USC’s JuJu Watkins Is First Trojan To Be Named AP National Player of the Year
April 03, 2025 | Women's Basketball
The sophomore guard earns top honors from the Associated Press.
USC guard JuJu Watkins has earned another significant national award with her selection as the Associated Press Player of the Year today (April 3). Fresh off joining Cheryl Milly and Lisa Leslie as the third Trojan to win the Naismith Trophy, Watkins stands alone as the only USC player to be named an AP Player of the Year, as that award began in 1995.
Watkins, who sustained a season-ending injury on March 24 in the NCAA Second Round, has also been named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year by the USBWA and is one of four finalists for the Wade Trophy, which Miller won in 1985. A finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Watkins recently was named to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team and is also one of five players in the running for the Wooden Award.
Already named the National Player of the Year by The Athletic and Sporting News as well as an All-America First Team pick by the AP, USBWA and Sporting News, Watkins went big in the seven games she played against AP top-10 opponents this season in particular. Watkins posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to claim the Big Ten regular-season championship. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Watkins is averaging 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also-impressive averages of 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her sophomore season.
Also this year, Watkins became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game with her work for the Women of Troy their win over then-No. 1 UCLA at Galen Center.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 9 all-time in career scoring with 1,709 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four shy of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.
This is Watkins' second season on the AP, Sporting News and USBWA All-America First Teams as well as the Wooden All-America Team. A Sullivan Award semifinalist, Watkins also is a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career, ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win.
Earlier this season, Watkins collected AP Preseason All-America status as well as numerous USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week selections.
Watkins, who sustained a season-ending injury on March 24 in the NCAA Second Round, has also been named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year by the USBWA and is one of four finalists for the Wade Trophy, which Miller won in 1985. A finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Watkins recently was named to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team and is also one of five players in the running for the Wooden Award.
Already named the National Player of the Year by The Athletic and Sporting News as well as an All-America First Team pick by the AP, USBWA and Sporting News, Watkins went big in the seven games she played against AP top-10 opponents this season in particular. Watkins posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to claim the Big Ten regular-season championship. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Watkins is averaging 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That's better than her overall and also-impressive averages of 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her sophomore season.
Also this year, Watkins became the first basketball player at the Division I collegiate, WNBA and NBA levels since 2000 to score 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists in a single game with her work for the Women of Troy their win over then-No. 1 UCLA at Galen Center.
In the USC record books, Watkins ranks No. 9 all-time in career scoring with 1,709 points — having become the fastest Trojan to score 1,000 career points in program history earlier this season — and with the second-most 30-point games by a Trojan. With 38 points and 30 points vs. USC rival UCLA this season, Watkins now has 21 career 30-point games — four shy of Cheryl Miller's career record of 25.
This is Watkins' second season on the AP, Sporting News and USBWA All-America First Teams as well as the Wooden All-America Team. A Sullivan Award semifinalist, Watkins also is a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, which is given annually to a player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career, ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win.
Earlier this season, Watkins collected AP Preseason All-America status as well as numerous USBWA Drysdale Player of the Week, AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week selections.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
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