What Caitlin Clark Said About USC Trojans' Juju Watkins At Her Iowa Jersey Retirement

The USC Trojans women's basketball team lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 76-69. Despite the upset loss, the entire USC team stayed to watch Caitlin Clarks' jersey retirement ceremony. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb explained why after the game.

Caitlin Clark is pictured at half court as her retired jersey hangs in the rafters behind her Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Feb. 2, and the Women of Troy are now 19-2, 9-1 in Big Ten conference play. Carver-Hawkeye Arena was filled with energy, as Hawkeye star alumni Caitlin Clark was set to have her jersey retired following the game.

While the USC Trojans faced a tough 76-69 upset, the team showed immense respect towards Clark and the Hawkeyes. The team stayed for the jersey retirement ceremony despite facing their first loss since Nov. 23.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb took the time in her post-game presser to explain why the team stayed for Clark’s retirement.

Caitlin Clark is pictured at half court as her retired jersey hangs in the rafters behind her Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“This day isn’t lost on us from a non-basketball game piece of it. I’m really impressed with the atmosphere here. The love for women’s basketball. The appreciation for what Caitlin’s done,” Gottlieb said. “We had decided prior to the outcome of the game that we were going to stay out there and be a part of that, to honor her and where women’s basketball is.”

Clark helped grow the women’s basketball fandom and growth. Gottlieb understands the impact of Clark's time with the Hawkeyes that and respects it. 

Clark spent four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes. While she remained a dominant player throughout her collegiate career, she went above and beyond in her senior season. Clark became a household name during the 2023-2024 season. 

In her senior season, Clark broke numerous records in women’s basketball. Just some of her accolades include becoming Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, the Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists, becoming the Big Ten all-time scoring leader, and she became the Division I women’s basketball leading scorer. She also achieved the most 30-point games in Division I basketball in the past 25 seasons for both men’s and women’s leagues. 

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Clark, to no surprise, was the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, selected by the Indiana Fever. The Fever went from the first pick to ending at No. 3 in the Eastern Conference Division. Clark led the team with an average of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals as a rookie.

USC staying for the ceremony did not go unnoticed. During Clark’s speech, she took a moment to pay respect to the USC Trojans. 

“USC, good luck the rest of the way. I’m a big fan of all of you. JuJu [Watkins], you were awesome, and [coach] Lindsay [Gottlieb] you do a great job. It was fun to watch you guys,” Clark said.

With the growth of NIL, Clark is one of the players who paved the way for players such as Watkins. Watkins became a star player in just her freshman season with the Trojans. In just her second year, she has signed numerous NIL deals with State Farm, Nike, NYX Makeup, Gatorade, and more. 

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) takes to the court Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, ahead of the NCAA women’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. USC Trojans won 79-37. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Throughout the season, Gottlieb has acknowledged how proud she is of the state of women’s college basketball. She sees the atmosphere at Galen Center and when they play elsewhere. The Trojans faced the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Jan. 5 in New Jersey. Despite the away game, fans were there to see Watkins play in person.

“When you think big picture it really is something,” Gottlieb said about USC drawing in a large crowd on the East Coast. “I’ve said it in LA, JuJu’s had really a cultural impact. I mean that the girls and boys that come to the game. The way that it’s impacted our program. It’s hard to impact winning like this.”

The USC Trojans will now have to bounce back from their upset loss. The Women of Troy will face the 11-11 Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. PT at Kohl Center.

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