USC’s JuJu Watkins Earns Multiple National Award Nods
March 26, 2025 | Women's Basketball
She’s the USWBA National Player of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith and Wade trophies.
As the USC women's basketball team heads to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season, sophomore guard JuJu Watkins has collected a set of prestigious national honors. Today (March 25), Watkins was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) along with her inclusion as one of four finalists for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wade Trophy.
Watkins, who is also in the running for top defensive honors after being named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year last week, could become USC's third player to win the Naismith Trophy and second to claim the Wade Trophy. As far as her USBWA National Player of the Year acclaim, she joins Lisa Leslie as the only two Trojans to earn that honor. Watkins will not return to competition for the remainder of USC's 2025 NCAA Tournament run, which continues in the Sweet Sixteen in Spokane, Wash., following a season-ending injury suffered on March 24 in the NCAA Second Round.
Already named the Sporting News National Player of the Year and an All-America First Team pick by the AP, USBWA and Sporting News, Watkins went big in USC's seven games against AP top-10 opponents in particular. Watkins posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to claim the Big Ten regular-season championship. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Watkins is averaging 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also impressive season averages of 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in USC's push to a 30-3 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Also this season, Watkins 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 their win over then-No. 1 UCLA at Galen Center. The Athletic's National Player of the Year, Watkins also earned a nod as a 2025 Sullivan Award semifinalist and is on the Wooden Award Top 15 Ballot. Recently she was named a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career, ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 9 all-time in career scoring with 1,709 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four shy of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.
Earlier this season, Watkins 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 numerous USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week selections. This is Watkins' second season on the AP, USBWA and Sporting News All-America First Teams.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year by the USBWA. Named for the legendary UCLA guard, the award was first presented in the 1987-88 season and formally named in Meyers Drysdale's honor in the 2011-12 season. Ann Meyers Drysdale played at UCLA from 1974-78, which pre-dates the USBWA All-America selections. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
The USBWA was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball.
Fans will have a say in the determining the 2025 Naismith Trophy winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike's. Starting March 25, fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on X (@MarchMadnessWBB) and @naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for various Naismith awards presented by MOLECULE. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on April 1 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5 percent of the total vote.
Watkins, who is also in the running for top defensive honors after being named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year last week, could become USC's third player to win the Naismith Trophy and second to claim the Wade Trophy. As far as her USBWA National Player of the Year acclaim, she joins Lisa Leslie as the only two Trojans to earn that honor. Watkins will not return to competition for the remainder of USC's 2025 NCAA Tournament run, which continues in the Sweet Sixteen in Spokane, Wash., following a season-ending injury suffered on March 24 in the NCAA Second Round.
Already named the Sporting News National Player of the Year and an All-America First Team pick by the AP, USBWA and Sporting News, Watkins went big in USC's seven games against AP top-10 opponents in particular. Watkins posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to claim the Big Ten regular-season championship. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Watkins is averaging 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also impressive season averages of 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in USC's push to a 30-3 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Also this season, Watkins 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 their win over then-No. 1 UCLA at Galen Center. The Athletic's National Player of the Year, Watkins also earned a nod as a 2025 Sullivan Award semifinalist and is on the Wooden Award Top 15 Ballot. Recently she was named a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career, ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 9 all-time in career scoring with 1,709 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four shy of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.
Earlier this season, Watkins 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 numerous USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week selections. This is Watkins' second season on the AP, USBWA and Sporting News All-America First Teams.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year by the USBWA. Named for the legendary UCLA guard, the award was first presented in the 1987-88 season and formally named in Meyers Drysdale's honor in the 2011-12 season. Ann Meyers Drysdale played at UCLA from 1974-78, which pre-dates the USBWA All-America selections. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
The USBWA was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball.
Fans will have a say in the determining the 2025 Naismith Trophy winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike's. Starting March 25, fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on X (@MarchMadnessWBB) and @naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for various Naismith awards presented by MOLECULE. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on April 1 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5 percent of the total vote.
Players Mentioned
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