They danced in the rain on Figueroa Avenue, a throng of trumpets gathering to serenade the brightest star on campus in a glorious return.

Sheer joy erupted this Sunday night, through storm and wind and smiles breaking free from ponchos, USC’s Spirit of Troy student band braving the elements to surprise the women’s basketball team as soon as it got off the bus from a trip up north. Fresh off conquering Stanford and Cal, teammates formed a sort of impromptu-dance circle around freshman JuJu Watkins, swaying to the instrumental of DJ Khaled’s “All I Do is Win.” Watkins, somehow, ended up with a mock Trojan sword in her right hand; she hit a little jig, senior McKenzie Forbes grabbing her hand and combusting in laughter.

They are the best show on campus these days, the greatest source of pride around USC, a once-dormant program rising to national contention as Watkins has single-handedly accelerated a program rebuild set in motion by third-year coach Lindsay Gottlieb. The freshman is a magnetic blend of natural charisma and prodigal skill, nearly breaking basketball Twitter with a record-breaking 51-piece against Stanford; the world has woken up to Watkins, and her rising tide is soaring all boats. A few days ago, Gottlieb gathered her team for a preview of Watkins’ SLAM Magazine cover, teammates trading awestruck grins as Watkins bowed her head in a mixture of embarrassment and humility.

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“I think it’s important – like, how many faces of the game at this age have been young African-American women?” Gottlieb said in early January. “Like, she should have her own Nike shoe, at some point. She should be the center of a campaign.”

Behind Watkins, Forbes and junior big Rayah Marshall, they are the trailblazers. They are the upstarts. They are the hunters, dancing in the rain.

Check that. They were. 

There is no way to operate under the radar anymore, when Watkins physically broke the radar after vanquishing then-No. 4 Stanford. Teams in the Pac-12 are throwing entire defensive schematics at Watkins, forced too to respect Forbes, USC (16-4, 6-4 in Pac-12) faced with the reality that they’re ranked No. 10 in the country and close to the top of a rebuild that started just two years ago.

“Now, all of a sudden, it’s shifted to, ‘Dang, we know they’re good, and we’re going to put all our eggs into trying to stop them,’” Gottlieb said Jan 31. “And so, we’re talking to our team about, ‘OK, then, what’s next for us?’”

After USC lost to Washington in a sloppy game Jan. 28, continuing an up-and-down stretch in the Pac-12, Gottlieb hosted the toughest film session of the year that following Monday. On-court adjustments needed to be made, sure; but the group’s mentality had to shift, the coach reflected. Washington – and other teams – were taking aim at USC. Not the other way around.

“Sitting at 4-4, I should have everyone’s attention,” Gottlieb said Jan. 31. “We’re not ahead of – like, now our standards for ourselves are really high.”

They responded in kind over the weekend, Watkins carrying them against Stanford and then a variety of Trojans chipping in against Cal.

“We’ve got plenty of opportunities to also be the hunter,” Gottlieb said, “but we gotta also understand that, in the midst of that, we’re the hunted quite a bit.”

The X-factor in the middle of that, with a deep run into the NCAA tournament legitimately possible, is Marshall, who got off to a dominant start but has looked disengaged offensively ever since missing USC’s rematch with UCLA in January. In her first 11 games, she averaged 13 points a game on 51.3% shooting; in six games since her return, she’s averaged 3.7 points a night on 31% from the floor. The Pac-12 is ripe with dominant bigs – conference success down the stretch will hinge largely on Marshall’s ability to rediscover a presence and rhythm in the paint.

“I need to do a better job of freeing her up and getting her good, early looks, and I think she needs to be confident and fight her way to some easy ones and get to some things she knows she can get,” Gottlieb said. “And I’m sure she’ll get her rhythm back, and her confidence back.”

She’s got a prime opportunity Friday against Arizona State (10-12, 2-8 Pac-12), a team without much of an interior presence and without a single player who averages even five rebounds a game.

