“JuJu Watkins and USC’s Quest to Ignite Joy Amidst LA’s Resilience”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins along with the Southern California women’s basketball squad had a few noteworthy guests in the locker room on Sunday evening.

Cherie Nelson, who maintained the program’s scoring championship for several years with a 50-point performance, was among the alumni of the Trojans present at Galen Center. She brought along her 98-year-old mother, whose home in nearby Altadena was devastated in the wildfires that occurred last week.

“She informed us that she had been following our successes and wanted to come and meet JuJu and the team, even after her mother lost her residence,” Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb stated. “Considering that, it was uncertain if they would attend, but her mother insisted, ‘No, I want to witness the USC women’s team play.’”

The duo was part of an energetic audience of 5,881 that featured actress Vivica A. Fox and several youngsters at one of the first sporting events held in Los Angeles since the wildfires ignited on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers are scheduled to resume their games on Monday evening after their matches were postponed on Saturday.

“I viewed it as a good opportunity to have some fun,” Watkins stated. “The mood is somewhat low here in LA, so our objective was to deliver an entertaining show for a few hours.”

Watkins netted 35 points and Kiki Iriafen contributed 28 in fourth-ranked USC’s 95-73 triumph over Penn State.

Watkins, Iriafen, and Rayah Marshall hail from Los Angeles, while Kennedy Smith originates from nearby Chino and Clarice Akunwafo is from Inglewood.

“This past week has been challenging for LA and for me as well, just hearing about the events,” Watkins remarked. “Individuals I know have been affected too. It’s genuinely weighed heavily on our hearts.”

Iriafen is from the San Fernando Valley, which has been endangered by the Palisades fire. Although her family wasn’t directly impacted, she mentioned that people close to her have lost their homes or were forced to evacuate.

“We are sincerely striving to promote positivity, doing all that we can with contributions, and I’m very prayerful, so that’s a part of it as well,” Iriafen expressed.

“We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to come here today and play basketball. If we can bring joy to people’s faces for a couple of hours or offer them a break from everything happening right now, we’re incredibly thankful to accomplish that,” she added.

Penn State made the journey to Los Angeles after discussions with the Big Ten, officials from USC and UCLA, and medical professionals.

“They assured us that it was healthy and safe to come and compete, and we took their advice,” Nittany Lions coach Carolyn Kieger stated.

Gottlieb remarked, “We appreciate that they had enough faith in the systems to join us.”

After the game, the Lions were headed to Long Beach, where they will remain until facing top-ranked UCLA on Wednesday. The Bruins relocated the match to Walter Pyramid, around 35 miles from their Westwood campus, which is near the Palisades fire.

“Adapt,” Kieger noted. “UCLA has to do it as well so it’s a level playing field. For us, we just turn the page and formulate a new game strategy. We’ll be prepared to compete.”

Kieger mentioned that at the outset, her players were full of inquiries regarding traveling to Los Angeles, where smoke and ash from the wildfires are impacting air quality.

“The primary concern was that everyone would be safe. They’ve been excellent since our arrival,” she stated about her team.

USC and UCLA’s matches against Northwestern were postponed after the Wildcats opted not to travel due to the fires. UCLA had proposed to move its game to accommodate the Wildcats, but they still turned it down.

The Trojans were on the East Coast when the fires erupted.

“I was astonished by the number of texts I received after the Maryland game where attendees were expressing, ‘This was the best two hours I’ve experienced in a while just watching,’” Gottlieb shared.

Her strategy is to keep the Trojans aware that larger issues are unfolding around them while allowing them the chance to concentrate on the sport they cherish.

“I would say this will eventually pass,” Watkins stated. “The most significant aspect for us and for the community is just to maintain faith and hope that circumstances will improve.”

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