USC’s Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins Named AP Preseason All-Americans

As last season's national power forward and shooting guard of the year, Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins, set up to combine forces as teammates at USC, the two Trojans have picked up honors as AP Preseason All-Americans, as announced by the Associated Press today.

A 6-3 forward, Iriafen comes to the USC women's basketball program as a grad transfer out of Stanford. A 2024 All-America Honorable Mention recipient after a standout junior season with the Cardinal, Iriafen continues to raise the bar for herself. A 6-2 guard, Watkins was the National Freshman of the Year and the No. 2 scorer in the nation last season. She now enters her sophomore campaign with the Women of Troy having already tallied at least 30 points in 14 games — a USC single-season record. Watkins was a unanimous selection for this year's AP Preseason All-America list.

This is the first AP Preseason All-America honor for both Iriafen and Watkins, and they are the first pair of teammates selected to the All-America team since 2017-18. They are also the first-ever Trojans to be named AP Preseason All-Americans since the Associated Press began the program in 1994-95.

Iriafen, Watkins and their fellow Women of Troy will officially open the 2024-25 season in Paris, France, on Nov. 4, when USC takes on Ole Miss in an Aflac Oui-Play Game at Adidas Arena.

Players Mentioned

Kiki Iriafen

JuJu Watkins