Juju Watkins, USC women's basketball signee, scores 30 points in Sierra Canyon win at Galen Center
LOS ANGELES — On her future home floor, USC signee Juju Watkins put on a show.
Playing at the Galen Center in the The Chosen-1s Invitational, Watkins scored a game high 30 points to lead her Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.) team to a 64-55 win over La Jolla Country Day (San Diego). SBLive ranks Sierra Canyon as the No. 2 girls basketball team in the country and La Jolla Country Day at No. 7.
"Playing my first game at the Galen Center, I wanted to start off strong," Watkins said. "I'm glad I got to do it with my current team because they mean a lot to me. This gave me a preview of what it's going to be like next year. This made me more confident in my decision."
Watkins is the No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2023 class. When USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb heard from Watkins that she intended to sign with the Trojans, Gottlieb said she “cried like a baby."
Following a 12-16 2021-22 season, the USC women's basketball team is 11-3 this year. There's buzz around the program, which will only increase with the addition of Watkins next season.
Watkins invited USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams to Saturday's game and he sat courtside.
"I'm happy he showed up," Watkins said.
In addition to Williams, Kenny "the Jet" Smith, rapper The Game, and USC men's basketball assistant coach Eric Mobley all watched Sierra Canyon take down La Jolla Country Day.
"I hadn't been this excited for a game in a while," Watkins said.