No. 10 USC vs. Arizona State

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Galen Center

TV/radio: Pac-12 Los Angeles/790 AM

Every season is a fresh start, but this spring is an especially momentous occasion for No. 8 UCLA softball to start anew. A mental refresh and internal changes have rebuilt this season’s young team after a disappointing end to last season.

The Bruins went 52-7 overall and dropped only three games in Pac-12 play, but lost to Grand Canyon University and then Liberty University in the NCAA Regionals for an early postseason exit.

“It definitely fueled the fire,” said sophomore Megan Grant, who hit .333 with 15 home runs last year. “There were a lot of things that I felt during that time and a lot of things I had to get through in order to say, ‘I’m OK now.’ It was a long process, but I think now is the right time like to say, ‘I’m ready to go.’”

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UCLA, picked second in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll, has added pitching coach Rob Schweyer and volunteer director of player development and data analytics Will Oldham. Bubba Nickles, who won a national championship with UCLA in 2019, is back as a graduate assistant coach.

In addition to having longer practices that provide more individual attention, Inouye-Perez also brought in a mental performance coach to help the Bruins get back on track after last season’s premature ending.

“Being able to just take a deep breath and get ready for a new year after a year like last year is difficult,” Inouye-Perez said. “So we brought people in to train on how to level up, how to get past things that could be disappointing or traumatic, and kind of get ready to level up and compete again.”

Schweyer will oversee a pitching staff led by sophomore Taylor Tinsley, the only returning pitcher. UC San Diego junior transfer Jada Cecil, junior Mackenzie Ficke and freshman left-hander Kaitlyn “KT” Terry fill out the group.

Tinsley will likely be the Bruins’ ace this season after a freshman season in which she went 6-1 with a 1.47 earned run average, which earned her a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

“It’s definitely weird being the only returner in the bullpen, but it’s honestly really exciting,” Tinsley said. “I have taken the leadership role in the bullpen quite seriously, but it’s also been kind of more relaxed because it was never serious in the bullpen last year. We always had fun.”

Six sophomores and four freshmen populate UCLA’s roster, and Terry has drawn significant praise from her coach and teammates. The freshman from Greenway High in Phoenix, who was a two-time Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year, is a two-way player who hit the scoreboard in her first at-bat as a Bruin in the fall.

Inouye-Perez said it’s likely Terry will work her way to a more permanent spot in the batting order, but the coaching staff has Terry focusing on pitching right now. Her teammates have dubbed her “The Lawnmower” because she mows people down while in the circle.

“Coach I always asks us one word to describe KT and I always say ‘Go,’” Grant said. “She is so in it for the Bruins, even as a hitter as well. She is legit. Slapping, hitting, she can do it all, speed, everything.”

Terry hit in the No. 7 spot during a fall scrimmage against Loyola Marymount in October. Grant was the leadoff hitter, followed by redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady and sophomore third baseman Jordan Woolery. All three, in addition to redshirt senior catcher Sharlize Palacios, were named to the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List last month.

Brady was a Player of the Year Top 3 finalist last season and owned the best batting average in the conference at .448, with four multi-home run games as she moved from centerfield to shortstop.

Palacios, a Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honoree, held a .311 batting average before a left hand injury ended her season early. Grant was All-Pac-12 First Team after leading all conference freshmen in RBIs, home runs, doubles and slugging percentage. Woolery was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year with a .390 batting average, which was best in the conference for a freshman.

Thursday’s season opener against Cal State Fullerton to start the Stacy Winsberg Tournament at Easton Stadium was postponed due to rainy weather. UCLA begins its season with two games Friday – 3 p.m. against Maryland and 6 p.m. against No. 5 Texas, which will be shown on ESPN.

SANTA MONICA — The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale region dropped 54 places on the Milken Institute’s annual Best-Performing Cities Index that was released Tuesday, falling from No. 68 in the 2023 rankings to No. 122 in this year’s.

Meanwhile, the Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine area fell 22 spots to No. 78 on the Santa Monica-based think tank’s 2024 rankings list, which measures the economic vitality of 200 large metro areas and 203 small cities.

The L.A.-Long Beach-Glendale had been No. 87 in the 2022 rankings before climbing to No. 68 on the 2023 list. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine was No. 56 in the 2023 rankings and No. 69 in 2022.

