USC Women's Basketball: JuJu Watkins Rebuffs Hype As Next Face Of Women's Hoops

USC women's basketball star JuJu Watkins emerged as one of the biggest names in college basketball during her freshman season. During her dominant freshman campaign, Watkins recorded 14 30-point games, led USC to the NCAA Elite Eight, and broke the NCAA freshman scoring record with 920 points. As legends of basketball, including LeBron James and Cheryl Miller, came to see her play, Watkins became the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, an All-American, and won the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as the best shooting guard in the country.

These achievements and moments have caused Watkins to make countless headlines over the season, cementing her as one of the stars of the sport.

However, Watkins is hitting the brakes when it comes to saying that she's the next face of women's college basketball. While Watkins is already one of the biggest faces in the game, especially with Iowa's Caitlin Clark and LSU's Angel Reese leaving for the WNBA Draft, she is not planning to on that title.

“Whoa, that’s a big title," Watkins said on Podcast P with Paul George. "I wouldn’t be considered the person I am without my competition. The comp is everything, the conferences, the great teams, that’s really what matters, just who you’re playing ... wouldn’t say I’m doing it alone. There’s great teams everywhere, so many great players and I’m just glad that I get to play against them.”

Watkins might not want to claim the title, but she is undoubtedly one of the faces of the sport. With Clark and Reese gone, Watkins will be one of the most recognized players in women's college basketball, alongside UConn star Paige Bueckers. While her humility in not taking credit is noble, she is one of the sport's brightest stars.