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USC’s JuJu Watkins Earns Spots On Wooden And Wade Watch Lists
January 31, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The freshman is in line for two more prestigious national awards.
USC freshman JuJu Watkins now appears on two more prestigious national honor rolls with this week's announcement of the Wooden Late Season Top 20 Watch List as well as the additions to the Wade Watch List. Watkins is one of four candidates added today (Jan. 31) to the Wade Watch List by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division I Awards Committee. Her upgrade to the Wooden Late Season Top 20 follows her selection as one of 25 on the Midseason Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award.
Watkins, who recently was named as one of 10 candidates for the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 25.8 points per game. She's led the No. 15 Women of Troy in 17 games this season, 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 Award Watch List and a 10-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, 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 (33), rebounding (6.8 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game). Also this season, Watkins has been picked as the AP National Player of the Week and is a two-time USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week.
The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Principal® Late Season Top 20 Watch List on Jan. 30 on ESPN2. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 season thus far, the list comprises of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.
The Wade Trophy is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women's basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
The committee will narrow the watch list for the honor to four finalists in mid-March. The winner of the 2024 Wade Trophy will be announced April 4 in Cleveland — site of the 2024 WBCA Convention and NCAA Women's Final Four.
About the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, 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 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. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All America Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Ralph Sampson ('82, '83), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant ('07), Candace Parker ('07; '08), Maya Moore ('09; '11), Breanna Stewart ('15; '16), and last year's recipients, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Zach Edey of Purdue.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
The Legends of Coaching Award presented by Principal will be presented to University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, along with the Wooden Award Men's and Women's Players of the Year on April 12, 2024. For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
Watkins, who recently was named as one of 10 candidates for the 2024 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 25.8 points per game. She's led the No. 15 Women of Troy in 17 games this season, 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 Award Watch List and a 10-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, 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 (33), rebounding (6.8 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game). Also this season, Watkins has been picked as the AP National Player of the Week and is a two-time USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week.
The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Principal® Late Season Top 20 Watch List on Jan. 30 on ESPN2. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 season thus far, the list comprises of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.
The Wade Trophy is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women's basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
The committee will narrow the watch list for the honor to four finalists in mid-March. The winner of the 2024 Wade Trophy will be announced April 4 in Cleveland — site of the 2024 WBCA Convention and NCAA Women's Final Four.
About the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, 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 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. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All America Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Ralph Sampson ('82, '83), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant ('07), Candace Parker ('07; '08), Maya Moore ('09; '11), Breanna Stewart ('15; '16), and last year's recipients, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Zach Edey of Purdue.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
The Legends of Coaching Award presented by Principal will be presented to University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, along with the Wooden Award Men's and Women's Players of the Year on April 12, 2024. For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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