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/ Women's Basketball
USC’s JuJu Watkins Nabs Spot On Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Watch List
February 13, 2024 | Women's Basketball
She’s breaking USC records and earning national nods as a freshman.
Fresh off her ninth game scoring 30 or more points for the No. 10 USC women's basketball team, USC freshman JuJu Watkins has leveled up to another round of national honors with her selection to the Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Watch List.
A 12-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, Watkins is one 30-point outing away from tying the single-season record for such efforts by a Trojan — set by three-time Naismith Award winner Cheryl Miller in 1984-85. Already this season, Watkins has matched Miller's record of consecutive 30-plus games (three) and she pinned up a 32-point performance in her first game as a Trojan, bettering Naismith winner Lisa Leslie's freshman debut effort back in 1990. Watkins also put forth a USC record-setting performance with a 51-point outing in a USC win at Stanford, which also stands as the most points scored by any DI player this season.
Watkins stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 27.7 points per game. Her USC record-setting 51 points scored in USC's win at Stanford stands as the most points scored by any Division I player in a game this season. She's led the No. 10 Women of Troy in 19 games this season, and her eight 30-plus scoring efforts has set a new record for such performances by a USC true freshman. Watkins leads USC in scoring, assists (3.5 per game) and steals (2.6 per game) and is second on the team in 3-pointers made (44). She's also second on the team in rebounding (6.9 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game).
Watkins' latest selection to the Naismith Midseason Watch List follows several previous national nods this season, including:
Dawn Staley Award Later Season Watch List
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Top 10 List
Wade Watch List
Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 Watch List
Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 Watch List
Naismith Watch List
A 12-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, Watkins is one 30-point outing away from tying the single-season record for such efforts by a Trojan — set by three-time Naismith Award winner Cheryl Miller in 1984-85. Already this season, Watkins has matched Miller's record of consecutive 30-plus games (three) and she pinned up a 32-point performance in her first game as a Trojan, bettering Naismith winner Lisa Leslie's freshman debut effort back in 1990. Watkins also put forth a USC record-setting performance with a 51-point outing in a USC win at Stanford, which also stands as the most points scored by any DI player this season.
Watkins stands as the No. 2 scorer in the nation with 27.7 points per game. Her USC record-setting 51 points scored in USC's win at Stanford stands as the most points scored by any Division I player in a game this season. She's led the No. 10 Women of Troy in 19 games this season, and her eight 30-plus scoring efforts has set a new record for such performances by a USC true freshman. Watkins leads USC in scoring, assists (3.5 per game) and steals (2.6 per game) and is second on the team in 3-pointers made (44). She's also second on the team in rebounding (6.9 per game) and blocks (1.7 per game).
Watkins' latest selection to the Naismith Midseason Watch List follows several previous national nods this season, including:
Dawn Staley Award Later Season Watch List
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Top 10 List
Wade Watch List
Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 Watch List
Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 Watch List
Naismith Watch List
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