USC Women’s Basketball Kids Camp Was Sold Out, But What I Saw Was Bigger Than Numbers
I went to USC women’s basketball kids camp on Tuesday thinking I was only going to stay for a couple of hours. That was the plan. But once I got there, started watching the stations, talking to people, and seeing how the USC players and summer camp coaches interacted with the kids, I ended up staying the whole day. By the time I got home, I was tired like I had actually worked the camp myself. But honestly, I was glad I stayed, because what I saw was bigger than just a basketball camp.
The first thing that stood out was the size of the camp. It was sold out at 140 campers, and about 60 of those campers were boys. That surprised me, but in a good way, because when people talk about the growth of women’s basketball, this is part of what it looks like. It is not just young girls showing up in Juju Watkins jerseys. It is boys showing up in them too. Tuesday was jersey day, so there were jerseys everywhere. I saw a lot of Juju jerseys, but I also saw A’ja Wilson jerseys, Caitlin Clark jerseys, Jazzy Davidson jerseys, Rayah Marshall jerseys, Kobe jerseys, WNBA jerseys, and USC jerseys. What I loved most was seeing boys wearing women’s basketball jerseys and not thinking twice about it. They were just fans. They were just kids who love basketball, and to me, that says a lot about where the game is going.
The camp was organized really well. After speaking with Assistant Coach, Courtney Jaco, I learned they had 10 stations set up for the campers. During the station work, the kids were divided by age groups, with the 7-to-9-year-olds, the 10-to-12-year-olds, and then the little bitties over on the far side. Some of those kids were as young as four years old, and they were so cute out there trying to dribble, shoot, listen to instructions, and just be part of the day. It was fun to watch because you could see that, for some of them, this might have been one of their first real basketball experiences.
One thing I thought was really cool was that all of the stations were named after WNBA teams. There was an Aces station, a Valkyries station, and they even had enough stations to include the newer teams like the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire. When I asked Assistant Coach, Courtney Jaco about that, she said they thought it was important for the kids to become familiar with the WNBA teams. I loved that because it showed that the camp was not just about drills. It was also about exposing these kids to the women’s game and making the WNBA part of their basketball vocabulary early.
The stations covered a little bit of everything. The kids worked on basic shooting fundamentals, layups, and different types of finishes, including going off one foot and two feet. They had passing, ball handling, agility and footwork, rebounding, and defense. At the defensive station, they worked on slides, closeouts, and footwork. There were also competition stations, so the kids got to do shooting competitions, relay races, and ball-handling races. Then there was a station called Trojan of the Court, which was one-on-one. Sometimes the ball would be rolled out, and sometimes they would play out of different actions, like a pin-down or a ball screen. So even though the kids were having fun, they were also being introduced to real basketball concepts.
One of the agility and footwork coaches also stood out to me. Sandra Dixon, who was a development coach for Unrivaled this past season. She played at San Diego State under Coach Beth Burns, works with the Junior Sparks, and does a lot in the Los Angeles basketball community, especially with youth development. That was another thing I appreciated. The people working with the kids were not just standing around. They were teaching, correcting, encouraging, and really paying attention to the details.
I asked Courtney what the highlight of camp has been for her, and she said the growth. She said when she first did this camp with Coach Lindsey Gottlieb, they had 32 kids. Now the camp is sold out at 140. Courtney has been there from the beginning with Lindsey, so she has been able to see the progression up close. But it was not just the number that meant something to her. It was seeing the LA community show up, and also seeing people come from outside of LA. There were families from Northern California, different states, and even someone from San Antonio.
For Courtney, being an LA kid herself, seeing all of those USC jerseys meant something. She said you could not have told her when she was a player that she would one day see something like this. A gym full of kids wearing USC women’s basketball gear. A gym full of kids who know the players, know the program, and want to be part of what is happening around USC women’s basketball. And of course, Juju is a big part of that. Courtney talked about what it means to see a kid like Juju stay home, represent Los Angeles, make a name for herself, and have that kind of impact on the community.
