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/ Women's Basketball
ESPN Names USC’s JuJu Watkins National Player of the Year Runner-Up And Freshman of the Year
March 13, 2024 | Women's Basketball
She’s also on ESPN’s All-America Team in her first season as a Trojan.
USC guard JuJu Watkins hauled a trio of national nods from ESPN, selected as the Runner-Up for National Player of the Year along with as spot on the ESPN All-America Team while also scoring the ESPN National Freshman of the Year award. That makes a second set of All-America honors for Watkins, who was also recently named to The Athletic's All-America First Team to make her the first Trojan to pick up such accolades at the national level since 1997 when Tina Thompson earned All-America first-team honors from the USBWA and Basketball Weekly.
Watkins has been instrumental in USC's outstanding season to date, leading the No. 3 Trojans in scoring in 26 of the 30 games in which she's played while adding to her USC record (male or female) with 13 games with 30 or more points scored — a mark that beats out Iowa's Caitlin Clark previous national record of 12 for the most such games for a freshman over the last 25 seasons. The No. 2 scorer in the nation with her 27.0 points per game, Watkins set another USC record with a 51-point outing in a USC road upset of Stanford, and that mark still stands as the most points scored by any player in the nation this season. Additionally, Watkins' 42 points vs. Colorado on Feb. 23 is the most points ever scored by a USC basketball player (male or female) at Galen Center. Watkins currently ranks No. 4 all-time in single-season scoring by a true freshman in the nation with 810 points to date.
But Watkins provides more than just scoring for these No. 3-ranked Trojans. She's the team's second leading rebounder with 7.2 per game, and she's averaging 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. In fact, she is now one of just five Pac-12 players ever to tally at least 750 points, 150 rebounds and 50 steals in a season. And she is the first player to sweep the Pac-12 weekly awards (Player and Freshman) more than once in a season with her three sweeps this season.
Last weekend, Watkins was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team for her work helping the Trojans win the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament Championship. That run included wins over two more top-10 opponents — No. 7 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford — to give USC its most wins over top-10 opponents since 1985-86. Also this season, the Trojans have captured the most wins (26) in a season since 1993-94, and USC has its highest AP national ranking since 1986.
Watkins and the Women of Troy are now awaiting the reveal of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, with the Selection Show set for 5 p.m. on Sunday (March 17). USC is likely to receive a high seed and serve as host for the first and second rounds.
JUJU WATKINS — 2023-24 HONORS
• ESPN Player of the Year Runner-Up
• ESPN Freshman of the Year
• ESPN All-America Team
• The Athletic National Freshman of the Year
• The Athletic First Team All-America
• Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Finalist
• Dawn Staley Award Finalist
• Sullivan Award Semifinalist
• Dawn Staley Award Later Season Watch List
• Naismith Midseason 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
• Wooden Award Preseason Top-50 Watch List
• Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
• All-Pac-12 Team
• Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention
• Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
• Pac-12 All-Tournament Team
• Preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
• Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas Player of the Game (11/6)
• Pac-12 Player of the Week (3x)
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (14)
• AP National Player of the Week (2)
• USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week (2/6)
• USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week (3)
Watkins has been instrumental in USC's outstanding season to date, leading the No. 3 Trojans in scoring in 26 of the 30 games in which she's played while adding to her USC record (male or female) with 13 games with 30 or more points scored — a mark that beats out Iowa's Caitlin Clark previous national record of 12 for the most such games for a freshman over the last 25 seasons. The No. 2 scorer in the nation with her 27.0 points per game, Watkins set another USC record with a 51-point outing in a USC road upset of Stanford, and that mark still stands as the most points scored by any player in the nation this season. Additionally, Watkins' 42 points vs. Colorado on Feb. 23 is the most points ever scored by a USC basketball player (male or female) at Galen Center. Watkins currently ranks No. 4 all-time in single-season scoring by a true freshman in the nation with 810 points to date.
But Watkins provides more than just scoring for these No. 3-ranked Trojans. She's the team's second leading rebounder with 7.2 per game, and she's averaging 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. In fact, she is now one of just five Pac-12 players ever to tally at least 750 points, 150 rebounds and 50 steals in a season. And she is the first player to sweep the Pac-12 weekly awards (Player and Freshman) more than once in a season with her three sweeps this season.
Last weekend, Watkins was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team for her work helping the Trojans win the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament Championship. That run included wins over two more top-10 opponents — No. 7 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford — to give USC its most wins over top-10 opponents since 1985-86. Also this season, the Trojans have captured the most wins (26) in a season since 1993-94, and USC has its highest AP national ranking since 1986.
Watkins and the Women of Troy are now awaiting the reveal of the 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket, with the Selection Show set for 5 p.m. on Sunday (March 17). USC is likely to receive a high seed and serve as host for the first and second rounds.
JUJU WATKINS — 2023-24 HONORS
• ESPN Player of the Year Runner-Up
• ESPN Freshman of the Year
• ESPN All-America Team
• The Athletic National Freshman of the Year
• The Athletic First Team All-America
• Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Finalist
• Dawn Staley Award Finalist
• Sullivan Award Semifinalist
• Dawn Staley Award Later Season Watch List
• Naismith Midseason 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
• Wooden Award Preseason Top-50 Watch List
• Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
• All-Pac-12 Team
• Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention
• Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
• Pac-12 All-Tournament Team
• Preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
• Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas Player of the Game (11/6)
• Pac-12 Player of the Week (3x)
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (14)
• AP National Player of the Week (2)
• USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week (2/6)
• USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week (3)
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USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
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Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
USC WBB Defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16, Advances to Elite Eight | Trojan Press Conference
Saturday, March 29
