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USC’s JuJu Watkins Named Finalist For Honda Award
April 01, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The freshman has helped USC reach the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1994.
USC freshman guard JuJu Watkins continues to be considered one of the nation's best in the game, named as one of four finalists for the Honda Award for women's basketball just as Watkins and the Trojans enter the NCAA Elite Eight against UConn today (April 1) in Portland, Ore.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 48 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2024 Honda Cup, which will be presented during a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 7 PM ET, from its new home in New York City.
Watkins has helped the top-seeded Trojans reach the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1994, following in the footsteps of two other Women of Troy who carved a similar path at USC and who both were Honda Award winners for basketball — Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie. Miller also won the overall Honda-Broderick Cup in 1984.
Watkins now holds USC's single-season scoring record, and she currently holds 891 points in her freshman campaign to stand seven points away from the NCAA record for single-season scoring by a freshman. She already holds another USC record (male or female) with 14 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 yet 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. 3 all-time in single-season scoring by a true freshman in the nation, and her 891 points also ranks her No. 54all-time in Pac-12 history.
But Watkins provides more than just scoring for these No. 3-ranked Trojans. Entering the NCAA Tournament, she stood as the only player in the country averaging multiple steals per game as well as 1.5 blocks per game, and also as the only player in the nation to rank inside the top-75 for both steals and blocks per game.
After USC's NCAA Sweet 16 win on Saturday, Watkins is averaging a team-high 2.33 steals and 3.33 assists per game is the team's second leading rebounder with 7.2 per game and second in shot blocks with 1.6 per game. In fact, she is one of just five Pac-12 players ever to tally at least 750 points, 150 rebounds and 50 steals in a season.
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 including 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 (27) in a season since 1985-86, and No. 3 USC has its highest AP national ranking since 1986. The Trojans have earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986, and USC is making back-to-back NCAA appearances for the first time since 2006.
Watkins has also been selected as the National Freshman of the Year by the USWBA and The Athletic, and she is in the running for several more national honors as the postseason progresses. Watkins and the Trojans open the NCAA Tournament this Saturday (March 23) with a first-round meeting against No. 16 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. A win there would put USC up against either No. 8 seed Kansas or No. 9 seed Michigan in the second round on Monday (March 25) — all at USC's Galen Center.
Watkins is one of just five freshmen ever to earn AP All-America First Team honors. Spanning several national organizations since 1982, Watkins stands as the sixth Trojan all-time to score first-team All-America accolades, joining Cheryl Miller (Kodak, Naismith), Lisa Leslie (USBWA), Pam McGee (Kodak), Paula McGee (WBCA) and Thompson (USBWA).
The basketball finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The Honda Sport award winner for basketball will be announced after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
The CWSA, entering its 48th year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.
JUJU WATKINS — 2023-24 HONORS
• Honda Award Finalist
• Wade Trophy Finalist
• Naismith Trophy Finalist
• Associated Press, USBWA, The Athletic & Sporting News All-America First Team
• Tamika Catchings Award — USBWA Freshman of the Year
• 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)
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 48 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2024 Honda Cup, which will be presented during a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 7 PM ET, from its new home in New York City.
Watkins has helped the top-seeded Trojans reach the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1994, following in the footsteps of two other Women of Troy who carved a similar path at USC and who both were Honda Award winners for basketball — Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie. Miller also won the overall Honda-Broderick Cup in 1984.
Watkins now holds USC's single-season scoring record, and she currently holds 891 points in her freshman campaign to stand seven points away from the NCAA record for single-season scoring by a freshman. She already holds another USC record (male or female) with 14 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 yet 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. 3 all-time in single-season scoring by a true freshman in the nation, and her 891 points also ranks her No. 54all-time in Pac-12 history.
But Watkins provides more than just scoring for these No. 3-ranked Trojans. Entering the NCAA Tournament, she stood as the only player in the country averaging multiple steals per game as well as 1.5 blocks per game, and also as the only player in the nation to rank inside the top-75 for both steals and blocks per game.
After USC's NCAA Sweet 16 win on Saturday, Watkins is averaging a team-high 2.33 steals and 3.33 assists per game is the team's second leading rebounder with 7.2 per game and second in shot blocks with 1.6 per game. In fact, she is one of just five Pac-12 players ever to tally at least 750 points, 150 rebounds and 50 steals in a season.
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 including 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 (27) in a season since 1985-86, and No. 3 USC has its highest AP national ranking since 1986. The Trojans have earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986, and USC is making back-to-back NCAA appearances for the first time since 2006.
Watkins has also been selected as the National Freshman of the Year by the USWBA and The Athletic, and she is in the running for several more national honors as the postseason progresses. Watkins and the Trojans open the NCAA Tournament this Saturday (March 23) with a first-round meeting against No. 16 seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. A win there would put USC up against either No. 8 seed Kansas or No. 9 seed Michigan in the second round on Monday (March 25) — all at USC's Galen Center.
Watkins is one of just five freshmen ever to earn AP All-America First Team honors. Spanning several national organizations since 1982, Watkins stands as the sixth Trojan all-time to score first-team All-America accolades, joining Cheryl Miller (Kodak, Naismith), Lisa Leslie (USBWA), Pam McGee (Kodak), Paula McGee (WBCA) and Thompson (USBWA).
The basketball finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The Honda Sport award winner for basketball will be announced after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
The CWSA, entering its 48th year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.
JUJU WATKINS — 2023-24 HONORS
• Honda Award Finalist
• Wade Trophy Finalist
• Naismith Trophy Finalist
• Associated Press, USBWA, The Athletic & Sporting News All-America First Team
• Tamika Catchings Award — USBWA Freshman of the Year
• 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)
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
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USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
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USC WBB Defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16, Advances to Elite Eight | Trojan Press Conference
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