Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
USC’s JuJu Watkins Selected As Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Top 10 Candidate
February 04, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Fans can start voting for Naismith Starting Five award winners this week at hoophallawards.com.
The winner of last year's Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year award as a freshman, JuJu Watkins is again on the short list for the national award once again. Currently the third most prolific scorer in the nation with her 24.7 points per game, Watkins is a four-time Big Ten Player of the week in the Trojans' first season in the conference. She was on the 2025 Drysdale Award Watch List earlier this season, and now has a spot among the nation's top 10 shooting guards, as selected by the Basketball Hall of Fame's Naismith Starting Five committee, in collaboration with the WBCA.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in its eighth year, honors the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, the first player, regardless of gender, to be chosen for an All-America Team in four consecutive college seasons.
In her second season of collegiate action, the 6-2 sophomore guard became the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points, and she's now closing in on 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 24.7 points per game she is averaging for the No. 7-ranked Women of Troy, Watkins leads USC with 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game and with 42 threes made. Her deep skill set also has her ranked in the nation's top 50 with 1.76 blocks per game, and she's No. 6 in the nation with her 167 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.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in both of the remaining rounds starting on Friday, February 7, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, the Top 10 list will be narrowed to just five, and in late March, the five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are composed of top men's and women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winners of the 2025 Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's and Women's Starting Five. Additional women's awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are JuJu Watkins, USC (2024), Zia Cooke, South Carolina (2023), Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019, and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #MeyersDrysdaleAward on X and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallU.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in its eighth year, honors the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, the first player, regardless of gender, to be chosen for an All-America Team in four consecutive college seasons.
In her second season of collegiate action, the 6-2 sophomore guard became the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points, and she's now closing in on 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 24.7 points per game she is averaging for the No. 7-ranked Women of Troy, Watkins leads USC with 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game and with 42 threes made. Her deep skill set also has her ranked in the nation's top 50 with 1.76 blocks per game, and she's No. 6 in the nation with her 167 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.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in both of the remaining rounds starting on Friday, February 7, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, the Top 10 list will be narrowed to just five, and in late March, the five finalists will be presented to Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are composed of top men's and women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winners of the 2025 Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's and Women's Starting Five. Additional women's awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are JuJu Watkins, USC (2024), Zia Cooke, South Carolina (2023), Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019, and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #MeyersDrysdaleAward on X and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallU.
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
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
