USC's Watkins adds to honors with Wooden Award

USC prima JuJu Watkins was named the victor of the 2025 Wooden Award connected Saturday, taking location the grant fixed to the astir outstanding subordinate successful women's basketball.

Watkins won the grant implicit chap finalists Paige Bueckers of UConn, Lauren Betts of UCLA, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame and Madison Booker of Texas.

Watkins besides won Associated Press Player of the Year and Naismith Women's College Player of the Year.

A sophomore, Watkins becomes conscionable the 3rd underclassman to triumph the honor, which was archetypal handed retired successful women's assemblage hoops successful the 2003-04 season. Maya Moore won during her sophomore play astatine UConn successful 2009 and Bueckers won it successful 2022, becoming the archetypal freshman to bash so.

Before Watkins' season-ending ACL teardrop successful the 2nd circular of the NCAA tournament, she had dominated women's hoops this year, finishing 4th successful the federation successful scoring with 23.9 points per game, on with 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks successful 33.8 minutes per night.

The 6-foot-2 defender already ranks ninth successful USC's vocation scoring list.

She led the Trojans to their champion play successful implicit 4 decades. They went 31-4, including 17-1 successful Big Ten play, and clinched their archetypal regular-season title successful 31 years. After Watkins' injury, USC won 2 games to beforehand to the Elite Eight for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment earlier falling to UConn.

USC manager Lindsay Gottlieb told ESPN that she doesn't cognize Watkins' betterment timeline -- if she volition redshirt adjacent play oregon effort to travel back. But either way, the programme expects "her comeback's going to beryllium legendary," Gottlieb said.