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/ Women's Basketball
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USC’s JuJu Watkins Picked As Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Finalist
March 04, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Watkins could become the first back-to-back winner of the prestigious award.
The winner of last year's Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year award as a freshman, USC's JuJu Watkins is again one of five finalists for the prestigious honor, as announced today by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Fresh off helping USC win its first regular-season conference championship since 1994, Watkins also has been instrumental in USC's rise to a No. 2 national ranking this week — the highest for the program since 1984.
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.
USC has posted a 9-1 record against top-25 opponents so far this season, and Watkins has gone big in USC's six games against AP top-10 opponents in particular. After posting her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, Watkins is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also impressive season averages of 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in USC's push to a 26-2 regular-season finish.
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. This week, Watkins was named The Athletic's National Player of the Year and the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year.
Watkins has also earned nods as a 2025 Sullivan Award semifinalist, and is on watch lists for the Wade Trophy, Wooden Award and Dawn Staley Award — some of collegiate women's basketball's highest honors.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 11 all-time in career scoring with 1,604 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 20 career 30-point games — five short 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.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in both of the remaining rounds starting on Friday, March 7, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In late March, the five Shooting Guard of the Year 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 Awards 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 Awards 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.
USC has posted a 9-1 record against top-25 opponents so far this season, and Watkins has gone big in USC's six games against AP top-10 opponents in particular. After posting her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, Watkins is averaging 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also impressive season averages of 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in USC's push to a 26-2 regular-season finish.
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. This week, Watkins was named The Athletic's National Player of the Year and the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year.
Watkins has also earned nods as a 2025 Sullivan Award semifinalist, and is on watch lists for the Wade Trophy, Wooden Award and Dawn Staley Award — some of collegiate women's basketball's highest honors.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 11 all-time in career scoring with 1,604 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 20 career 30-point games — five short 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.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in both of the remaining rounds starting on Friday, March 7, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In late March, the five Shooting Guard of the Year 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 Awards 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 Awards 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.
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