Lindsey Gottlieb shares her kids’ wholesome reaction to pulling JuJu Watkins’ teammate’s card from Easter basket

USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb gave her Instagram followers a sneak peek of how she celebrated Easter with her family. Gottlieb has two children with her husband, Patrick Martin, a boy named Jordan and a girl named Reese. The Trojans' head coach often shows off her interactions with her family on social media and today was not an exception.

Gottlieb posted a video on her Instagram stories, which showed her two kids picking up cards from the Easter basket in front of them. Both picked up JuJu Watkins' USC teammate, freshman Kennedy Smith's card, and seemed very excited about it.

"When you find the cards in your Easter basket and the thrill of pulling a @k3nnedynicole Kennedy Smith! 🤗," Gottlieb captioned the video.

Lindsey Gottlieb shares video celebrating Easter with children on IG story. Image via @coachlindsayg

A five-star recruit and the No. 6 overall prospect in the ESPN rankings, Smith has been an impactful forward for USC, especially in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season. However, she struggled for minutes on the court until Watkins sustained a season ending injury during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Smith became a replacement for the sophomore star and led the Trojans to the Elite Eight where they ultimately fell to Paige Bueckers' UConn Huskies. With Watkins's availability for the next season still uncertain, Goittlieb will have to rely on Smith as USC continues its quest for another stellar run next season.

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Lindsay Goittlieb provided update on JuJu Watkins's injury

Trojans sophomore JuJu Watkins tore her ACL during the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament against Mississippi State on March 24. In a no-contact injury, Watkins fell to the ground while driving to the basket. Her injury, which ended her season, was a brutal blow to Lindsay Gottlieb and the USC team, who relied on their star guard to deliver for most of the 2024-25 season.

During an April 17 interview with TMZ, Goittlieb provided an update on Watkins's injury status.

"Obviously, we want to give JuJu the time to heal and get back stronger than ever," Gottlieb said. "She's doing great, she's doing great. She's in focus mode, rehab mode."

Gottlieb and the USC team will be looking forward to Watkins returning to court. However, the Trojans head coach understands that the recovery cannot be rushed. In the meantime, the team will rely on freshman Kennedy Smith, who has proven to be resourceful during the NCAA Tournament.