USC’s JuJu Watkins Says ‘Isolating’ Helps Support Her Mental Health
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JuJu Watkins isn't too worried about March Madness. The USC women’s basketball guard has prioritized taking care of her mental health during her freshman season, so she knows how to handle stressful situations, like the tournament.
“Of course I want to win, that's definitely the goal,” JuJu exclusively tells Women's Health while promoting her NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal with NerdWallet. “But personally, I don't think I feel any pressure—I think that it's just within the team to make sure that we handle business.”
They do so by setting team goals. Heading into the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) tournament, which they won, their goal as a team was “locking in every single game, regardless of how our bodies are feeling or what others thought, or the odds of us winning,” she says.
Read on to find out exactly how JuJu stays locked in—for herself and her team—by practicing self-care on and off the basketball court, plus what her pre-game routine entails.
JuJu prioritizes alone time to care for her mental health.
“Early in my collegiate career, I definitely didn't expect this much success,” she says. “I'm just taking it all in and being grateful for the opportunities that I get with my team.” In her first year, the rising basketball star broke the USC record for most 30-point games, scored the most points as a freshman in NCAA history, and was named The Athletic's National Freshman of the Year.
But navigating the high-stakes world of college basketball—and the overnight fame that's come with it—is no easy task. What helps JuJu take care of her mental health the most is “making sure that I have a place to go to when things get a little hectic on the court,” she says.
That place is both physical and internal, JuJu says. “What helps me is really isolating sometimes and getting that alone time—which I don't usually get with my team or family—[and] just finding that space mentally,” she explains. By being in a tranquil space, she can “relax and not really think about the things going on,” she adds.
JuJu's pregame routine is similar, except that she likes to listen to music to help her get in the zone—specifically J. Cole, who’s a staple on her playlists. “Even though I'm with my team, sometimes I still kind of go in that head space of really locking in on the game and making sure that I'm prepared,” she says. During this time, she also sets her goals so that when the game starts, they’re right “in the back of my mind” and she knows what she needs to do to win.
And because JuJu spends so much time in the spotlight, it's no wonder that she gravitates toward solitude in her free time, playing video games to decompress.
Taking control of her financial health is another way she maintains her mental well-being.
Growing up, JuJu’s dad was big on being smart with finances and money decisions—"which I don't do sometimes,” she admits. “I usually shop when I am a little stressed out.” (Her latest splurge? Some nice glasses.)
While finances can be a huge stressor for many people, JuJu's dad—who played high school basketball and actually trained JuJu when she got serious about the sport, per ESPN—is making sure that money doesn't stress her out by helping her understand how to spend it thoughtfully. “I'm still in the process of learning more about it and how to make sure I'm preparing myself for the future financially,” she says. “I'm grateful to have him.”
JuJu's also learning how to care for her financial health with her new partnership with NerdWallet. Through the deal, she completed a self-evaluation of her finances and created a budget for how to organize her funds to become more conscientious about how she's spending her money. The deal has also allowed her to think more about her financial future and the impact future brand deals may have on her long-term goals.
JuJu is staying grounded in the present rather than thinking about the future.
Because March is a crucial time in the college basketball world, “I'm pretty in the moment because I think that that's what my team needs—is me just to be really grounded,” she says. So, she's not thinking about her sophomore season yet, much less a potential career in WNBA—yet.
But one thing’s for sure: “As long as I continue to just lock in and work out and continue to get better and be a student of the game,” JuJu says, “I think my game will continue to grow.”
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