he asked.
Gottlieb laughed. She answered — yes, JuJu Watkins is listed at 6 feet 2 — then joked that it depends on how much of Watkins’ iconic bun is counted. A big guard in the even bigger Big Ten was an enticing prospect for this L.A. sports fan. Even in the summer, he was eagerly anticipating the season, which will see USC — a team that appeared on national networks just three times last season before its postseason run to the Elite Eight — on ESPN, FOX, FS1 and NBC nine times before the Big Ten tournament.
He thanked Gottlieb, wished her luck and went on his way.
The exchange felt oddly familiar to Gottlieb, just not as the head coach of USC, a program she took over in 2021 when it was a basement dweller in the Pac-12. Instead, it reminded her of experiences during two seasons as a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant, when insatiable NBA fans wanted to break down every potential matchup and moment.
“For those of us who have really followed this game for a long…
