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/ Women's Basketball
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USC’s JuJu Watkins Named Sullivan Award Semifinalist
February 18, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Vote for JuJu! She is one of 95 athletes in the running for the 95th AAU James E. Sullivan Award.
USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins has earned her second selection as a semifinalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, standing tall among a class of 95 athletes that include collegiate stars and Olympic and Paralympic champions, as announced by the Amateur Athletic Union.
Since 1930, the AAU James E. Sullivan Award has been presented to the most exceptional athlete at the collegiate, Olympic, or other similarly elite level in the United States. As well as honoring athletic excellence, the AAU Sullivan award also recognizes the chosen athlete's character and honors their quality of leadership, citizenship, and sportsmanship.
Watkins — who recently became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game with her work for the Women of Troy in a win over top-ranked crosstown rival UCLA — was a Sullivan Award semifinalist last year as a USC freshman. Also a proud native of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, she has been dedicated to giving back to her community as well as the greater Los Angeles area with community service and outreach. Her impact on the game of women's basketball has been as indelible as the autographs she signs for young fans around the nation.
In her second season of collegiate action, 6-2 guard Watkins became the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points, and she just recently passed the 1,500 mark. Her 1,000 points in 38 career games is the third quickest in Division I women's basketball history. In addition to the 24.2 points per game she is averaging for the No. 4-ranked Women of Troy, Watkins is also providing 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game along with a team-high 53 threes made. Her deep skill set also has her ranked in the nation's top 40 with 47 total blocks, and she's No. 6 in the nation with her 163 free throws made.
Already this season, Watkins has collected AP Preseason All-America status along with spots on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List and Wooden Award Watch List, as well as four USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week and AP National Player of the Week selections. Additionally, she's a top-10 candidate for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award, and was recently named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. Watkins also has scored a spot on the Wooden Award Late Midseason Top-20 Watch List last week.
The one-week voting period to determine the finalists opens to the public today (Feb. 18) and will close on Feb. 25.
"We have an incredible group of athletes for this year's AAU Sullivan Award," said Jo Mirza, AAU President. "We're proud of these athletes for both excelling in their sport as well as being leaders in their communities."
The winner of the 95th AAU Sullivan Award will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 15, at the New York Athletic Club.
The winner will join a renowned list of recipients. Last year, Caitlin Clark became the first two-time winner of the award. This year, a new name will join the list of historic winners. Other prior winners include Michael Phelps, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Michelle Kwan, Peyton Manning, Simone Biles, Carl Lewis and Carissa Moore.
ABOUT THE AAU:
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports event organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of "Sports For All, Forever" is now shared by nearly 800,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.
Since 1930, the AAU James E. Sullivan Award has been presented to the most exceptional athlete at the collegiate, Olympic, or other similarly elite level in the United States. As well as honoring athletic excellence, the AAU Sullivan award also recognizes the chosen athlete's character and honors their quality of leadership, citizenship, and sportsmanship.
Watkins — who recently became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game with her work for the Women of Troy in a win over top-ranked crosstown rival UCLA — was a Sullivan Award semifinalist last year as a USC freshman. Also a proud native of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, she has been dedicated to giving back to her community as well as the greater Los Angeles area with community service and outreach. Her impact on the game of women's basketball has been as indelible as the autographs she signs for young fans around the nation.
In her second season of collegiate action, 6-2 guard Watkins became the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points, and she just recently passed the 1,500 mark. Her 1,000 points in 38 career games is the third quickest in Division I women's basketball history. In addition to the 24.2 points per game she is averaging for the No. 4-ranked Women of Troy, Watkins is also providing 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game along with a team-high 53 threes made. Her deep skill set also has her ranked in the nation's top 40 with 47 total blocks, and she's No. 6 in the nation with her 163 free throws made.
Already this season, Watkins has collected AP Preseason All-America status along with spots on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List and Wooden Award Watch List, as well as four USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week and AP National Player of the Week selections. Additionally, she's a top-10 candidate for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award, and was recently named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List and Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. Watkins also has scored a spot on the Wooden Award Late Midseason Top-20 Watch List last week.
The one-week voting period to determine the finalists opens to the public today (Feb. 18) and will close on Feb. 25.
"We have an incredible group of athletes for this year's AAU Sullivan Award," said Jo Mirza, AAU President. "We're proud of these athletes for both excelling in their sport as well as being leaders in their communities."
The winner of the 95th AAU Sullivan Award will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 15, at the New York Athletic Club.
The winner will join a renowned list of recipients. Last year, Caitlin Clark became the first two-time winner of the award. This year, a new name will join the list of historic winners. Other prior winners include Michael Phelps, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Michelle Kwan, Peyton Manning, Simone Biles, Carl Lewis and Carissa Moore.
ABOUT THE AAU:
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports event organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of "Sports For All, Forever" is now shared by nearly 800,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.
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