Latest news with #JujuWatkins
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
No. 1 recruit in women's basketball signs with USC
It isn't just the USC Trojans football team which is surging with a recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the country in 2026. The USC women's basketball team is also getting top recruits. Juju Watkins is almost a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick in the (2027) WNBA draft even after recovering from her season-ending injury. Now the Trojans have two other top recruits in their class to take over the mantle. Here is Rivals writer Talia Goodman's breakdown on the Trojans striking gold with Saniyah Hall: "Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, has committed to the USC Trojans. The 6-2 combo guard from Lorain (OH) previously took official visits to both North Carolina and UCLA. Hall played for the USA U19 team this year and averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, two assists, 2.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Hall made her announcement on NBA Today this Friday. She started her high school career at Laurel (OH) before transferring to Montverde last season. Hall averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks a game last season, leading Montverde to a 26-2 record. She recently announced that she'll be returning to Ohio to finish her high school career at SPIRE Academy. "USC has now landed three No. 1 recruits in the country in the last four years. The Trojans landed JuJu Watkins in 2023, Jazzy Davidson in 2025 and now Hall." USC is already one of the more well known programs for college football, but with its recruiting track record the last couple years, the Trojans could become a women's basketball powerhouse school. Next year the Trojans will have an insane three No. 1 recruited players on the court at the same time. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb will have extremely high expectations following her and the Trojans this season if they get back Juju Watkins. That point aside, USC just might be the very, very early favorite for the 2027 national championship.
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC women's basketball star Juju Watkins named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year
Stop me if you have heard this one before: USC women's basketball superstar Juju Watkins has received yet another prestigious honor. On Thursday, Watkins was officially named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year for the 2024-2025 academic year. The award is just the latest in a long string of recognitions for Watkins. She has previously been named the Big Ten Player of the Year, National Player of the Year, the National Freshman of the Year, and the Wooden Award winner, among other honors. Perhaps the most remarkable part of this all is that Watkins has accomplished all of this at just 19 years old. Being young for her year, the Women of Troy star does not even turn 20 until Tuesday. Obviously, Watkins's remarkable 2024-2025 season ended in heartbreaking fashion with the ACL injury that she suffered in the NCAA Tournament. Although her recovery process is likely to be a lengthy one, USC fans are already looking forward to the day when Watkins is back out on the court in Cardinal and Gold.
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC women's basketball star Juju Watkins nominated for ESPY award
Although it ended in heartbreaking fashion, it was another incredible season for USC women's basketball superstar Juju Watkins. The Trojans' superstar finished the year averaging 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game en route to being named Big Ten Player of the Year. With Watkins leading the way, USC won the Big Ten regular season title in its first season in the league. Last week, the nominees were announced for the 2025 ESPY Awards. Watkins is officially a nominee in the 'Best College Athlete — Women's Sports' category. Joining her as nominees are Pittsburgh volleyball player Olivia Babcock, North Carolina soccer player Katie Faasse, and Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh. Fans can vote for Watkins and the other ESPY nominees here. The 2025 ESPY Awards will take place on July 16 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. They will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN+, and hosted by comedian Shane Gillis.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC Makes Juju Watkins Announcement on Friday
USC Makes Juju Watkins Announcement on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The USC Trojans women's basketball team had a memorable 2024-25 season, finishing 31-4 overall and going 16-1 in their first year of Big Ten play under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Advertisement USC reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament before falling to eventual national champion UConn. The Trojans ended the year ranked fifth in the final Associated Press poll. Despite the success, the season ended with a sense of what might have been. The team's top player, Juju Watkins, suffered a torn ACL in the second round of the tournament, cutting her sophomore campaign short. USC never got a shot at UConn at full strength. Watkins still finished as the fourth-leading scorer in the country. Since the season ended, the Trojans have shared some uplifting news. On Friday, USC announced that Watkins was one of three players named to the university's Spring 2025 Dean's List: "Congrats to Malia, JuJu & Laura on being named to the Spring 2025 Dean's List!" Watkins was recognized along with teammates Malia Samuels and Laura Williams for their academic achievements. According to the university, the Dean's List honors undergraduates who earn a high GPA (usually 3.5 or above) while enrolled full-time with at least 12 credits. Advertisement Watkins added to her list of accomplishments with a trophy-filled season. She won the 2025 John R. Wooden Award, the Dawn Staley Award, and was named both the Associated Press and Naismith College Player of the Year. She averaged 23.9 points per game over 33 contests. South California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) © Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images Her freshman season was even more explosive. She led the nation with 27.1 points per game and pulled down 7.3 rebounds over 34 games. Watkins is represented by Klutch Sports Group and has a major NIL deal with Nike, along with several other endorsements, making her one of the highest-earning players in women's college basketball. As USC looks ahead to next season, Watkins' recovery will be a major storyline. But her academic and athletic excellence continues to set the standard for the program. Advertisement Related: Caitlin Clark Sends Clear Message to Lexie Hull in New Post on Wednesday Related: WNBA Star Sends Clear Caitlin Clark Message After Fever Loss This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kiki Iriafen named May WNBA Rookie of the Month
The first month of the 2025 WNBA season is officially in the books. On Wednesday, the league its announced its awards for the month of May. Sure enough, the league's first Rookie of the Month in 2025 was none other than USC product Kiki Iriafen. Iriafen is eight games into her rookie season with the Washington Mystics. In her first month in the pros, she averaged a double-double, putting up 14.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Washington currently holds a record of 3-5 on the young season. Advertisement After spending the first three years of her college career at Stanford, Iriafen transferred to USC for her senior season in 2024-2025. In her lone year with the Trojans, Iriafen averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Teaming up with superstar Juju Watkins, she helped lead the Trojans to a Big Ten regular season title, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a trip to the Elite Eight. The Mystics selected Iriafen with the No. 4 overall pick in April's WNBA Draft. Obviously, it is still extremely early, but thus far, her professional career is off to an incredibly promising start. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC's Kiki Iriafen named May WNBA Rookie of the Month for Mystics
