USC Trojans Coach Outlines Expectations for JuJu Watkins Following Injury Return

USC guard JuJu Watkins arrived at USC as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class and quickly proved to be no ordinary freshman when she dropped 32 points in an upset win over Ohio State in her college debut.

Watkins had a 51-point outing in a win over Stanford and broke the Division I scoring record that had stood since 1984. She guided the Trojans to a Pac-12 tournament championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Watkins was named the Freshman of the Year by multiple outlets and earned unanimous first team All-American honors.

USC Trojans Women's Basketball JuJu Watkins Lindsay Gottlieb NCAA Tournament Jazzy Davidson Injury Recovery Update — Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Sierra Canyon (Calif.) product followed it up with an even better sophomore campaign in the 2024-25 season. Her signature performance came against crosstown rival UCLA where she recorded a mind-boggling 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks, and five assists.

The Trojans won the Big Ten regular championship and were once again rewarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Watkins continued to rack up the accolades, which included first team All-American honors and being named the Naismith College Player of the Year.

USC had national championship aspirations but a devastating ACL injury to their superstar guard in the second round of the NCAA Tournament effectively ended their hopes.

Bounce Back from a Significant Injury

Watkins missed all of last season but remained highly engaged with her teammates from encouraging them on the sidelines on gamedays to taking the initiative of setting up the chairs for team meetings. She found anyway to contribute that wasn't on the court.

Behind the scenes, Watkins wasn’t just focused on returning to her original All-American form, but wanted to come back a better player.

“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,” said USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “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.”

Watkins was able to lean on Dallas Wings star guard Paige Bueckers, who has been in the same exact position as the Trojans guard. Bueckers suffered a torn ACL before the start of her junior season at UConn. Bueckers herself was the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school and was named the Naismith College Player of the Year as a freshman.

She bounced back the following season and led the Huskies to a berth in the Final Four and then led them to national championship in her final season. Bueckers went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

“Paige was a big person for me,” Watkins said. “She was constantly checking up on me. Send me texts, just encouraging me, so I really appreciate that.”

Loaded Backcourt at USC

Watkins returns to a roster with more talent than any of her previous seasons at USC, specifically in the backcourt.

Sophomore guard Jazzy Davidson was instant star for the Trojans. The former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class led the Trojans in points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals per game, which earned her Freshman of the Year honors by multiple outlets. Junior guard Kennedy Smith has started every game she has appeared in the past two seasons. A defensive savant, Smith blossomed as a scorer the last month and a half of the season.

Ryann Bennett, a two-year standout for UC Davis, transferred to Southern Cal in April. This past season, Bennett started all 34 games. She recorded eight 20-point performances and led her team with 15.3 points per game. Freshman five-star guard/forward Saniyah Hall was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class.

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