Chloe Clark\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>, Samuels highlighted Watkins\u2019 ability to block out external pressure. When the Seattle native was asked about the biggest lesson she\u2019s learned from practicing alongside the national player of the year, her answer revealed what separates elite players from superstars.<\/p>\n\u201cJust the way that she handles like all the outside noise and all the pressure and still comes as her best self and um, keeps her composure every day. It\u2019s amazing,\u201d Samuels said during the interview.<\/p>\n
The sophomore guard described how Watkins maintains her personality around teammates despite facing constant criticism online. Samuels noted the striking contrast between Watkins\u2019 public persona and her locker room demeanor, where the pressure melts away and the real person emerges.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cLike she\u2019s one of us, like she\u2019s joking around with us and you know, there\u2019s people probably in her comments that are talking, people in her DMs that are talking crazy. So just to, just to see that she handles pressure so well and is able to show up as her best self is something that I really commend her for and something that I\u2019ve learned from her,\u201d Samuels explained.<\/p>\n
This insight reveals how Watkins stays authentic despite facing more scrutiny than most college players will ever experience. Her ability to compartmentalize the negativity while keeping relationships with teammates genuine demonstrates a maturity far beyond basketball IQ. The locker room becomes her sanctuary, where she can be herself without cameras or critics analyzing every move.<\/p>\n
What Role Does Malia Samuels Play in USC\u2019s Championship Pursuit?<\/p>\n
While observing Watkins\u2019 masterclass in handling fame, Samuels carved out her important role off USC\u2019s bench. The 5\u20196\u2033 guard averaged 2.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in the 2024-25 season while shooting 31.8% from three-point range.<\/p>\n
Her development mirrors USC\u2019s rapid ascent under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Samuels\u2019 minutes increased from her freshman to sophomore year as the Trojans improved from 29-6 to 31-4 last season, establishing themselves as a national championship contender. The former Washington State Player of the Year brings championship pedigree to her bench role after leading Garfield High School to back-to-back 3A state championships.<\/p>\n
Samuels provides energy and hustle whenever she enters games for USC\u2019s deep guard rotation. While establishing herself as a reliable contributor, she had a front-row seat to watch Watkins evolve into one of college basketball\u2019s most recognizable faces.<\/p>\n
Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in the 2024-25 campaign before suffering an ACL injury during the NCAA Tournament. The devastating injury ended USC\u2019s championship hopes as the Trojans held a No. 1 seed\u00a0and were widely considered title favorites.<\/p>\n
As Watkins works through her recovery process, Samuels will continue learning from one of college basketball\u2019s brightest stars. The lessons about maintaining composure under intense scrutiny may prove just as valuable as any basketball fundamentals she absorbs. After all, handling pressure isn\u2019t just about performing on the court. It\u2019s about staying grounded when the whole world is watching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Malia Samuels has spent two seasons watching JuJu Watkins navigate the spotlight at USC, giving her a front-row…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":187314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1339,1317,1337,1338,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-187313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-basketball","11":"tag-ncaabasketball","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115117779013182542","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}