There was a moment this season when it felt inevitable – JuJu Watkins was about to take over the NCAA tournament. The USC star had already shattered records, carried her team through the toughest battles, and proved she belonged among the elite. Fate had other plans. A devastating injury stopped her run in its tracks. And yet, even with her season cut short, Watkins didn’t fade into the background. Instead, she’s walking away with an honor that solidifies her place in history.

She’s been the ultimate game-changer. She’s broken records such as scoring 920 points, most in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history, surpassing San Diego State’s Tina Hutchinson’s 898 during the 1983-84 season. From that to carrying USC on her back. And now, she’s walking away with a major award that proves just how special she is.

Watkins won the Naismith Women’s College Player Of The Year. Matt Barnes, an NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, took to social media and congratulated Juju Watkins. He shared a story on Instagram. He captioned the story, “Congrats @jujuballin Easy Call”. Fellow veterans also followed suit, watching Matt Barnes pour in the love. Reggie Miller, a Hall of Famer, captioned his story, “Even this Bruin has to give PROPS! Congrats @jujubballin, earned and deserved 👍🤘💪🤙🙏👌” showing his love and admiration for the young star.

Juju Watkins deservedly won the award. She has had a stellar season, proving herself with every point made. She has helped the Trojans establish an amazing record in the league of 31-4 and a 16-2 record in the Big Ten Tournament. Let us look at the honor-winning season Juju Watkins had.

Juju Watkins: The season that had it all

The USC Trojans have had an unbelievable season. Under coach Lindsay Gottlieb, the team has posted a record of 31-4 collectively. With an impressive tally of 17-1 in the Big Ten Tournament. They are looking like the top contenders to win the regular season championship this season. Which will be their first in 31 years. 

At the center of it all is Juju Watkins. “Wow, I’m at a loss for words right now,” Watkins said during a prerecorded acceptance speech as she was unable to attend the 2024-25 Naismith Awards ceremony. “What an incredible honor. I want to sincerely thank Naismith for this amazing recognition. This is truly special, and I feel so blessed to be selected among some of the best in the game…This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait for what’s ahead. So, thank you so much again, and fight on.”

Interestingly, Watkins is USC’s first Naismith Award winner since Lisa Leslie in 1994. Leslie went on to win two WNBA championships, three league MVP awards, and four Olympic gold medals in her legendary career. So if it’s true that history repeats itself, that’s a good precedent for JuJu to follow.

Juju Watkins, 2024 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, astounded this season with 23.9 points per game accompanied by 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks on 33.8 minutes a game in 33 starts (43 percent/33 percent/82 percent splits) in all the stats. Impressive, no? What is more impressive is that this is all in addition to suffering a season-ending injury that befell Juju Watkins during the second-round encounter against the Mississippi State team. She tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament and was out for a long period of time, derailing her season.

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Every once in a while, a player comes along who forces the game to evolve. JuJu Watkins is that player. The fact that veterans like Matt Barnes and Reggie Miller are rallying behind her speaks volumes. She’s not just putting up insane numbers, she’s setting a new standard.

And if this is what she’s doing now, before even stepping onto the pro stage, one thing is clear: The best is yet to come.