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USC’s JuJu Watkins Lands On Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Top 10 List
January 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The freshman is selected as one of the top shooting guards in the nation, in line for national honors.
USC freshman JuJu Watkins has captured national attention in her first season as a Trojan and has today earned acclaim as one of 10 candidates for the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which is awarded to the top shooting guard in the nation.
Watkins, who recently captured her 10th Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award in her 10 weeks of USC competition, stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 26.1 points per game. She's led the No. 11 Women of Troy in every game in which she's played, and has served up six 30-point games already to set a new record for such performances by a USC true freshman. Also named to the Naismith and Wooden Award watch lists, Watkins leads USC in scoring, assists (3.4 per game) and steals (2.6 per game) and is second on the team in 3-pointers made (29), rebounding (7.0 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game). She was recently picked as the AP National Player of the Week and is a two-time USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week.
Named after the first player, male or female, named to an All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the tenacity and scoring prowess of Class of 1993 Hall of Famer Ann Meyers.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, January 26, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2024 Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the four other members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), the Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward), and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Zia Cooke, South Carolina (2023), Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019), and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallU and #MeyersAward on X (formally Twitter) and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers, and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: www.WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
Watkins, who recently captured her 10th Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award in her 10 weeks of USC competition, stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 26.1 points per game. She's led the No. 11 Women of Troy in every game in which she's played, and has served up six 30-point games already to set a new record for such performances by a USC true freshman. Also named to the Naismith and Wooden Award watch lists, Watkins leads USC in scoring, assists (3.4 per game) and steals (2.6 per game) and is second on the team in 3-pointers made (29), rebounding (7.0 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game). She was recently picked as the AP National Player of the Week and is a two-time USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week.
Named after the first player, male or female, named to an All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the tenacity and scoring prowess of Class of 1993 Hall of Famer Ann Meyers.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, January 26, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2024 Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the four other members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), the Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward), and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Zia Cooke, South Carolina (2023), Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019), and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallU and #MeyersAward on X (formally Twitter) and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers, and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: www.WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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