Written by Alexis Guzman | August 8, 2024
If you’re new to USC or women’s basketball, you may often hear the name “Juju Watkins” repeatedly. You may even stumble across basic facts, such as that she’s the highest-ranking freshman player and a sports star, holding many of the most prestigious titles in women’s basketball.
When entering the Galen Center for a women’s basketball game, it’s essential to know who you are cheering for. Our women of Troy basketball team consists of 13 incredible players, but today, we will focus on ESPN All-American Honor recipient Juju Watkins.
Watkins (#12) entered her first season at USC as a freshman last semester.
To give you a short rundown of her high school basketball career, here are some of her highlights:
- 2024 Pac-12 Champion
- Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year
- Gold-medal win over Canada
- Competed for the U.S. national team
- 2023 USA Women’s Nike Hoop Summit Team
- All Pac-12 Honors
- All-Tournament Honors
- NCAA Tournament Elite 8
- 2024 WBCA NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year
All you need to know about any of these awards is that they are huge deals. They cannot just be given to any player. When Juju entered her collegiate basketball career, she had already formed a name for herself, and she has continued to do so here at USC.
What does the average watcher look for in a good basketball player? Whether they can get the ball in the hoop and score a point for their team.
Juju is known for constantly scoring points for the Women of Troy. From USC Athletics, “Watkins wrapped the Trojan’s 2023-24 season as the nation’s highest-scoring freshman in history with 920 points scored in her freshman campaign. Her point total also ranks her No. 4 all-time among all Pac-12 players. She already holds another USC record (male or female) with 14 games with 30 or more points scored.”
JuJu and the talented USC women’s basketball team made it to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament. Their 2023-2024 season has ended, but look out for Juju and share the knowledge when their new season begins. Women’s basketball is changing the game for women’s sports. How fantastic is it to know that today’s youth are growing up in a world where women’s sports are becoming a significant phenomenon because of players like USC’s very own, Juju Watkins.