You could feel that impact when Juju got there for the afternoon session. The kids knew. They followed her, wanted pictures, wanted to talk to her, wanted to smile with her, and honestly, just wanted a moment. And let me say this about Juju; she is amazing with those kids. It was one of the sweetest things to watch. She was laughing with them, smiling with them, talking to them during breaks, encouraging them at the stations, and just being present. Most people see the basketball side of Juju. They see the buckets, the highlights, and the star power. But watching these kids circle around her and seeing how patient and warm she was with them showed another side of her impact. Those kids look up to her, and you could see it.
The afternoon session had a different setup. The kids were split into two groups, but there was no age division, so you could have a five-year-old on the same team as a 12-year-old. That made it even more fun to watch. One group went into the Founders Room for Basketball Jeopardy, where they were split into six teams and answered trivia questions about the NBA, WNBA, and the history of USC women’s basketball. The other part was called Moneyball, which was a shooting competition. That was one of the best parts of the day because you could have a five-year-old standing there with a chance to make the winning shot for a team full of older kids. And when the little ones got their moment, the older kids were cheering them on like crazy. That is what made it fun. It was competitive, but it was also joyful.
The day ended with scrimmages, and of course, that is what the kids were waiting for. They wanted to play. But even during the scrimmages, what stood out to me was not just the basketball. It was how the USC players and summer camp coaches interacted with the kids. I watched players walk kids from one place to another, hold their hands, help them get where they needed to go, and encourage them when they got nervous or down on themselves. I watched a coach on the bench talk to a kid who was upset because she felt like she was not playing well. The coach reminded the kid that it was okay, that everybody makes mistakes, and to keep going. That may seem small, but for a young kid, those moments matter.
I also got a chance to talk to Destiny Littleton, who was helping with camp, and I saw McKenzie Forbes later and spoke to her too. It was great to see them both! I had the chance to meet Pania Davis, and Ryann Bennett, the two new stars for this team. It was great to see and say hi to Saniyah Hall, and Juju. One of the best moments at camp for me was watching Kennedy Smith interact with the kids during Money ball. LOL and let me tell you, Kennedy outside of basketball is funny. During one of the shooting drills, she had the whistle and was calling kids up, blowing the whistle, stopping them at certain points, and helping them get set for the drill but in comical way!! She was having a ball with it. She is playful, funny, full of joy, and just fun to watch. People see Kennedy the competitor, Kennedy the defender, Kennedy the basketball player. But at camp, you got to see the personality. She was light, unserious in the best way, and clearly enjoying herself with the kids.
Brooklyn Shamblin was there. Laura Williams was there. Sitaya Fagan was there. The players were not just standing around for pictures. They were helping, teaching, encouraging, laughing, and making sure the kids felt seen. That was probably my biggest takeaway from the day. The way the USC players and summer camp coaches poured into those kids was beautiful to see.
USC women’s basketball kids camp felt like more than a camp. It felt like a glimpse of what this program is becoming in the community. You had kids from LA, kids from outside LA, girls and boys, four-year-olds up to 12-year-olds, Juju jerseys, WNBA jerseys, USC jerseys, players teaching, summer camp coaches encouraging, and campers learning about WNBA teams while also learning the game. You had young boys proudly wearing women’s basketball jerseys, little kids trying to make the winning Moneyball shot, and older kids cheering them on.
That is what growing the game looks like. It is not always some big speech or campaign. Sometimes it is a gym full of kids, a whistle, a basketball, a station named after a WNBA team, and a player like Juju Watkins taking the time to smile for one more picture.
If this camp went from 32 kids in Courtney’s first year to 140 kids and sold out now, I can only imagine what it will look like next year. So, if you have a kid who loves basketball, or even a kid who is just starting to learn the game, when the USC women’s basketball kids camp flyer comes out, sign them up. Do not wait too long, because this camp is only going to get bigger.
Before I close this out, I want to thank Courtney Jaco. She spent a lot of time sitting down with me and talking about the camp, not just what was happening on the court, but why it matters. She talked about the growth of the camp, the joy she gets from seeing it expand, and how important it is for USC women’s basketball to keep showing up in the community and building those connections. I really appreciated her taking the time to explain it all to me, because it helped me see the camp in a much bigger way.
I went in thinking I was going to stay for a couple of hours. I stayed the whole day. And after seeing the kids, the players, the summer camp coaches, the families, and the way Courtney talked about what this camp has become, I am glad I did. Until next summer——FIGHT ON! Make sure you leave a comment below!!