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Austin, Texas was ranked as the best-performing large municipal area in the country on the 2024 list, while Idaho Falls, Idaho, was the best performing small city for the second consecutive year.

Among the criteria in the report are job creation, wage growth and the output of the high-tech sector, along with housing affordability, community resilience, broadband access and income inequality.

The data reviewed for the 2024 rankings were primarily from 2022, the report said.

“In 2022 (the main year covered in this report), the U.S. labor market added more than 6 million jobs, 90.7% of which were in metropolitan areas,” according to the report.

By PAUL ANDERSON

SANTA ANA — A former Anaheim elementary school teacher and high school wrestling coach was sentenced Monday to two years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

Richard O’Connor, 45, of Anaheim, pleaded guilty May 15 to a count of possession of child pornography.

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O’Connor’s attorney, Josef Sadat, argued for no prison time while prosecutors and probation officials recommended five years behind bars.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter noted support O’Connor received in letters as well as the defendant’s “virtuous” life outside of the crimes. O’Connor had about two dozen supporters in court Monday.

Sadat detailed O’Connor’s difficult upbringing to explain why the teacher joined a social media group displaying child pornography. Sadat said his client was molested as a 9-year-old and that his mother was at times neglectful and his father would leave pornographic magazines around the house. As a result, O’Connor grew addicted to adult pornography, his attorney said.

Sadat said two experts concluded O’Connor was not a pedophile and was a low risk to re-offend. O’Connor was also “extremely cooperative and forthcoming” with authorities since his arrest, Sadat said.

O’Connor tearfully recounted how his life changed when he and his wife were finally able to conceive a child two years ago.

O’Connor started teaching when he was 23, he said.

“So my whole adult life I was someone else’s parent,” he said. “I liked being a father figure.”

O’Connor said after his arrest he started seeing a therapist who helped him talk about childhood trauma that he had suppressed.

“Since April I’ve been away from my family,” he said, adding he is working in the restaurant industry in the Big Bear area.

“I still want to help people,” even though he now is prohibited from teaching or aiding kids, he said. He also wants to continue to be a presence in his toddler son’s life.

“I know it’s going to be really hard for him growing up, but I really want to be there for him as a dad,” he said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Sedrish Rabbani read a letter into the record from the father of two children who lived with O’Connor, who married the man’s ex-wife. The Orange County Fire Authority firefighter recounted what he characterized were “inappropriate” moments his son had with O’Connor.

The father said O’Connor spent a weekend with the firefighter’s son in Big Bear alone in 2020 when the boy was 11. The father also said he grew concerned when O’Connor would frequently text with the boy about playing online video games together.

On another trip the son had with O’Connor the boy sent his father pictures of pastries shaped like genitalia, the firefighter said. The father also said O’Connor regularly viewed R-rated movies with the boy.

Sadat emphasized that child protective services interviewed all of the students O’Connor interacted with as an educator and he was “cleared” of any wrongdoing with students.

Carter repeatedly emphasized the otherwise “virtuous” life O’Connor has lived.

The judge added that he “finds your remorse has been extraordinary.”

But, Carter said, he could not justify no prison time because of the nature of some of the images found on O’Connor’s device. One of the images was of a boy 7 to 9 years old with hands bound.

“This is a line that cannot be crossed,” Carter said.

Carter gave the defendant until April 19 to report to prison.

O’Connor will be on supervised release when he gets out for up to 20 years. He could have the last five years eliminated if he obeys the terms of release.

Carter ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender.

O’Connor previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher at Crescent Elementary School and was a volunteer boys’ wrestling coach at Canyon High School in Anaheim, according to federal prosecutors.

Investigators found at least 81 videos and 158 images of child pornography, some of which included infants or toddlers as well as violent material, prosecutors said.

Dodgers pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for spring training on Thursday. As we count down to the opening of camp, we’re assessing the roster, position by position. Today, a look at the bullpen. Previously: starting rotation, outfielders, infielders, catchers.

