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/ Women's Basketball
USC’s Rayah Marshall, JuJu Watkins Selected to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
February 05, 2025 | Women's Basketball
The two Trojan stars are among 15 players in the running for the 2025 award.
USC senior Rayah Marshall and sophomore JuJu Watkins have been anchoring a fierce Trojan defense that stands No. 1 in the nation in blocks per game. It's fitting, then, that the two Trojans have been selected to the 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE Watch List.
Senior center Marshall leads the Trojans with 2.2 blocks per game, ranking her No. 20 in the nation in that category. Guard Watkins averages 1.76 blocks per game to help USC lead the nation with a 6.9 blocks per game effort to date.
This is Marshall's third time on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, including status as a semifinalist in 2023 when she set the USC single-season blocks record with 98 as a sophomore. Now in her senior season, Marshall is USC's top rebounder with 9.0 per game while she averages 7.7 points per game on the offensive end. She has posted three double-doubles this season, giving her a total of 38 as a Trojan to rank seventh all-time at USC in career double-doubles. So far, she is pulling down 6.3 defensive rebounds per game for the Trojans.
Watkins has paired her powerful offensive aptitude with tenacious defense as well, standing as USC's steals leader with 49 collected to date and second on the defensive boards with 5.4 defensive rebounds per game to go along with her 1.76 blocks per game. This is her first selection to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Senior center Marshall leads the Trojans with 2.2 blocks per game, ranking her No. 20 in the nation in that category. Guard Watkins averages 1.76 blocks per game to help USC lead the nation with a 6.9 blocks per game effort to date.
This is Marshall's third time on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, including status as a semifinalist in 2023 when she set the USC single-season blocks record with 98 as a sophomore. Now in her senior season, Marshall is USC's top rebounder with 9.0 per game while she averages 7.7 points per game on the offensive end. She has posted three double-doubles this season, giving her a total of 38 as a Trojan to rank seventh all-time at USC in career double-doubles. So far, she is pulling down 6.3 defensive rebounds per game for the Trojans.
Watkins has paired her powerful offensive aptitude with tenacious defense as well, standing as USC's steals leader with 49 collected to date and second on the defensive boards with 5.4 defensive rebounds per game to go along with her 1.76 blocks per game. This is her first selection to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
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