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JuJu Watkins Opens Up About ACL Injury Recovery State of Mind

USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins got honest about her state of mind as she prepares to rehab her ACL injury.

Grant Young

Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins during pregame warmup before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins during pregame warmup before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

On March 24, USC Trojans superstar sophomore and National Player of the Year award winner JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL during the first quarter of her team's NCAA Tournament game.

As soon as Watkins went down while driving to the basket just a few minutes into the game, viewers feared the worst. And the worst was confirmed later that evening, declaring she had indeed torn her ACL and ensuring that Watkins would not only miss the rest of the 2025 NCAA Tournament but will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

Watkins had been relatively quiet about the injury in the days afterward, only popping up on social media to show her team love after their Elite Eight loss to UConn about a week later. However, Watkins spoke with ESPN College GameDay on Saturday and detailed aspects of her recovery.

"You know, I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason," Watkins said, per an X post from @espnW. "I think my first week, I was in complete shock, and [it's] the first time that I've dealt with this type of adversity.

"So I'm really just getting prepared for what's to come and ready to just get to work and get to work in rehab so that I'm back on the floor with my teammates," she added.

It's hard to hear that Watkins says she was in "complete shock" after the injury. But it's awesome to see her smiling and keeping an optimistic mindset as she enters the surgery, recovery, and rehab process over the next several months.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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