2023 RECAP

The Dodgers’ bullpen went from a massive liability to a strength over the course of the 2023 season. The relievers had a 5.05 ERA through the first 23 games of the season. In mid-June, it was still 4.98 and only the woeful Oakland A’s had a higher bullpen ERA. But things turned around from there and the Dodgers’ bullpen was one of the best in baseball over the final three months of the season. Ryan Brasier was released by the Boston Red Sox in late May but had a 0.70 ERA in 39 games with the Dodgers. Brusdar Graterol had the best season of his career, going 4-2 with a 1.20 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in a career-high 68 games. Joe Kelly was re-acquired at the trade deadline and allowed just three hits while striking out 19 in 10⅓ innings back in a Dodger uniform. After a slow start, Evan Phillips regained his form and eventually settled in as the closer, converting 24 of 27 save situations.

HOW IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW

A key figure in last season’s bullpen turnaround, Brasier is an unsigned free agent, pursued by multiple teams. Shelby Miller has already left as a free agent, signing with the Detroit Tigers. But the rest of the bullpen mix looks very familiar. Phillips and Graterol are back as the back-end foundation. Kelly re-signed for one year and $8 million. Left-handers Caleb Ferguson and Alex Vesia are back. Veteran relievers Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson and J.P. Feyereisen are all potential additions at some point early in the season. Treinen and Feyereisen both missed the 2023 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. Hudson’s season ended in June when he suffered a second knee injury. Acquired at midseason, lefty Ryan Yarbrough returns in a swing man role.

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Cal State Fullerton announced Sunday afternoon that all classes scheduled for Monday, Feb. 5 will be held remotely because of the storm that is hitting Southern California and is expected to create dangerous conditions.

The university said it made the decision “out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of students, faculty and staff as its top priority.”

The announcement said staff members are being encouraged to work remotely and that some services on campus will be reduced. The announcement said information about plans for Tuesday is forthcoming.

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COSTA MESA — In a game tainted by multiple fights and personal fouls, the South beat the North 28-0 Saturday in the Orange County North-South All-Star Classic football game at Orange Coast College.

The game was called with 5 minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the game after a fight broke out after an interception by the South. This was the first time the game had been called early due to fighting since 2006.

“It’s always really hard in these all-star games when things get a little chippy,” South coach Dan O’Shea of St. Margaret’s said. “It’s not something myself or any coaches on either side want to be a part of. One guy makes a mistake and unfortunately guys react and mayhem ensues.”

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Saturday was the ninth consecutive win for the South. The South leads the series 35-26-3.

Edison linebacker Hoi Hansen was awarded Player of the Game by game officials. Hansen had 11 tackles on defense for the South and had a 40-yard touchdown run.

“It feels great,” Hansen said. “I’m very sad it’s over but very happy to end my high school career like that.”

“Hoi Hansen is just a monster,” O’Shea said. “He can hit, he can run and do it all.”

The shutout was the first in the game since 1995. O’Shea credited the starting linebackers group of Hansen, Jack Matranga (Mission Viejo), Jake Javorsky (San Juan Hills) and Jackson Sievers (Capistrano Valley).

“The linebackers we rolled out there are studs,” O’Shea said. “They process information so quickly and tackle well. They were the catalyst of everything the defense did tonight.”

Noah Sulick (Santa Margarita), Brandon Soleau (Huntington Beach) and Clarence Chaney (JSerra) also played linebacker for the South.

Cameron Denoon of Newport Harbor had six tackles with a sack and a pass deflection for the South.

Joshua Faulkner of Western led the North defense with six tackles and Josh Grethen of Yorba Linda had five tackles with a sack.

After a scoreless opening possession by both teams, Matranga intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to give the South a 7-0 lead.

For the South, St. Margaret’s quarterback Max Ruff and Edison receiver Mason York connected for two touchdowns from 33 and 37 yards out, respectively.

Ruff, a University of Chicago signee, had 170 yards passing with two touchdowns. York, a Weber State signee, had 123 yards receiving on four catches with two touchdowns.

