LOS ANGELES — Lindsay Gottlieb was crammed in the corner of a small back kitchen, standing in a cluster near Caitlin Clark and Zach Edey. The USC women’s basketball coach and her star freshman, JuJu Watkins, were in a holding area at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, where finalists for the men’s and women’s Wooden Award were being honored a week after the 2024 Final Four.
With Watkins at her side, Gottlieb faced Clark, the award’s back-to-back winner, and the two began chatting. “Amazing season,” Clark said to Gottlieb about USC’s Elite Eight run. “We were rooting for you guys. … You guys will be back. JuJu’s so good.”
Gottlieb had never previously met Clark. But she threw out a request: “If there’s anything you could offer me to help [JuJu] …”
Clark didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely, I’d be happy to,” Gottlieb said Clark replied. “I had that kind of attention for a year and a half. She’s going to have it for three years.”
At 19 years old, Watkins is already a basketball and cultural…
