JuJu Watkins Mentor Provides Positive Update on USC Star's Recovery Mindset

USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL while driving to the basket during her team's March 24 NCAA Tournament game.

While this news was devastating for the entire women's basketball community, it was because people were feeling horrible for Watkins, as she was sure to be struggling both physically and mentally in the wake of that serious injury.

Watkins hasn't done many interviews since the injury occurred, but in the one she has done, she seems relatively upbeat and prepared for what's to come. And during an April 8 appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, former Lakers assistant coach and one of Watkins' mentors, Phil Handy, provided a positive update on her state of mind.

"[This is] the first time she has ever been injured, and the first couple of days for her were really tough, just from a mental standpoint," Handy said. "But man... I had a chance to talk with her a number of times, we went to lunch, and she's on the other side of that now.

"She's like 'Phil, man, I'm ready. I'm gonna come back stronger, I understand that this is going to be good for me, I can work on my body, I get a chance to work on other parts of the game from a mental standpoint. Let me understand the game from an IQ standpoint, and dive into those areas,'" he continued.

"So she is already tracking in the sense of 'I'mma be ready for this comeback.'"

"The first couple days for her were really tough."

Phil Handy shares his recent conversations with JuJu Watkins & Kyrie Irving 👀

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It's awesome that Watkins sounds ready to attack her injury recovery the game way she attacks her progress on the basketball court.

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