Hoops & Hollywood: The Rise of UCLA and USC Basketball | Hometown Heroes

In the City of Angels, basketball isn't just a game - it's a lifestyle. From the courts of UCLA and USC to the front rows filled with A-list stars, this episode explores how LA’s unique blend of culture, celebrity, and opportunity is reshaping NCAA women’s basketball. With NIL deals lighting the way, athletes like JuJu Watkins, KiKi Iriafen, and Londynn Jones aren’t just chasing championships - they’re redefining what it means to be a star.
Watch highlights, game recaps and much more from the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments on the official NCAA March Madness TH-cam channel. Subscribe now to be updated on the latest videos: / marchmadness

[@wethenorth7849]

Cant wait to watch this matchup next week Thursday

[@mat-iw1qy]

Love Londynn!! GO BRUINS!

[@milameisake9617]

LFG ✌️♥️💛 WOMEN OF TROY

[@edzelmejia3233]

It takes skill, talent, and luck.

[@dnamatrixsystems]

If Cali talent stayed home they'd be reigning supreme in all sports

[@jessicagreen8883]

Why was Kennedy Smith, Rayah Marshall, and Clarice Akunwafo excluded?

[@ball4reel691]

3:54 ayyy, Juju reppin Juju 🔥

[@Vanessakwalls]

Ucla gonna win

[@OriginalJohnDoeFakersBeware]

I didn't mind most of this feature but I want to point out three things. First, LA County is 9.7 million people so I don't see evidence that LA is churning out star basketball players at a disproportionate rate from other locales. Second, Hollywood is one small area of the city of Los Angeles and neither USC or UCLA are in Hollywood or adjacent to it. Third, there is so much more to Los Angeles than Hollywood! Most of the millions in LA have no connection to Hollywood. I pray they don't ruin the Olympics with this Hollywood stuff.

[@everybodylovesjuju12]

USC is also called Southern California so yes we represent Southern California and that’s why we claim all of LA and have rivalry with Westwood. The Sierra Canyon coach clearly is stating as of recent we have had the most National Championship high school caliber players and Teams come from California even if they didn’t stay in Cali the GOATS are from California ie…Diana Taurasi was crowned the GOAT and the GOAT of GOATS is Cheryl Miller.

[@OriginalJohnDoeFakersBeware]

@everybodylovesjuju12 I didn't say Cali or SoCal hasn't produced some great players, of course they have! -- but with that size of population, I don't see the evidence that great players are being produced in LA at a higher proportion to the local population than in other places but that seemed to be a claim being made in the video. If that claim were true, all the college wbb teams across the country would be loaded up with players from SoCal and they are not. I am sure there are LA players spread out across the country in wbb but there are also star and superstar and bench players from many other places.

[@ball4reel691]

@@OriginalJohnDoeFakersBeware I think the sentiment of the vid (specifically Kiki's parts) is that with all the competitive talent in Southern Cal, the "cream of the crop" are prospects that not only standout from a larger portion of the country but they're close with each other as they excel through their college careers.

[@OriginalJohnDoeFakersBeware]

@ball4reel691 It was the part where they were talking about LA having so many bb player development resources and opportunities, which it does, there was suggestion that this has lead to LA producing more top basketball players from LA than other places.
In other words, the claim was it's producing star bb players out of proportion to the population's random chances of producing top bb players in which every locale has the same odds of random chance production of a top bb player, for example 1 in every 1 million people from any population will be a star bb player (by the way, I don't know what the actual random chance odds are of any population producing a star bb player).
I don't think the stats show LA is doing that despite all these extra player development opportunities other places allegedly don't have. If you want to look up the home towns of the top 5 in all the Division I wbb stat categories on NCAA website, I don't think you will find support for that claim.
Despite all those bb player development businesses located in LA, players from all over the country go to them and not every player in LA goes to them -- probably most don't -- because it costs the parents money just like playing AAU ball costs money. These player development opps are not free and don't have scholarships for everyone who could be developed into a star bb player.

[@jeannine1991]

Movies aren’t made in Hollywood. “Hollywood” represents the entire film and entertainment industry of the region. USC and UCLA are very much Hollywood, with superior film schools and countless graduates working in the industry. At one USC game, Michael B Jordan, Jason Sudeikis, Saweetie and Snoop were all sitting courtside. That’s about as Hollywood as it gets.

[@ugohmesser3511]

Hanna Hidalgo🎉

[@cupcakemaster973]

isn’t from la🎉🎉🎉

[@jessicagreen8883]

Is not from LA clown 🤡

[@milameisake9617]

Hanna has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS VIDEO.