USC Women's Basketball: Top Prep Product Eager For First Trojans Season

Former Sierra Canyon School combo guard Juju Watkins, the top prospect among her class, is looking forward to staying local in the fall, when she'll don the cardinal and gold for your USC Trojans. She'll look to return the team to its title-winning ways 40 seasons after its most recent NCAA championship.

Per Eric Sondheimer of The Los Angeles Times, Watkins spoke recently during a Gatorade awards ceremony (she was, after all, the 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year) about how she feels ahead of her freshman college season.

“Honestly, I’m excited,” she revealed. “I’m glad I can have a fresh start. There’s a lot of expectations for me personally and from everybody. I’m ecstatic to see what these next few years will consist of. The plan is to keep working hard and showing up on the court.”

“I’m happy to be surrounded by greatness,” Watkins continued. “It’s really cool to be in that environment. It’s L.A. Happy to be here and to be part of it.”

The 6' point guard/shooting guard enjoyed an award-winning final prep school season. Beyond her Gatorade honor, she was also named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, California Ms. Basketball (for the second time), and the LA Times Player of the Year (for the third time). Per On3, Watkins' current Name Image and Likeness valuation of $174K ranked her second among all high school students.

Watkins logged averages of 27.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while guiding the club to a 31-1 record in 2022-23.