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USC’s JuJu Watkins Earns Wooden Award All-American Honors And Named Finalist For Wooden Award
April 02, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The freshman is one of five finalists for the prestigious John R. Wooden Award.
Coming off of USC's first NCAA Elite Eight run since 1994, freshman guard JuJu Watkins has earned another round of prestigious national honors, selected as a Wooden Award All-American as well as one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award. She is the first USC women's player to earn Wooden All-America honors, or to be named a Wooden Award finalist, since the organization began its women's award program in 2004.
The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the 2024 John R. Wooden Award® presented by Principal® All American Team™ on ESPN2 today (April 2). The Wooden Award All American Team is comprised of 10 student-athletes who were the top vote-getters in the quest to earn college basketball's most prestigious honor. The John R. Wooden Award Trophy, presented to "The Outstanding College Basketball Player in the United States," is given to the player who receives the most points in the annual balloting. A candidate's performance in the regular season, conference tournaments and postseason are taken into account by voters, as is the player's character.
Watkins wrapped the Trojan's 2023-24 season as the nation's highest-scoring freshman in history with 920 points scored in her freshman campaign. Her point total also ranks her No. 4 all-time among all Pac-12 players. 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 27.1 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.
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.
On the season, Watkins averaged a team-high 2.3 steals and 3.3 assists per game and was the team's second leading rebounder with 7.3 per game and second in shot blocks with 1.7 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. She also finished out her first season as a Trojan with nine double-doubles, and was named to the NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team.
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 earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986, and USC made 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 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).
Voting took place from March 19-26, 2024. As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the Award's creation 47 years ago, all players were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the criteria of the John R. Wooden Award. The 21st annual John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Women's Player of the Year will be announced on Monday, April 8th, on SportsCenter on ESPN. The John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Gala will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, this year given to John Calipari. The Gala will take place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 12th.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Established 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 demonstrated to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award. Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to non-profit organizations, including general scholarship funds in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients, and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long 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.
Starting in 2024, the John R. Wooden Award Foundation will empower balloted candidates to use the Wooden Award platform to promote their chosen charities, with the Wooden Award presenting donations to the top five All Americans' charities of choice to support their character initiatives. 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. The Legends of Coaching Award presented by Principal will be conferred upon University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, alongside 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 visit www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
JUJU WATKINS — 2023-24 HONORS
• Wooden Award Finalist
• Wooden Award All-American
• NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team
• 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 Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the 2024 John R. Wooden Award® presented by Principal® All American Team™ on ESPN2 today (April 2). The Wooden Award All American Team is comprised of 10 student-athletes who were the top vote-getters in the quest to earn college basketball's most prestigious honor. The John R. Wooden Award Trophy, presented to "The Outstanding College Basketball Player in the United States," is given to the player who receives the most points in the annual balloting. A candidate's performance in the regular season, conference tournaments and postseason are taken into account by voters, as is the player's character.
Watkins wrapped the Trojan's 2023-24 season as the nation's highest-scoring freshman in history with 920 points scored in her freshman campaign. Her point total also ranks her No. 4 all-time among all Pac-12 players. 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 27.1 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.
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.
On the season, Watkins averaged a team-high 2.3 steals and 3.3 assists per game and was the team's second leading rebounder with 7.3 per game and second in shot blocks with 1.7 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. She also finished out her first season as a Trojan with nine double-doubles, and was named to the NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team.
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 earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986, and USC made 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 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).
Voting took place from March 19-26, 2024. As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the Award's creation 47 years ago, all players were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the criteria of the John R. Wooden Award. The 21st annual John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Women's Player of the Year will be announced on Monday, April 8th, on SportsCenter on ESPN. The John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Gala will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, this year given to John Calipari. The Gala will take place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 12th.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Established 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 demonstrated to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award. Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to non-profit organizations, including general scholarship funds in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients, and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long 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.
Starting in 2024, the John R. Wooden Award Foundation will empower balloted candidates to use the Wooden Award platform to promote their chosen charities, with the Wooden Award presenting donations to the top five All Americans' charities of choice to support their character initiatives. 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. The Legends of Coaching Award presented by Principal will be conferred upon University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, alongside 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 visit www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
JUJU WATKINS — 2023-24 HONORS
• Wooden Award Finalist
• Wooden Award All-American
• NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team
• 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)
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