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JuJu Watkins Sends Heartfelt Message After Winning Naismith Player of the Year Award

USC sophomore sensation JuJu Watkins was clearly humbled in accepting the honor while on the mend from her ACL injury.
Samara Elster|
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
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 | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

USC sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was named the 2025 Naismith Women's College Basketball Player of the Year on Wednesday.

Watkins is the first USC player to win the Women's College Player of the Year Award since Lisa Leslie in 1994.

The news was announced at the Naismith Awards presentation ceremony down in Tampa to kick off the Final Four weekend. While Watkins was unable to attend due to her suffering a torn ACL, she shared a message accepting the award.

"Wow, I'm at a loss for words right now. What an incredible honor," Watkins said. She went on to thank her teammates, family, friends, and fans while also expressing how blessed she felt to earn the award given the other great players in the nation.

"This is just the beginning and I cant wait for whats ahead," Watkins added.

As a sophomore, Watkins averaged 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.8 blocks, per game. She led USC to a 28-3 regular season record, including two hard fought wins over UCLA and one win over UConn.

Watkins was selected for the award over UConn's Paige Bueckers, UCLA's Lauren Betts, and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo. This now adds to her already impressive resume on the season, including Big Ten Player of the Year and being named a unanimous first-team All-American.

After earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Trojans were one of the favorites to win it all. That was until Watkins suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the second round of the tournament against Mississippi State.

Even though the Trojans advanced to the Elite 8 after defeating Kansas State 67-61, it was a short-lived run without Watkins on the court as USC's season ended in a 78-64 loss to UConn.

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Samara Elster
SAMARA ELSTER

Samara Elster covers basketball for Women’s Fastbreak on SI. She has extensively covered a variety of the sports teams at Indiana University with a focus on the women's basketball team. Samara has experience as a beat reporter covering the ins and outs of a team and handling the stories that emerge from that role. Her concentration on sports journalism at IU combined with her enthusiasm for the media industry drove her to pursue a career covering sports.

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