“It felt amazing to come out here and compete with some of the best players in the county,” Ruff said. “It was awesome getting to meet new guys and talk about football. The whole experience was a lot of fun.”

Hansen ran for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 28-0.

The South had five sacks in the game. Denoon, Soleau, Sievers, Makai Sagiao (Edison) and Alex Zeppos (Tesoro) each tallied sacks.

Both North quarterbacks, Nicholas Miali of Foothill and Anthony Luna of Western, tallied 91 yards passing. The North offense had two big plays, a 30-yard run by Danny F. Washington of Buena Park, and a 35-yard catch by Aidan O’Callaghan of Servite.

Despite the unfortunate way the game ended, it was apparent that both teams had a camaraderie and enjoyed the experience.

“This was such an amazing group, camaraderie wise,” O’Shea said. “They enjoyed coming together and playing football. This group synced up from the get-go. Forty guys became close friends in a short amount of time.”

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Standings for the Orange County boys basketball leagues through Friday, Feb. 2.

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By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer

STANFORD — JuJu Watkins added another memorable chapter to her dazzling freshman season.

Watkins scored a USC program record 51 points – the most in NCAA women’s basketball this season – and the 15th-ranked Trojans upset No. 4 Stanford, 67-58, on Friday night at Maples Pavilion.

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Watkins hit a key 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining and four free throws over the final 18 seconds to break the previous USC scoring mark of 50 set by Cherie Nelson against Cal on March 11, 1989. Watkins hit six 3-pointers to help the Trojans (15-4, 5-4) send the Cardinal (19-3, 8-2) to their first home loss of the season.

Watkins had 25 by halftime and finished 14 for 26 from the floor. Her 3-pointer with 5:52 left in the third quarter put her at 37 and gave USC a 43-35 lead – giving her more points than Stanford had total. Watkins came in averaging 25.8 points and Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer turned to freshman Courtney Ogden to try stopping her.

Stanford star Cameron Brink had 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots – swatting six shots in the first half. Her layup with 5:36 left pulled Stanford within six and she converted two free throws at 4:02 that made it 54-50 before Watkins took over once more.

And what a thrilling way for these two teams to begin the final weekend of the L.A. schools coming to the Bay Area for Pac-12 play before their move to the Big Ten. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb returns to Berkeley on Sunday to face her former Cal program.

Kiki Iriafen contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinal, who lost for the first time in five games since a 71-59 defeat at Colorado on Jan. 14.

McKenzie Forbes added 12 points (on 5-for-18 shooting) for USC, which had lost three of four since beating UCLA on Jan. 14.

USC missed six straight shots and had a scoring drought of 4:31 before Watkins’ late 3-pointer that was reviewed and stood. The Trojans went on a 6-0 run late in the third as Stanford looked rushed and out of sorts during a 1-for-8 shooting stretch.

Both teams endured extended scoring droughts.

USC went 5 minutes, 44 seconds between baskets in the first quarter – missing nine straight shots during a 1-for-11 stretch before Watkins connected on a jumper with 2:14 left in the opening period.

Watkins got on a roll from there, scoring 25 of her team’s first 31 points and shooting 9 for 13 after starting 1 for 5.

Stanford missed its final five shots of the first half spanning the closing 4 minutes and committed three turnovers for a 31-all tie at intermission as USC finished on a 6-0 burst.

BIG PICTURE

USC: Watkins outscored Stanford herself in the third quarter, 15-11. … The Trojans had lost the previous 19 meetings on Stanford’s home court in Maples Pavilion dating to a 62-59 victory on March 1, 2001.

Stanford: Dating to 1999-2000, the most points one player had scored against Stanford was Kelsey Plum’s 44 for Washington on Jan. 29, 2017, but Stanford rallied back from 18 points to win, 72-68, in Seattle. … This marked only the third time Stanford faced a ranked USC team since 1995-96, and first time with the Trojans in the top 15 since Stanford’s 80-50 home win against No. 6 USC on Feb. 24, 1994.

UP NEXT

USC plays at Cal on Sunday at noon.

Stanford hosts No. 7 UCLA on Sunday at 1 p.m.