Inside USC Trojans Guard JuJu Watkins' Path to Recovery From Knee Injury

USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb has a routine she follows every road game where she spends some time in the locker room alone.

This past season, she had some company, superstar guard JuJu Watkins, who missed the entire 2025-2026 year with a torn ACL she suffered in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March 2025.

Staying Engaged During Injury Recovery

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Injury Recovery Rehab Update JuJu Watkins Jazzy Davidson Kennedy Smith Lindsay Gottlieb — Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Watkins, a two-time All-American and 2025 Naismith Player of the Year, would set up the chairs to prepare for the team talk. Anything to keep her busy during her long rehab process.

“She doesn’t have to do that, right? Just the small ways that she said, 'Okay, how am I going to be present without being on the court,” Gottlieb said.

Despite her injury, Watkins played an important role for the Trojans last season. She was present on the sideline, encouraging her teammates and coaching them up, which included star freshman Jazzy Davidson. Similar to Watkins, Davidson was the No. 1 overall pick recruit coming out of high school.

“She’s always been this incredibly likable person and great teammate but the intentionality with which she approached being a teammate last year and spending time not just with Jazzy but Kennedy, the other players, pouring and giving to them was really remarkable.”

Watkins was able to grow as a leader this past season and acknowledges her staying engaged on the sideline was beneficial during this difficult period.

“I think being able to pour my energy into my teammates even though I wasn’t playing was really helpful for me and even helped with my recovery process as well," Watkins said.

Watkins has been a star on the court ever since she picked up a basketball at a young age. She racked up the accolades throughout her prolific high school career and signed with Klutch Sports Group as a high school junior, becoming the first athlete to be represented by an agency that has an impressive clientele. That same year Watkins signed an NIL deal with Nike.

This past year was the longest Watkins has been away from the game since she first started playing. Gottlieb praised Watkins’ approach throughout the whole process to get to the point where she is finally able to scrimmage with her teammates this summer.

“JuJu is really a unique human being in the way she approaches anything, challenges, her day-to-day,” Gottlieb said. “When you have a young person going through something so difficult like an injury that way. The only thing I could tell her, I tore my ACL, I said there's things that come from this that you can’t possibly know right now that you’re someday going to be grateful for. And just to watch her take something that was so difficult and pour herself into everything that went into last year was something I’ll never forget. I really drew a lot of inspiration from it.”

Bounce Back Season

After being away from the game and her teammates for so long, Watkins did not hold back her level of excitement to be back on the court.

“Honestly everything,” Watkins said. “Just being around everybody, shooting the ball, the smallest stuff just gets me excited. Being able to scrimmage again, it’s all I could ask for honestly.”

Watkins has a very good reason for being excited, not just because she’s back on the court but the pieces she has around her, headlined by Davidson, the reigning Freshman of the Year. Junior Kennedy Smith is back.

The Trojans signed the No. 1 recruiting class, which includes guard Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 overall recruit, five-star forward Sitaya Fagan and five-star forward/center Sara Okeke. In the portal, USC added UC Davis transfer guard Ryann Bennett and Florida State transfer center Pania Davis.

“We have a lot of great pieces coming in from Jazzy, Sia, PD, so many great additions to the team and then we have our returners as well," Watkins said. "I’m super excited. I think the main thing is just continuing to build our culture, discipline and really just attaching every day.”

It’s a national championship level roster, led by Watkins, who Gottlieb believes will be even better after her injury.

“She’s always been a worker but to see her figure out the importance of each rep of lifting a weight. “Watch out in terms of her physical makeup,” Gottlieb said. “She’s stronger, faster, in her best shape ever because of the way she approached the work and then the mental side right of it, right? The talks about basketball, what she’s seeing that you can’t possibly see when you’re on the floor being JuJu.

“She had to take a different route. All of it to me was something you had to be there to see it and I’m grateful she’s back now but I think the work that she put in is something that is going to be speak volume.”

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